Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/771993
Abby's Magazine - Volume 5 Issue 1 | Page 43 If your insulin receptors are insensitive, this cannot occur, and muscle wasting becomes inevitable. So, needless to say, it's very important to keep your insulin levels low to avoid becoming insulin resistant—not just for your overall health, but also to maintain healthy muscle. Here, again, whey protein is a phenomenal choice, because it increases GLP-1, a satiety peptide that promotes healthy insulin secretion, and helps your insulin work more effectively. Additionally, testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH) can also activate the mTOR mechanism, and as mentioned earlier, the only way to promote HGH naturally is through Sprint 8-type exercises. So, in a nutshell, the combination of high intensity exercises and high quality whey protein 30-60 minutes before and after your workout is ideal for preventing insulin resistance and muscle wasting. OTHER BENEFICIAL SUPPLEMENTS FOR OPTIMAL MUSCLE PERFORMANCE Lastly, I'd like to mention two additional supplements that can help optimize muscle performance: 1. Carnosine in the form of beta-alanine, and 2. Astaxanthin Carnosine is a pluripotent dipeptide composed of two amino acids (beta-alanine and histadine), found most notably in your muscles, where it helps buffer lactic acids and serves as a potent antioxidant that can help quell muscle inflammation. It appears particularly useful for improving anaerobic high intensity exercise performance, which is why I mention it here. While you can easily purchase these as supplements, please understand that I do NOT recommend doing that. Rather it is far better to get them from whole foods. Vegans need to be particularly careful here as only animal foods are high in carnosine and beta alanine. However, carnosine is rapidly broken down by enzymes into its constituent amino acids, which are then absorbed by your muscles and re-formed back into carnosine. This makes carnosine supplementation ineffective. Most studies find that if you want to increase athletic performance with carnosine, your best bet is to use beta-alanine instead, because it appears to be the rate limiting amino acid in the formation of carnosine. Beta-alanine has also been shown to be helpful for preventing muscle soreness when working out. Astaxanthin is another "supernutrient" —a phenomenally potent antioxidant— well worth mentioning here as it has been shown to help improve muscle endurance, workout performance and recovery. It also reduces inflammation from all causes, including workout injuries, and even enhances your ability to metabolize fat. So, as you can see, age-related muscle wasting doesn't have to happen to you... Following the advice detailed above can go a long way toward maintaining healthy muscle mass as you age.