Like so many other athletes, I gained a few pounds during the pandemic. More than a few. Way too many. Worse still, at least in my opinion, it all went on my belly. I think of someone with excess belly fat as someone who is not active. It certainly does not look athletic.
I love science, and what is referred to as evidence based training. “Evidence” is not the same as doing something that worked for a friend. It means making decisions based on published, peer reviewed studies along with commentary from world class sports scientists who are using those same resources.
Science tells us that our bodies are designed to store excess fuel as fat. It is a survival mechanism, in case our three hour boat tour ends up stranded on an island. From adolescence to roughly fifty, give or take ten years, that fat is distributed first throughout our muscles. It’s what you look for when choosing a streak, lots of marbling. When there is plenty of excess it gets stored throughout our body between our skin and muscles. Flabby arms, flabby thighs.
As we age that distribution plan changes. The mechanism that assigns fat storage reverses those priorities. Less fat is stored in our muscles, arms, and legs, while more goes on our belly. Yes, a beer belly is not about beer as much as aging.
Is this inevitable? Yes and no. To some extent we must accept the changes. Gray hair, hair loss, wrinkles. Those things happen as we age. One very important change takes place out of sight. A reduction in reproductive hormones. Apparently it is those hormones that signal fat distribution.
What can we do about it? As it turns out there is one simple activity that can boost production of those hormones, and that is lifting heavy weights. Not the usual five pound barbell and twenty bicep curls. It takes really heavy lifting. Four reps and you are done. Running won’t help. Cycling won’t help. Standard gym workouts won’t help. Heavy stuff. One light set to practice the motion, then pile it on for three to four reps. By the last rep your muscles should be shaking.
What about the question I opened with? The one about what to ask when you are hungry? Even if we can’t hold onto our youthful body shape, we can make nutrition choices that minimize the damage. Nutrition is a complex topic and I will share some thoughts in future posts. For now, here are two questions you should ask yourself before you eat.
Do I need this?
What will this do for me?
Context matters. Ask these questions as an athlete preparing for a race. Watch out for traps, like saying yes to the first question when contemplating a chocolate and sea salt bar after a hard yoga session. As for the second question, try expanding on it. Will it help me run faster? Will it improve my endurance?
The sensation of hunger is another challenging subject. What has worked for me in the past is to remind myself that feeling hungry is a reward associated with losing weight, similar to how sore muscles are a reward for hard work. Being active adds an extra dimension. As athletes we must put enough fuel in our tanks to make it through our workout plan without compromising performance. There is a before, during, and after aspect. I, like many athletes, tend to under fuel before and during, then overeat as recovery. That’s because when we are active our hunger signals are suppressed, and after activity they spring up like dandelions.
Now, whenever I feel hungry I ask myself those two questions and remind myself that losing some of this pandemic belly fat will help me perform better and live longer.
