Prevention November 2014

1. MORE MITOCHONDRIA. Think of these as the powerhouses within your cells. They utilize oxygen to chew up glucose and fat and turn it into adenosine triphosphate, the muscle version of gasoline. They increase metabolism and stamina, so you want to make sure to keep them around.(See p. 94 for the plan.) 2. LESS FAT. The more toxic flab you have inside your muscle tissue, the more prone you are to age-related declines in strength, function, and mobility. Lean tissue is also more responsive to the hormone insulin, so it helps you control blood sugar and reduce the risks of weight gain and diabetes—which is why keeping ittrimis vital. 3. A HEALTHY MIX OF FIBERS. Slow-twitch muscle fibers—the kind you recruit during most cardio sessions—contain more mitochondria and are important…

1. Walk at least 3 to 5 days a week. Any aerobic exercise counts, but if you’ve been sedentary, 35- to 45-minute brisk walks are enough to build mitochondria-rich muscle and blast fat out of your tissue. For extra benefit, throw in a few faster 1-minute intervals several times each session. This not only increases calorie burn and preserves your muscle’s ability to react quickly (one more thing that declines with age) but also creates metabolites that stimulate mitochondria growth, giving your mitos another little boost, says Timothy Church, a professor of preventive medicine at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA. 2. Break out the weights 2 days a week. Although resistance training isn’t as effective as aerobics for building mitochondria, it’s vital for maintaining lean muscle mass,…