Beyond the Aesthetics: What you don't see in the mirror is what really matters.

It has been two years since Kathy’s last iDXA, she is now over 50 and has been training with MM Team Fitness for 3+ years. Her performance continues to improve and she has consistently maintained a fat free mass of 116.5 lbs on her 67” frame at a bodyweight of 141 lbs and 18.1% body fat. Her total bone density is 2.6 standard deviations above that of a healthy 20 year old female. Since her last iDXA she has increased her total bone density by 2.5% at a time when most women her age are losing bone density. Certainly genetics play a roll, but her consistency with dietary intake (macros and micros) and the level of intensity she puts forth during her training sessions contribute in large part to these long-term results.

While we tend focus on what we see in the mirror, it tells you little about what is going on under the muscle. Restrictive weight loss programs, excessive cardio, excessive leanness and unbalanced diets can take an insidious toll on bone density. You won’t know it until there is a problem and at that point, it’s very hard to reverse the damage.

Women are programmed by the media to train with light weight and high reps, do lots of cardio and live on salads and tuna. Will this give you abs and that long lean look, perhaps if your genetics permit it and you are able to tolerate the lifestyle required to maintain it. Problem is, taken together it is a prescription for early osteoporosis. Peak bone density occurs early in life, and high peak bone density reduces the risk of osteoporosis in later life.

We know that long term caloric restriction and excess exercise of any kind is a set up for metabolic damage. Muscle disappears, performance declines, you’re getting fatter, more cardio and caloric restriction is no longer effective and that all powerful reinforcing buff image in the mirror disappears. Positive self-esteem morphs into depression. Your friends start asking you if you’ve been sick and it just gets uglier from there.The bright side if there is one, is that the metabolic damage and self-esteem is repairable, though the journey back to a normal metabolism is rough. Reversing the damage done to bone density however, is less promising.

At MM Team Fitness we believe in science based training. We use VO2max/AT testing for endurance performance assessment and exercise prescription, and iDXA for all participants, particularly women. iDXA is a very accurate, research grade tool used for assessing body composition (total and regional, fat and lean mass) and total and multisite bone density. In addition to baseline data collection, we refer clients to licensed sports nutrition professionals for guidance on sustainable weight loss, performance enhancement (endurance, strength and physique) and just living a better life.

Train for a sustainable healthy life and you’ll still end up looking good in the mirror. Train for the mirror and you’re unlikely to live a healthy life. Interested in an iDXA, see: www.mmteamfitness.com/about-mm-weight-loss for more information.