«Muscle is the new ‘antiaging’ to keep everything up»

Elsa Pataky He is in shape, this is something that no one doubts. Now, behind your care routine is an undeniable dose of consistency. The actress, these days in Spain, told part of her secrets during the presentation of the new era of Biotherm. She explained that one of the muscle groups that she most enjoys when training is the gluteus, and for this, she uses 15 or 20 kilo weights. In addition, she said that one of the exercises that cannot be missing from her training are squats, which she even does “in the airplane lavatory when she has a lot of trips.”

Far from being anecdotal, this practice has a great impact on health. The slightest movement that one can make already counts. This is how he explained it Francis Ortega, the Spanish behind the exercise recommendations of the World Health Organization: “For me, the message has to be: get up from the couch and little by little accumulate more steps, incorporating more movement into your life,” he detailed. What Pataky does is known as snacks of exercise. Small physical activity pills that break the monotony of spending many hours sitting.

The opposite has been linked to health problems. Various studies analyzed the impact of spending a lot of time inactive. In children, for example, an increase in adiposity levels was observed; shorter sleep duration or poorer metabolic health. In adults, a sedentary lifestyle has been repeatedly associated with higher mortality from any cause and a higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and type 2 diabetes.

Therefore, fighting inactivity can take many forms. An investigation published in the scientific journal European Heart Journal found that including two to three intense exercise sessions, lasting two to three minutes, reduced the risk of cardiovascular mortality by 35%. Another study concluded that a twelve-minute daily routine was enough to improve health. Of course, the more, the better. But the minimum also counts. “Getting up every hour to climb stairs improves blood glucose control during a 9-hour sitting work day,” he explained. Victor Diazpersonal trainer and physical educator, who added that “climbing three flights of 20 stairs (60 steps in total) three times a week already allows for improvements in cardiorespiratory capacity,” he detailed in this report.

Each person must adapt these pills to their routine, although it is recommended to add them approximately every two hours: “If we are hydrating, every hour and a half or two, more or less, we should go to the bathroom. “We can take advantage of that to go to the bathroom one or two floors up (or down), or if we are embarrassed, we can take advantage of the same bathroom to do ten squats,” proposed César Bustos, physical and vocal educator of the Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity (Seedo), which referred to how to apply this movement during the work day. When a person is sitting, their gluteal, lower back and hamstring muscles are inhibited. “Every time we get up, all these areas are activated and we reduce the risk of mortality associated with lack of movement,” described the expert.

Pilates and weights

Elsa Pataky has also said that, although she has practiced yoga in the past, now his training routine was focusing on pilates and in weight lifting. What’s more, regarding this last discipline, she encouraged women not to be afraid of strength work and acknowledged that she recommended it to her friends: “Muscle is the new ‘antiaging’ to keep everything up,” she said.

You’re right? Everything points to yes. Strength training is synonymous with physical care. Not only for the aesthetic benefits, but because being strong ensures a higher quality of life. In fact, scientific evidence has, on numerous occasions, linked this type of movement with better resistance, speed or flexibility. Díaz listed, in this article, the long list of positive effects: «Strength improves our body composition because it allows us to increase our muscle mass and quality, reduce the fat percentage, and has a high impact on visceral fat, associated with a greater risk of diseases,” he specified.

According to the expert, it also increases basal metabolism, improves lipid profile, reduces chronic inflammation and optimizes oxidative excess and antioxidant capacity. In addition, it improves insulin sensitivity, glucose homeostasis and even has benefits on the immune system.

Far from what one might think, the personal trainer denied that there were exercises for men and women, “although there are still people who believe it.” Quite the opposite. The general population without pathologies should look for exercises that work all movement patterns and the main muscle groups, whether in the lower body, upper body or the central area. In this sense, Díaz proposed a routine composed of squats, strides, deadlifts or gluteal bridges, among others.

Vitamin C and Omega 3

Regarding food, the Spanish interpreter spoke of the importance of following a healthy diet, although she explained that she had begun to supplement with Omega 3, Vitamin C, magnesium or collagen. Of course, it was advisable to have an analysis done prior to consumption to find out individual deficiencies.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is recognized as the best antioxidant as it can repair damage caused by free radicals to cells. It is present in fruits such as oranges, kiwi, lemon, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and kale. How to obtain it? Eating five servings of fruit and vegetables provides more than 200 milligrams of vitamin C, double the recommended minimum. For its part, Omega-3 is a type of healthy fat. Specifically, it is part of the polyunsaturated fatty acids, and comes from both foods of plant origin, such as seeds and nuts; as of animal origin, such as fish and shellfish. It is recognized as having an antiplatelet and vasodilatory action, which contributes to reducing blood pressure and thrombosis.

Time for collagen or magnesium supplements. They are needed? Depends. “I know many women taking collagen supplements, antioxidants, very expensive things, out of fear of old age and in the analysis the only thing I see is that they lack vitamin D,” said Matilde Gómez, doctor of Medicine and specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics, in an interview, and at the same time recommended spending the money in a fruit store instead of on a supplementation “that the doctor has not even prescribed.”

Collagen is a type of ubiquitous protein, present in many parts of the body. «It is produced by the body itself, like it produces any protein. Within the cells, the sequence is encoded in the DNA and it is the cell itself that manufactures the collagen,” described, in this article, José Miguel Mulet, professor of Biotechnology at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. This compound is responsible, for example, for giving consistency to the skin, which is why “when it begins to fail, the wrinkles typical of aging appear,” the expert pointed out. It also helps strengthen bone structure. Precisely for these reasons, its supplementation is related to a better condition of the skin or bones.

Does its effect match reality? According to Mulet, supplementation cannot improve collagen production in the body, because it is an irreversible process. «The only thing you can do is have a balanced diet and exercise so that the effects of aging take longer to appear. But the collagen that you synthesize, when you stop synthesizing it, you can’t do anything,” she commented. Specifically, the rate of production of this protein is reduced by 1% per year from the age of 25. Added to this are factors that can accelerate the deficit such as smoking, a poor diet or excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

The professor at the University of Valencia details that, as a protein, the collagen that one ingests goes to the stomach to later degrade into amino acids. «In addition, the one you take is from any other animal, not human. “It doesn’t make any sense,” he criticized.

The experts consulted also do not give the green light to the consumption of magnesium supplements in the general population without deficiencies. “Unless there is a specific disease, such as kidney problems, or for older people who, in some cases, need magnesium supplements, but that has to be indicated by the doctor,” responded Lucía Rivas, dietitian-nutritionist. If the diet is adequate, the need disappears.

Drink two liters of water

Another key to Pataky’s health is hydration Both inside and out. He gave the example of the trip back home, with more than 20 hours on the plane. The actress usually orders a two-liter bottle of water, she opts for light meals and avoids alcohol, which promotes dehydration.

The standard measurement known to everyone is two liters, although there is no scientific evidence to suggest that everyone should drink the same amount of liquid. “There is no general recommendation that can be given for everyone because it will depend on reasons such as age, situation, physical activity and even diet,” said Laura Revejo, pharmacist and nutritionist, and then added: “Although normally “It usually says that for an adult between 20 and 70 years old, the amount would be between 2 and 2.5 liters per day.” Thus, the actress could not be going wrong.

It is not for less. Water participates in a wide range of essential functions in the general health of the body. It contributes to the digestion of food and the absorption of nutrients; It is a fundamental component of blood; It helps the proper functioning of the kidneys and muscle mass, and also protects the joints.