Orthopedic surgeon tells women they can become "unbreakable"
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Photos: Courtesy of Rodale, Ashley Blencoe
Orthopedic surgeon Vonda Wright has a plan for how women can optimize their bones and muscles to stay stronger for longer.
The big picture: Sexist beliefs that women should be thin and weak are being knocked out by messages from doctors and celebrities saying building muscle mass is key to longevity wellness.
What they're saying: "When it comes to making muscle, I'm often asked if Pilates, yoga, and barre workouts are sufficient for influencing muscle health," Wright wrote in "Unbreakable: A Woman's Guide to Aging with Power," on sale Aug. 26.
- "These practices certainly have their benefits, but I view them as the seasoning or the garnish for your Unbreakable plan. By and large they all improve muscle endurance — your ability to hold a pose or maintain an isometric contraction — but do not create any significant lean muscle mass gain or absolute power."
- Wright talks about her own struggles with weight gain, body aches and weakness at age 47.
- By adopting a specific lifestyle, Wright said, she recomposed her body by losing 12% body fat and gaining 8 pounds of muscle. Overall, she dropped 18 pounds.
How it works: An "Unbreakable score" is Wright's secret sauce to determining a person's fitness baseline. It's calculated with the results of these tests, which she suggests doing every six months:
- VO2 max for aerobic capacity
- Grip strength for muscular strength
- Body mass index
- Resting heart rate
- Three-minute step test for cardiovascular fitness
- Gait-speed test for functional mobility
- Push-up test for upper body endurance
- Sit and rise test for flexibility and balance
Zoom in: VO2 max "is the most powerful measure of your current fitness," Wright said, and using the Cooper test (the maximum distance a person can run in 12 minutes), no special equipment is necessary.
Optimizing strength using the results of the Unbreakable score, according to Wright, looks like this for people in midlife:
- Flexibility and mobility: 15 minutes of a dynamic warmup, plus post-workout static stretches.
- Aerobic exercise: An 80/20 strategy made up of 80 percent moderate-intensity exercise and 20 percent high-intensity exercise.
- Carrying a load (resistance training): Weightlifting beginners can determine starting weight by using an online calculator like one from the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
- Equilibrium and footspeed: These can be achieved through tasks like jumping rope or standing on one foot while brushing your teeth.
Between the lines: Making time for fitness and good nutrition is key to success.
- How people age is determined not by "bad genes," Wright said, but the time and energy invested in building healthy lifestyle habits.
