Before we get into this weeks newsletter I want to say thank you because…
This Month, We Helped Heather.
Every month, I sit down at my computer, open GoFundMe, and I scroll.
And every month, it breaks me a little.
Page after page of people fighting for their lives. Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, all of them struggling to pay for treatments that should never come with a price tag. I can’t help them all. That truth sits heavy in my chest every single time.
But every month, I get to help one.
This month, we helped Heather.
And when I say “we,” I mean exactly that. Every single person who has ever joined our coaching program, bought a copy of Forever Fit, or supports us on Substack made this possible. You did this with me.
Over the years, our little tribe has now contributed to over 40 cancer patients. Forty people who were once where my late partner Jen was. Forty families who needed someone to show up for them. I was broke when Jen was sick. I couldn’t afford the treatments she needed. I know what it feels like to watch someone you love suffer while the bills pile up and the world keeps moving like nothing is wrong.
I never want another person to feel that alone.
So as long as this business exists, as long as you keep showing up and supporting this work, we keep doing this. Every single month, without exception.
Thank you for being the kind of people who make this possible. I don’t take that lightly. Not even for a second.
With so much gratitude,
Maxime
Alright let’s get into this weeks message.
I want to talk about two words that most people over 50 have never heard, but that are quietly shaping how their body ages every single day.
Sarcopenia and osteopenia.
Sarcopenia is the natural loss of lean muscle tissue as you get older. It starts as early as 30 and accelerates after 50. Osteopenia is the precursor to osteoporosis, a gradual thinning and weakening of your bones.
Most people don’t realize either one is happening until it’s obvious. On the bone side, it usually shows up as a fracture that shouldn’t have happened, or a DEXA scan that catches it by surprise. On the muscle side, it’s more subtle. You notice you need to put your hands on your knees to stand up from a chair. You can’t carry the groceries as easily. You feel weaker than you used to, and you chalk it up to “just getting older.”
But it’s not just aging. It’s aging without the right inputs.
After coaching over 1,200 people over the age of 50, I’ve noticed three things that make the biggest difference in combating both of these conditions. They’re not complicated. But most people aren’t doing them, or aren’t doing them consistently enough to matter.
The first is strength training.
This is the single most important thing you can do for both your muscles and your bones as you age. And I say this knowing that a lot of people reading this are already active. You’re doing yoga, Pilates, hiking, walking, swimming. All of those are wonderful for your heart, your mood, your mobility. But they are not enough to tell your body to build new muscle or strengthen your bones.
Your body is an adaptation machine. It becomes whatever you repeatedly ask it to be. If you sit all day, it becomes very efficient at sitting. If you walk, it adapts to walking. But if you want it to build muscle and reinforce bone, you have to give it a reason to do that. And the reason is resistance.
It doesn’t have to be a gym. It can be dumbbells at home, resistance bands, bodyweight exercises, a heavy bag of rice on your back while you squat. Your body doesn’t know the difference between a barbell and your grandchild. It just knows that something is heavy and it needs to get stronger to handle it.
On the bone side, what happens is remarkable. When you put pressure on bone through strength training, you create tiny micro-stresses. Think of it like cracks in a road. The city comes in, patches them up with fresh cement, and the road is stronger than before. Your bones do the same thing through a process called osteoblast and osteoclast activity. But it only happens if you give the bone a reason to repair. Without that stress, the thinning just continues.
Three sessions a week, 20 to 30 minutes each. That’s enough to start. And change your program every four to six weeks so your body doesn’t plateau. Week one should feel hard. Week four should feel manageable. Then you change it and start the cycle again. That’s how you keep progressing instead of stagnating.
The second thing is protein.
This isn’t about eating as much protein as humanly possible. It’s about making sure you’re eating enough to support what you’re asking your body to do. If you’re strength training and tearing muscle fibers, your body needs amino acids to repair and rebuild them. If you’re not giving it enough, recovery slows down, you stay sore longer, and your body can’t build the lean tissue you’re working so hard to stimulate.
A good range is 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of your ideal body weight. If you’re more active or getting older, lean toward the higher end of that range. You’re still well within a healthy amount for your heart and your organs. You’re just making sure your muscles have what they need.
I can’t tell you how many members have come into our program under-eating on protein without realizing it. They’re eating whole food plant-based, which is great. But they’re not hitting the targets that support muscle growth and recovery. Once they adjust, the changes come fast. More energy, better sleep, less soreness, more strength, and visible improvements in body composition.
The third thing is recovery.
This one is for my overachievers. The people who think more is always better. It’s not.
Your muscles don’t grow during the workout. They grow during the rest after the workout. If you’re training every single day without giving your body time to repair, you’re actually working against yourself. You’re breaking tissue down faster than it can rebuild.
Rest days matter. Stretching matters. Mobility work matters, especially as you get older and your muscles get tighter from strength training. Sleep matters more than almost anything else in this equation.
I’ll be honest, I had to learn this the hard way. There was a chapter of my life where exercise was my coping mechanism. I was training for a half ironman, using it to numb myself during a really difficult time as a caregiver. And while exercise is far better than a lot of other coping mechanisms, there came a point where I had to recognize I was abusing it. More isn’t always the answer. The right amount, done consistently, with proper recovery, is.
One of our members shared something on a group call recently that hit me. She said she went to a retirement planning conference and looked around the room. A lot of the people there were overweight, some were in wheelchairs, some had oxygen tanks. They had planned their finances for retirement, but they hadn’t planned their bodies.
That image stuck with me. Because what’s the point of financial freedom at 65 or 70 if your body can’t enjoy it? If you can’t travel, hike, carry your own luggage, play with your grandkids, or walk through a market in another country without your knees giving out?
Being fit doesn’t mean having a six-pack or running a marathon. To me, it means your body is not a limitation to you living your best life. Whatever that looks like for you, in whatever chapter you’re in.
Strength training. Protein. Recovery. Those three things, done consistently, will do more for your bones and muscles over the next decade than any supplement or shortcut ever could.
I hope this serves you on your journey.
I appreciate you and I hope you have a fantastic weekend.
Sincerely,
Maxime Sigouin
Co-Founder & CEO, Mavy Wellness
PS. Want to learn all my body recomposition secrets? Grab a copy of Forever Fit, the complete system we’ve used to transform over 1,200 people. Available on Amazon.
PPS. Here are the latest videos and podcast episodes you may have missed:
Amy’s Body Recomposition Mavy Success Story Ep.440
PPPS. Every month, the Mavy Wellness community donates to support a cancer patient on their journey. This month we’re supporting Judson https://gofund.me/b3af3c00e
