I'm a healthy weight, I look okay, but I feel I am slowing down in life. How come some people stay energetic but I seem to be getting old? Help?

There might be an element of truth to all of the above. BUT, for my money, it is their MOTIVATION that is off the charts. That is the biggest and most powerful factor here. I often quote Oprah Winfrey, one of the wealthiest women on the planet. She struggled with her weight for decades, while super rich. Money and fame are not enough. But motivation, based on harsh standards today, it has to be said, is the secret sauce here.

So as a more ordinary person (and I mean that as the most sincere compliment) how can you pull out such motivation to stay youthful, energised and in stellar health? It is all down to daily choices. It is predestined that we will lose muscle, year-on-year from about the age of thirty! YES, I said thirty! I realise that may come as a shock, but perhaps I now have your full attention!

Muscle loss, aka sarcopenia, is part of the normal ageing process in all humans. IT IS INEVITABLE, UNLESS YOU ADDRESS IT. It means a gradual loss in muscle mass and therefore strength that accelerates over time and that’s the part that results in sudden frailty at seventy five (most scientists now agree that this is the beginning of old age).

So how can we reverse this? Because we can!

Essentially, inactivity and hormonal changes, from about forty, cause the accelerated muscle-loss to begin. But we are still so able at this stage that we can very simply address it, by incorporating REGULAR strength training into a consistently active lifestyle (not sitting at a desk for long periods, followed by sitting on a sofa all evening).

We need adequate, not excessive, protein. This is very easily achieved by having some protein in all three meals of the day. Consistency here is also key. Can you see the trend towards consistency? Not on-off dieting and severe restriction. Greek yoghurt on berries with some granola for breakfast (not Special K), goat cheese on toasted rye bread with onion marmalade and a small side-salad for lunch and a Thai chicken curry with rice for dinner will more than suffice. Not a single supplemental protein shake in sight!

If its this easy why don’t we do it? Why am I feeling my age suddenly?

Well consistency can be the very hardest part of all of this. You are used to dieting. You are used to the latest fad. You follow trends. Honestly, if you were to believe social media, by now you would be surviving on rabbit food, expensive bespoke supplements and facial enhancements to look younger. None of these will address the underlying cause for why you are feeling older.

I love Jane Fonda as a role model for ageing, not because of her addiction to plastic surgery and looking young (which she openly admits to) but because from the neck down you cant fake it! Her fitness is her source of youthful energetic vitality. Her spark comes from being well nourished and energized. Having a cause is another huge factor to being well in old age.

Begin from where you are. It is never too late to start. Not only can you halt sarcopenia in its tracks but YOU CAN REVERSE IT. In other words, you get to choose to age backwards!

GO FOT IT! YOU CAN DO THIS! I CAN HELP!