Creatine and discipline
Supplementing can help some people and motivation is fleeting
Q Hello Ernie. Thank you for your column. I read it religiously and find it very practical and helpful. Your recent column has generated some questions. I will be 65 later this year. I have been pretty fit all of my life and have a metabolism that keeps me leaner than I would ideally like, despite having a healthy appetite. I have done resistance training throughout my life for fitness and also walk and do some yoga. I have read in your columns about the loss of muscle mass as we age, particularly in the upper body. I would like to do what I can to mitigate that loss. I will continue with my resistance training. You mention whey protein and creatine in your column. Would you recommend that I use either as part of my routine to mitigate muscle mass loss? Thank you very much.
A Great question! Congratulations on maintaining a consistent exercise routine that includes strength training. Recent research has shown that muscle building exercise is likely the most important type of training that one can engage in as they age, if they want to remain independent into old age.
To answer your question about creatine and whey protein, I deferred to my friend and colleague, Dr. Stu Phillips, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Skeletal Muscle Health.
Dr. Phillips is director of the Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE) and the McMaster Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Health Research, and lab lead for the Exercise Metabolism Research Group. Here is his answer:
“The biggest part of retaining muscle as we age is lifting weights. So, if you are already lifting, you’ve baked the cake, so to speak. The (thin) layer of icing on the cake is provided by protein and the sprinkles on the icing are from creatine. The bottom line is the majority of the benefits are from consistent practice of resistance training. You get a small bump from higher protein (supplementation is convenient but by no means necessary) and a little nudge with creatine. It sounds like you have the big picture in view and you’re baking the proverbial cake!”
In other words, lift heavy weights and eat adequate amounts of protein. If you can’t get enough protein through regular meals and/or snacks, consider a whey protein supplement. Once you have those two pieces in place, you might consider using creatine for the finishing touch.
In my case, I am experimenting with using creatine for the first time this month after lifting heavy weights consistently for 40-plus years to see how my body responds. I have been finding it a challenge to lift as heavy as I would like these days due to joint pain that seems to be moving around my body and am looking for a little boost.
Q I was wondering if you could speak a bit about the difference between motivation and discipline. Doesn’t one need to be motivated before they can be disciplined?
A I am so glad that you asked this question! It really does come up a lot in coaching and in training.
Many people find that they go from highly motivated to barely being able to complete the simplest task related to their goals depending on lots of different factors like their fatigue, current levels of success, work or home life demands and even the words or comments of others.
It’s important to remember that even the most motivated people have times when they would rather stay in bed after a late night, as opposed to getting up in the dark and doing what needs to be done to achieve a stated long-term goal.
The difference is that high achievers rely more on their discipline to get them up and moving in those times.
If you’ve ever raised a child and were faced with a long string of sleepless nights and dirty diapers, you can relate. “Motivation” has nothing to do with getting up and changing your kid in the middle of the night for the seventh night in a row. The discipline of doing what needs to be done to raise a happy, healthy child is what gets you up.
In a nutshell, here is the difference:
■ Motivation comes from the natural drive to achieve something. It doesn’t last forever, no matter how much you want something. It is temporary and is affected by external factors. Relying on motivation only to help you reach a destination will ultimately lead to failure.
■ Discipline is the ability to continue to move in the right direction when you no longer have motivation doing it for you. It is far more important than motivation when it comes to reaching your goals in the long run. It can also be developed and strengthened, like a muscle, with consistent practice and becomes habitual and ritualized.