From the board chair of a large company to the videos of fitness at home and personalized advice. The professional career of Blanca Pombal (known on Instagram as @pombalfit ) was focused for more than 20 years in the business field, where she held different executive positions, from purchasing director to CEO in a family business. But four years ago he decided to change his life to focus professionally on what he always liked: the practice of exercise. One of the personal circumstances that marked a before and after in her relationship with self-care was her experience after her third child because, according to her, her body changed a lot and she had to get nutritional advice and change her way of exercising to recover. This awareness of the importance of eating correctly, together with her passion for fitness since she was a child, laid the foundations for her decision to undertake her own fitness project. personalized advice.
After finishing his time in the business field, he dedicated his time to researching and completing his training in Biology and Environmental Sciences with a master’s degree in sports nutrition and personal training studies. She had a clear objective: to respond to a need that, according to her, was not covered: that of many women over 40 years of age who cannot find effective formulas to reverse the changes in their body through diet and exercise.
She began to make herself known little by little, uploading videos and advice on Instagram with everything she was learning related to exercise and healthy living and providing keys from her experience to help women who were going through the same thing. And so she did, because in just a few years the women who have asked her for personalized advice to start taking care of themselves number in the dozens. Now he has more than 647,000 followers on his Instagram account and confesses that his project has only just begun.
What kind of exercises did you focus on to spark interest on Instagram?
At first I shared my daily workouts on social media (already at a certain level since I have been training since I was 18) but I soon realized that we had to focus on simpler exercise routines and practical advice to help women of over 40 years old, some of them in perimenopause and menopause, who do not have much time to train and who prefer to exercise at home instead of going to a gym. I began to focus on that niche, focusing on women who wanted to start training to gain muscle mass and lose fat.
What are the most frequent initial doubts of the women who consult you?
It is true that many of them say at the beginning that they do not know if they will be able to engage in daily exercise because some have always been sedentary. In addition, most are noticing the first changes in metabolism produced by hormonal disorders and often feel frustrated. One of the phrases that is repeated to me the most is: “Look what a belly I have now, I have never had such a swollen belly in my life.” Body changes are scary, but there is a solution.
Where do you recommend starting to take care of yourself?
It begins with a nutritional plan that helps them incorporate the necessary macronutrients in the appropriate quantities into their daily lives so that the person does not go hungry and achieves a nutritional balance according to their age and physiological needs. In general, they are diets rich in omega 3, phytoestrogens and fiber, which are three nutrients that help reduce inflammation.
What is the first thing you notice when you start taking nutrition and exercise seriously?
The first thing you notice is a reduction in waist circumference and then as they exercise and spend less time sitting, they feel better physically and have less back pain because they have strengthened muscle mass that helps them feel better.
But some cases of women who have stopped having migraines, for example, also draw attention. It is not only important to lose your belly or hip fat, your general health benefits greatly and that is the best of all.
What mistakes are usually made when you start exercising and taking care of your nutrition?
One of the errors is to believe that reducing the carbohydrates They will lose fat and excessively increase protein consumption. But that doesn’t work like that. You must consume adequate proteins according to your age and weight and not overdo it.
I help them eat everything but controlling the quantities, combining foods well and including carbohydrates, proteins and lipids in all meals, with a clear predominance of the vegetable base. The idea is that they feel better nourished, that they do not go hungry, that they feel with more energy, that they have more strength and that the hormonal system works better.
I also try not to let them spend too many hours without eating because that makes them reach the end of the day feeling very tired. anxiety. And that leads them to eat anything.
What type of carbohydrates are you referring to when you explain that they should not be demonized?
To cereals, legumes, tubers and fruits. As for vegetables, I usually consider that they have more fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, so I don’t usually count on the calorie content of vegetables because it is low.
What I usually do is include training in the counseling so that they know how to distribute the nutrients and how to make the correct substitutions.
What type of exercise is the most appropriate after 40 years of age?
He strength exercise It is essential because after the age of 40, 1% of muscle mass is lost each year. To perform this type of training in which muscle fibers multiply and muscle mass increases, you can use dumbbells or body weight, since a mechanical stimulus is needed. But you also have to make progressions. I usually start by working the entire body and all muscle groups, but as the months progress, the muscle groups per session are reduced.
What should training be like to gain muscle mass?
The idea to produce that stimulus that causes the hypertrophy is to work 18 sets for small muscle groups and 24 sets for large muscle groups, such as the legs and back. As for weight, you should work at 75% of the maximum weight, which could be calculated with this sensation: in a work of between ten and twelve repetitions you would have to reach muscle failure in the last repetitions. What I explain to them is that if with the weight they have picked up they start doing those 12 repetitions and feel that they could easily do five more, it is that they are working with a weight that is too low and they have to increase it. What you have to do is use a weight that makes it difficult for you to reach the last three repetitions. This causes this micro fibrillar tear that makes the muscle grow when it is repaired. This is how training has to be to gain strength.
And to do this they have to try, challenge themselves safely and note down their sensations.
When they ask me what weight they have to take, I tell them that it will depend on the strength they already have and the muscle group they are going to work. Training a bicep is not the same as training your back or leg. It is something that they have to see and learn by practicing and trying, that is, with experience.
¿What usually attracts the most attention to women who begin to focus on strength training?
They are workouts that are engaging because you soon begin to notice the changes in your body. In two or three months you begin to see results and it is very motivating.
Some people in their 50s or 60s who started with me came with such a loss of muscle mass that it was even difficult for them to climb stairs. Many people are so sedentary that they do not realize that they are constantly losing muscle mass. And that is serious for health. And when they start training they realize that they should have done it sooner, but they also realize that it is never too late.
What happens if from age 50 or 60 you only walk?
I think it’s good that they walk to activate the heart and because with the increase in daily physical activity, metabolic expenditure increases, but the most important thing for health is to increase muscle mass. And that cannot be achieved by walking, it can only be achieved by strength training. In fact, if you overdo your cardio and your caloric intake is low, you can even lose muscle.
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