19/08/2026
𝗡𝗲𝘄: 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲'𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿
If you didn’t read my previous two posts, this is a continuation of something I’ve been learning about from Why We Get Sick by Benjamin Bikman, PhD.
The subject?
𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮 - 𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻.
Very simply:
👉 Insulin resistance is when your body stops responding properly to insulin.
So your body has to produce 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻 to get the same job done.
And this can be happening for years without you knowing.
Some common clues include:
Cravings, especially sugar and carbs
Energy crashes
Feeling hungry soon after eating
Struggling to lose fat around your middle
Brain fog / low energy
These aren't a diagnosis, but they're certainly clues.
Now, the next part of Bikman’s book really caught my attention...
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀.
And especially if you're a woman over 40, this matters.
Bikman explains that in the average middle-aged person, muscle makes up around 𝟮𝟱–𝟯𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 - making it the largest insulin-sensitive tissue we have.
Why is that important?
Because your muscles are one of the main places your body can put glucose after you eat.
Think of muscle almost like a 𝗴𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗸.
👉 More muscle = more room to take glucose out of your bloodstream.
And that helps your insulin levels return to normal.
But here's the problem...
Bikman explains that muscle is also 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁.
In someone with insulin resistance, muscle can be around 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲.
And it works both ways.
Insulin resistance can make it harder to maintain muscle...
While having less muscle gives your body less capacity to deal with glucose.
And we already have another problem as we get older.
According to the book, after middle age we can lose roughly 𝟭% 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿.
So maintaining - and ideally building - muscle becomes increasingly important.
Not because you need to look like a bodybuilder.
But because muscle is one of your biggest tools for:
👉 Better insulin sensitivity
👉 Better glucose control
👉 Staying stronger as you age
👉 Maintaining your metabolism and independence
This is another reason why I keep banging on about 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗮𝘁.
They work together.
And this is exactly what we'll be focusing on during our
𝟰-𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁 - resetting your eating habits, reducing unnecessary insulin spikes and learning simple ways to keep insulin at healthier levels even when you eat foods that would normally elevate it.
👉 See full details for the September Reset here: https://28daybootcamp.info/
Or just comment with "𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼" and I’ll send you a quick summary.
Radek Kalas
Sheffield Strength Training & Fat Loss Specialist for 40+
Helping you lose fat, get stronger, and boost energy 💪
