Now that you’ve read Edie’s awesome success story, you may be asking how YOU can avoid becoming THAT old person. The trick is to start now…right this very minute…don’t wait one more day.
The aging process is relentless. It starts right around age 25 (scary, isn’t it??) when our skin loses its ability to bounce back. Then comes age 30 when muscle mass starts to slip away. But the really big changes occur around age 45 for women (perimenopause) & 55 for men when our hormone levels significantly shift…leading to a cascade of losses in bone density, muscle mass, energy levels & increases in body fat, disease & injury.
But, all is not lost! Regardless of your age – even if you’re 80 yrs old – you can make changes that will positively offset these age-related losses. What sort of changes need to be made? Here are my top 5 ways to avoid being THAT old person.
- Resistance Training – If you’re not doing it…DO IT! I call lifting weights (your own body weight works great too!) “The Fountain of Youth” because it is by far the most effective way to stay young. If you think you don’t have “the time”…well, think again. The beauty of resistance work is that you can do cardio, mobility, flexibility, balance & strength training all at once!
- Eat Right – This is obvious, right? You won’t grow “young” on junk food & alcohol! Because aging is a catabolic (breaking down) process, you need to make sure that you’re giving your body lots of anabolic (building up) nutrients. So make sure to eat high-quality protein, solid carbs & healthful fats.
- Eat More – What?? But I want to lose weight…shouldn’t I eat less? Actually no. Eating less only increases a weight gain problem…and the aging process. When your body isn’t getting the calories (and therefore nutrients) it needs to repair & rebuild, it gets stressed. And the response to stress is two-fold: Your metabolism slows down & the stress hormone cortisol increases. This is a double-whammy on your body. A slowed metabolism means that more of the calories you eat go into fat storage. And increased cortisol levels mean that more of the calories you eat go into fat storage. Did I repeat myself? Yep, I sure did!
- Sleep Lots More – Here’s the deal, folks. Your body can only repair itself when you’re sleeping. And as we age, more of our body is in need of repair…so therefore we need more sleep! Get your ZZZ’s…you’ll be stronger, fitter, leaner & certainly happier!
- Change Your Cardio Plan – Here we go back to that cortisol issue. Know this – cortisol levels go up the longer your endurance workouts are. And again, cortisol is a stress hormone which causes your body to break down. What we need are more anabolic hormones. Resistance training increases these & so does shorter, harder interval training. So rethink your ratios. Do a bit less long, slow & transfer that time into short, hard and/or resistance training.
If any of these ideas resonate with you & you’d like more information, let’s set up a 30min Consultation (free of charge). I’d love to help you develop a plan to become younger as you age! Just click the link below & pick your spot.