If you suffer from even occasional back pain, here are five tips you can use that may give you relief. Back pain is usually associated with multiple causes. Here are some tips on things in your daily life that may be causing constant aggravation to your back.

If you have any or all of these problems, your back pain will continue even if you get treatments. The reason is, all of the problems noted below can constantly aggravate your condition even though you may be taking pain killers or getting other therapy. For any treatment to work, you have to deal with any source of constant aggravation.

1. Your mattress may be worn out. If you get up in the morning with a sore back, or a sore neck, you should look at how your mattress is supporting you during sleep. If the mattress or springs is sagging in the middle, it can put all kinds of unwanted stresses on your back. Sleeping in a position that puts extra stress on your back and neck can produce a lot of pain and stiffness. Some things you can do if your mattress does not support you well:

• See if rotating your mattress will give you a better sleeping surface. Flip it over, or simply rotate the mattress so that you are sleeping on a part that has not been used as much.
• Check to see if your inner springs are sagging and not giving you proper support. If this is the case, you can try rotating them.
• Go to a mattress store and check out new good sleeping surfaces. This will give you an idea of what you might have to do about either replacing your old mattress.

2. Check how your shoes are wearing down on the heels. Very often our shoes are the cause of back pain because our shoes wear in such a way that we don’t walk with proper alignment. Check the heels of your shoes to see if they are wearing down unevenly. This causes the alignment of your foot, knee and leg bones to be distorted. Bad alignment can lead to back pain.

3. Other shoe wear problems may be causing you pain. Check your shoes to see if the arch support is in good shape. Poor arch support can cause all manner of problems. Any sign that you are not walking evenly on both feet will be an indication that you are probably aggravating your back as well as your feet and legs. Shoes that don’t properly support you should be thrown out. All they are doing is hurting you.

4. Check the seat of your car to insure proper back support. Many older car seats do not provide decent support for the lower back. Poorly designed car seats can create constant pressure on the lower spine. Inevitably this will lead to problems. To correct this problem, you can use a folded towel or seat insert that will give you better support.

If you work in an office, you should check on the support provided by the chair you sit in all day. Most modern office chairs provide decent support for the lower back. It is always a good idea to move around regularly when sitting all day. It is also a good idea to try and sit with a straight spine (military posture) and not slump. Good posture while sitting will help keep you from putting unneeded strain on your lower back.

5. If you are overweight, you are placing a huge amount of extra stress on your feet, joints and spine. Being overweight is a problem that multiplies other health problems you may experience. Your own skeletal structure is built to carry a certain amount of weight, and additional weight may distort how you walk, lift and move. Because of this, people who have obesity problems, also have back problems. If you lose weight, you may find that the back problems diminish or go away entirely.

These are simple tips that you should consider if you have chronic back problems. One or all may apply to you.

If you have back problems or any sort, I cannot urge you strongly enough to order the free book available from Jesse Cannone called The 7 Day Back Pain Cure. You can order this book in the box on the right of this article. The price is FREE, and the value to you may be priceless. You will learn how to deal with a whole range of back issues, and find relief for your own particular problem.

Best of luck, and here’s hoping you can quickly rid yourself of back pain.

Richard

These days there are literally hundreds of products available that promise anti-aging miracles.  The sad truth is that most of them are junk.  That is, they don’t deliver much of anything worth the money.  I’ll give you some guidance to help you figure out whether a product will be worth your money.

To begin with, it is important to understand what “anti-aging” actually means.  In my view, there are three critical components of anti-aging.   They are:

• physical strength and stamina
• health of internal systems (heart, lungs, other vital organs)
• physical appearance

in order to get significant anti-aging benefit, it is essential to do things that address all three of these areas.  No one can expect to address only one of the areas and realize much (if any) benefit in the others.  There are almost no products that will have an impact on all three areas.  Most will impact only one of the areas.  Physical training is the only thing that will have a positive impact on all three areas.  There is no pill that will have any significant impact on your physical strength or stamina. 

Junk products will often claim to have a powerful impact on one or more of the areas of anti-aging described above.  If the product promises results that are “too good to be true”, it is probabaly too good to be true.  Typically products that promise this type of miraculous result tell you that you really don’t have to do any significant work, make any change in life style, or do anything other than use the product.  In short, they vendors promise miraculous results with little or no effort.  This should be an immediate red flag.  

You should know that most people can make major positive changes in the age and condition of their bodies.  However, the real products will all involve work and commitment on the customers part.  Simply taking a pill or a shot won’t do much.  It will cause you to lose weight….in your bank account.

One of my friends describes the anti-aging market as being dominated by “potions and lotions”.  There is no shortage of products that will help your skin, and (perhaps) help some internal functions.  Screening these products to see if any is right for you is really important.  Few of them are dangerous, but most are pretty ineffective for bringing about any real anti-aging effect.

Unfortunately, many people who buy these products are buying the hope that they actually work.  Many people desperately want the product to work, so that they can be miraculously transformed…or significantly improved, with little effort and no pain.  Vendors know that people will often suspend their normal critical thinking because they desperately wish that the product will do all the wonderful things promised. 

It is really important that you remain very skeptical when you evaluate a product.  For any product to produce results, there has to be a series of cause and effect relationships.  In other words, if you do “x”, then you can expect “y” as a result.  All too often, prospective buyers don’t think critically about whysomething would work.   If the reasons given in advertising don’t make sense, then you either have more backgound work to do, or can assume that the product may not produce the miraculous results that are claimed.

Cutting through the jungle of advertising claims can be a challenge.  Even with my background as a scientist, I find that it is hard to unravel some of the information about how a product works (or claims to work).   One thing that I do find very common is the use of scientific sounding jargon to sell something.  Often if you uunderstand the real meaning of the words and concepts, the advertising claims make no sense at all. 

Reputable products will provide a great deal more information about them than the average genius can absorb.  It is nearly impossible for the lay person to sort through various claims.  However, there are a few indicators that you can use to help you evaluate the claims of one product or another. 

The first is whether the results claimed were developed in what are called “clinical trials”.  Very few over the counter products have been subjected to this level of evaluation.  it is very expensive, and required only for prescription drugs.  Most supplement studies are done as laboratory analyses.  In this case, there should be a reference to the specific study, when and where it was done, and where it was published. 

Red flags that should indicate the studies are useless:  Terms like “studies have shown…” , “work at a major university (not named) shows…”, or any study of the effects of the product that are “proprietary”. 

Cutting through the welter of conflicting advertising claims can be a major challenge for the lay person.  However, by being generally skeptical, and applying some of the ideas raised in this brief summary, you can avoid getting scammed. Remember, the biggest threat from junk products is that by using them, a person may  throw away any chance they have for making real progress in anti-aging. 

Have a great day,

Richard

Good sleep is essential if you want to be healthy in your 60’s and beyond.  Disrupted sleep can lead to a variety of very bad problems, including stroke, heart attack and mental decline.  When they reach their 60’s some people develop insomnia, sleep apnea, or more subtle types of sleep disorder.  Treating these conditions can go a long way to helping you enjoy a healthy and vibrant life.

Sleep is one of those things you do that is an essential “housekeeping” function.  If you don’t get enough, or you don’t get proper sleep, your body will develop all sorts of problems.  On the other hand, if you stay in bed for fifteen hours a night, you don’t get a dramatic boost in your health.  You need to get the basic recommended amount of sleep (7 to 8 hours of sound sleep per night) to have good health.

As we age, some of us may develop conditions that progress slowly and thus we may not notice the small changes that take place over time.  One of these is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  Unlike other types of illness, OSA develops slowly over time and may even seem like a “normal” part of aging.  OSA is characterized by snoring, long pauses in breathing, suddenly coming awake, and failing to get restful sleep even when staying in bed for eight to ten hours.  If there is any doubt in your mind about whether you have OSA, you should see a doctor. 

The December 2010 edition of the Cleveland Clinic: Men’s Health Advisor presented a summary of the most common sleep disorders, and suggestions for treatment.  These include findings about the serious impacts that sleep disorders can have on your life expectancy.  For example, results of a 14 year study published in the medical journal Circulation showed that severe OSA increased the risk of heart failure in men 40-70 by 58% over those who did not have OSA.  If someone has OSA, the chances of developing a serious or fatal condition increases dramatically.

OSA also has significant negative impacts on cognitive problems (insufficient oxygen supplied to the brain), abnormal heart rhythms, and chronic exhaustion.  If you are beset with this condition, doing the physical training you need to do to stay healthy will be very difficult.

Insomnia is another common condition.  People who suffer from this problem have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep.  Often they awake in the morning feeling exhausted.  Insomnia has long term and very sinister impacts such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and inability to concentrate.

Given the high potential for serious or deadly consequences, it is imperative that if you have a sleep disorder, you seek out treatment as soon as possible.  Fortunately, there are many treatments available that are not intrusive and don’t rely on drugs.

Your first move should be to visit your doctor and possibly get a referral to a sleep clinic where teams of specialists can evaluate your problem, and recommend a course of treatment.  Among the more common treatments for OSA are use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device that keeps your breathing passages open during sleep.  These devices are widely used and are often covered by Medicare. 

Treatment for insomnia is more dependent on the individual case being considered.  However, a wide variety of treatment options are available and can make a huge difference in your overall health and how you feel every day.

If you have a sleep disorder, you can do some things that will help improve your condition regardless of other treatments you may receive.

First of all, you should do your best to reach a good functional body weight, don’t take in caffeine in any form after dinner, and don’t eat anything for at least two hours before you go to bed. 

You can also eliminate things that might cause you to wake up during the night, such as pets sleeping on your bed.  You should eliminate noise from radio, television, or music player.  Your bedroom should be dark.

Even if you don’t have a sleep disorder, you can practice things that will help you sleep more soundly.  For example, you should develop a routine where you relax before bed time.  This can include reading, meditation, progressive relaxation or other activity that helps you decompress and relax before going to bed.

In summary, if you have a sleep problem, you should seek help for it immediately.  If you don’t have a problem, you should take steps to be as relaxed and ready to sleep as possible before going to bed.  A good nights sleep is critical for all of us who want to be fit and healthy at any age.

Richard Schuller

If you want to have a great quality of life as a senior, it is absolutely essential that you have a regular program of exercise.  To have a great life, you need to be able to move freely, have the endurance you want, and be flexible enough to do whatever recreation activity you might want to do.  The way to insure that your body will be in good enough shape to do whatever you might want to do, it is essential that you do regular exercise.

I have detailed the benefits of a senior exercise program in many other posts on this site, but will give you a quick summary of the key reasons you should train regularly. 

• Regular exercise keeps the cardiovascular system working properly, and reduces risk or heart attack and stroke
• Regular exercise helps keep body fat at optimal levels
• Strength training is essential to maintain or enhance bone density
• Muscle mass is critical to maintain optimal overall health and reduce risk from falling

OK you say….I’m convinced…now what do I do?

There are a lot of programs available for “senor fitness”.  Many of them are designed by well intentioned people who have no idea what it is like to be a healthy 60 year old.  The consequence is that often these programs treat us like we are totally helpless and inept…not to mention stupid.   There is no clear rationale for why certain exercises are included.  Most often, the “program” consists of one set of exercises that most of us will master in a few weeks….then what? 

If you expect to build a great body at 60+, you need a program that will take you through progressive stages of fitness until you are the best you can be.  That is why I have designed to program that you can sample for FREE on this site.  Simply sign up for the “quick start” course on this site, and you can check out the type of training that can transform you from couch potato to superman…or superwoman. 

If someone tells you that you can transform yourself with a few pills, shots or 5-minute work outs once a week, they are lying to you big time.  If what you want is an exceptional life, a bunch of quick fix type ”miracles in a bottle” are complete fraud…  You know this, but a lot of people really want an easy answer….  

People want an easy answer in part because achieving what they really want seems almost impossible.  Believe me, building an exceptional body is something that can be done by almost anyone….but not overnight.   The way to achieve great results is to take things one step at a time.  The cool thing about physical training is that you start getting results you can see and feel very quickly!  If you are out of shape, some of the most dramatic changes occur in the first month of your training.  That is called quick feedback… You can see it working, and you start feeling better right off the bat.

I encourage you to check out the free program on this site to see if this is for you.  This means you take NO risk at all.  You get to test fly a sample program,  and get a sense of how a full blown program would look if you train using my techniques.  

If you like the free program, please check out my e-book that includes a six month program that will completely transform your body, and perhaps your mind.  Like everything I offer, there is no risk to you.  if it turns out that you don’t like the program, you get your money back.  However, I’m convinced that you will love it, and tell your friends how great it is.

I know this works, because I have used it myself (I’m 70) and have trained a lot of other people.  The biggest difference between training seniors and training high school age kids is that seniors need to start with lighter weights and re-learn how to do certain movements.  Once they get started, the seniors can progress just as quickly as the high school kids…it just takes a little longer to get the basic movements down, and get comfortable doing them.

I hope you have a great day…and get rolling on your quest to build an extrordinary body.

Richard Schuller

Most people struggle with how to lose weight and get in shape.  To many of us it seems so obvious that we should do these things, why is it so hard to actually do them?  In this short article, I’ll suggest a couple of the most powerful reasons why getting in good physical condition is so hard.

First of all, our appetite is based on the genetics we had when we first evolved in the wild.  In that situation we had to eat as much as possible because food supply was uncertain, and we had no idea when the next meal would be available to us.  In short, our appetite is not at all adapted to modern life where food is abundant.  Our “hunger” is a driver that kept us looking for food in the wilds when we had to catch or find everything we ate. In short, being hungry is unrelated to what we actually need.

Well, here we are in the modern world.  Food is everywhere.  If you live in a town or a city, it is almost impossible to visit any shopping area where food is not available in many variations and huge quantities.  Unfortunately, this abundance is not related to our need.  But, our unconscious drives are still with us, and the food we encounter is very appealing.  We want it regardless of whether we need it.

Another problem that we encounter is that all of us have established habits that are deeply ingrained in our brain.  We habitually do certain things the same way over and over again.  Many of these habits have to do with the way we eat.  Many of these habits have to do with the amount of physical activity we will do.  The net effect of these habits is that many of us eat way more than we need, eat the wrong things, and do very limited amounts of physical activity.

As anyone who has tried to quit smoking knows, breaking a bad habit is a really difficult job.  It is just as hard to introduce a new good habit.  Changing any habit is something that our unconscious mind resists strongly.  Our habits are comfortable and provide a feeling of well being.  Even if we know consciously that these habits are very bad, our unconscious mind finds these habits comforting and safe.  If you try to change any habit,  alarm bells go off on the unconscious level of your mind.   Our unconscious reacts to change as something that is threatening or not safe.

In short, most of us have the problem of overcoming a powerful negative reaction from our unconscious when we try to do something new and different…such as changing our eating habits or trying to do something new like physical training.  New things are high risk!   This is NOT a conscious reaction, but a completely unconscious reaction. 

So, what do we do if we want to change?  First of all, recognize that our unconscious reaction to any change will be a mild anxiety or significant stress.   If you know this in advance, you will be prepared for the internal tension and upset that will accompany any attempt at making a change in one or more of your well established habits. 

If you are going to make any real change, the way that gives you the best chance for success is to have clear directions on what you need to do.  In short, you need to have clear guidance that will allow you begin developing new habits.   If you know exactly what you need to do, it is still not easy to institute new habits, but it gives you an opportunity to succeed.

I have developed a series of programs that will help you break out of the cycle of being overweight and out of shape.  You can get a free sample of these ideas by signing up for the free ten day quick start course on this site.  Also, I have just released a new book called A Guide to Getting Younger After 60.    You can obtain this e-book instantly from this site.  It provides a detailed guide to help you make a major transformation in your health and well being.  In it, I’ll provide a lot of specific guidance about what you should be doing to build a strong viable body, and give you the background about why various things are important.  Check it out.

Remember, making positive changes in the way you take care of yourself is something that your unconscious mind will rebel against.  Any change in the status quo is something that will cause anxiety and undertainty.  This is normal!  Eventually, the power of these unconscious drives will diminish, and you will be a happier and helathier person.

To Your Good Health

Richard Schuller

This week we observe Veterans Day.  As Americans we take November 11 to recognize the service and sacrifice of our military members, past and present.  It is an opportunity to recognize the patriotism of the men and women who devoted a portion of their life to serving the best interests of the nation.

While there are frequent political debates over the use of military forces, even critics of a given policy should recognize the bravery and sacrifice that indiviual members of our military make.   The young men and women in our armed forces are all making a patriotic contribution to the common welfare. 

While all of us over 60 are  long past the age for military service we are not too old to make a contribution to the common welfare of all Americans.   It may not be the type of dramatic impact made by military people in combat, but it is probably more significant than most would think at first.

What kind of contribution can a person “over 60″ make to the general welfare of the United States?   Perhaps the most significant one is to do what is necessary to be as healthy as possible.  By doing this, you do a small but significant part in reducing the huge government funded burden of health care costs.  It is in the national interest to do whatever we can to keep health care costs as low as possible. 

I’m obviously not talking about treatments for cancer or some other dread diseases.  I’m talking about the huge national health care bill for preventable conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and all the conditons that come about as a result of obesity.  In this latter category, you can include everything from foot problems, joint problems, back problems, etc. to the array of problems generated by poor circulation, decayed muscles, and other preventable degeneration. 

The cost to Medicare of treatments for conditions that could have been prevented if the person was in good physical condition is huge.   Regardless of political view, most Americans would agree that reducing the cost of government provided medical insurance would be a good thing.  Thus, each of us who are over 60 can make a contribution to the common welfare by getting ourselves into good physical condition and staying there.  By dong that, we reduce the number of Medicare claims for conditions that could have been prevented.

The cool thing about all of this is that as a fit individual, you also get the benefit of being healthy.  You don’t have to deal with physical restrictions or limitations.  You don’t have to take a lot of drugs.  You get to enjoy the benefit of being healthy every day.   

Not only this, but your friends and family get the benefit of you being healthy and viable.  You are an active and productive member of the family…they don’t have to “take care of you”.   You benefit from being healty, but a lot of other people do as well. 

If you take a moment to think about what the impact would be if one person did not contract Type II diabetes, you can begin to get the picture of how huge an impact one person can make.  Assume that the bill for one persons medication averages $200 per month.  That alone is $2400 per year.  If there are some other conditions that accompany the diabetic condition, the medication bill can quickly grow to $1000 per month.  If you add the cost of doctor visits, testing equipment, and other medical tests that may be required from time ti time, you discover that a Type II diabetic could require thousands of dollars worth of ”routine” care every year.  This is for a conditon that is essentially preventable. 

The actual numbers will vary significantly from one person to another.  The point is that the cost to the medical insurance system for a preventable condition is really high.  You can probably see that if one million unfit people took the time and effort to get themselves into decent physical condition, the impact on the health care insurance system would be significant.    If you consider all the other medical claims that are made because people have preventable conditions, the positive impact on health care costs would be even more significant.

In summary, it is not only in your own self interest to be a fit and healthy person…it is good for your family, yoru friends and for the country.

To your good health,

Richard Schuller

If you want to adopt a strategy that will have big impact on how fast you age, I can’t think of anything better than to keep your mind active and alive.  Aggressively learning new things is a super anti-aging strategy.  It will help you keep your mind active and open.  Your mind is like your body in that it needs to be “worked” to stay fit and healthy.  It is really “use it or lose it” when it comes to your mind. 

Many older people gradually withdraw into a self imposed cocoon where they seem to decide that “I know enough”.  Pretty soon they wind up re-cycling every old idea and story they have.  They never learn something new that might be really exciting and energizing.  They wind up like the urban legend of the 100 year old man who was being interviewed by the local TV station on his birthday.  The interviewer (allegedly) said: “you must have seen a lot of changes in your lifetime..”  The man replied: “…yah…and I was against every one of them…”

Being close minded is part of a vicious cycle thast creates a lot of negative emotion that can make your later years miserable.  Being closed minded means you can be cut off from a lot of things that are happening in the world around you.  Being isolated can then lead to a lot of negative emotions.  Negativity can shorten your life, and make what life you have a cross to bear rather than something to be savored and enjoyed. 

The immediate inspiration for this blog post is that I have just spent a week with my business mentor Scott Tousignant and his family at their home.  We do this on a regular basis to work on my internet business.  The kicker is that my “mentor” is exactly half my age.  That’s right, Scott is a very successful entrepreneur at 35.  He is my “coach” in the on-line business area.  In this subject area, Scott is the experienced veteran and I am the apprentice.  Not only do I get the benefit of learning new things from him, I’m also the beneficiary of his positive energy and enthusiasm.  All of these leave me feeling inspired and ready to move on to the next challenge.

This experience of working with Scott is part of why I am have an open and optimistic outlook. This is because I have a daily challenge for my mind.   Let me assure you, learning new things is not always “easy”.  Mastering the nuances of large computer programs is often frustrating.  Learning new skills is always something that will involve trial and a lot of errors.  There are a lot of opportunities to say “this is just too hard” and go back to my old ways of doing things.  However, the satisfaction that comes from mastering something new has a really special feeling. 

It takes a lot of energy to learn something new.  It takes even more energy to deal with negativity.  The energy you spend learning something new will usually translate into a feeling of pride and satisfaction. You feel rejuvenated and ready to take on the next challenge.   The energy you spend dealing with negativity will simply drain you and leave you feeling empty and tired. 

Keeping your mind alive with new challenges is something that will go a long way to preventing premature decline, and make your life worth living.  The exact nature of the challenge you select is up to you.  You will know it is the right one when it helps you wake up each day with the feeling “Oh goodie…I get to do X again today”.

The reality of any one’s life is that we actually experience life on a moment by moment basis.  Literally “right now” is the only experience you will ever have.  The past is a memory, and the future exists only in your thoughts.  You have the opportunity to have a large portion of you own moments of life be filled with things that excite and challenge you.  You can also sit like the proverbial house plant and listen to the clock tick and nothing else.  Many of the moments you have can be special to you, or just a void. 

When you challenge yourself mentally and physically, it is like feeding and watering a plant.  The plant will grow if you take care of it.  It will decline and die if you ignore it.  Part of making your life worth living is to be certain that you keep feeding the nurturing your mind and your body.   Take care of your own “plant” and you will be rewarded many times over.

To your growth and success,

Richard Schuller

One of the most common issues that people face when they want to begin a program of physical training is feeling intimidated by going to a gym.  If you are new to physical training, the gym can be a very scary place.  Let’s take a look at some of the reasons this is the case, and what you can do about it.

When you first go to a health club or a gym, the reception area people and the sales people are very friendly and supportive.  They want you to join the club and have a good experience.  However, once you get back to the training area of the club, you can feel completely different.  The place seems to be populated by well conditioned people who seem to know exactly what they are doing, and you feel completely out of place.  Let’s look at some of the more common issues that come up.

Feeling out of place is a normal reaction to coming into a gym (or an office, or someones home) for the first time.  You have never been there before, and don’t know the rules, the people, and so forth.  The normal tendency is to feel defensive and a bit scared.  As I said, this is normal, and healthy.  You are entering a new place and need to sort through the informal “rules” that apply in this setting.  Even the people who are in great condition will feel a little out of place when they come to a new place.  Everyone goes through a period when they become familiar with the surroundings….even the hot shots.

If you have not been training and are not in good condition, there is a tendency to feel like everyone else in the place is in much better shape than you.  Reality is that there are always a few people in the gym who are in great shape.  Most gym members are in various stages of fitness.  Just because you are new to the gym, you will tend to look at everyone as being in better condition than they actually are.

At first, look at the few who are really fit.  They are well trained, and show the results.  Think of them as being examples of something you can achieve.   If you get to know them, you will find that very often (not always) they will give you support and encouragement when you are getting started.  People who have had the greatest success will often be those most willing to help others. 

When people first come to a gym, they often have no idea what to do.  They don’t know what exercises to do, what equipment to use, how many sets, reps, and so forth.   Everyone else appears to know exactly what they are doing. Most clubs will strongly suggest you hire a personal trainer.  But there is another way that is a lot more cost effective.  That is to have your own program that you are going to follow.  You can get the free program offered on this site, or begin with the programs in my book A Guide to Getting Younger After 60.  If you have your own program, there is no guesswork about what to do when you go to the gym.  

It is not only permissible to have a copy of your program with you when you train, it should be mandatory.  You should keep a small notebook with your training records and copies of your training program with you during the workout.  I can tell you for a fact that the super studs you see in the gym will all have a training log.  Most of them will have a notebook with them when they train.  You should have a small log book that you use to record your exercises, the weights you use, the sets, reps, etc. 

The people who go into the gym without training logs are almost exclusively the group that have been training for a while, but have made no progress for months or years.  They have to rely on their memory (usually faulty) on what they did in their last session.  Most of them have no real plan, and if the truth were known, they don’t get a very good return on their investment of the time and money they put into their training.   (Note: One of my next blog posts will be on how to keep a training log). 

OK…you know what to do.  Now how about some other things that can bother you…

A common problem that can arise is the “everyone is looking at me” issue.  Let me assure you from having been in gyms for over fifty years that this is not the case.  If you are dressed in modest training clothing, no one is going to pay much attention to you.  Like you, they will be concentrating on their own workouts.  They may see you, but generally others in the gym will only see a piece of equipment being used, or some weights being lifted. Most of the time others will hardly be aware that you are there.   They will not focus their attention on you and concentrate on what you are lifting…or who you are.  The only thing they will notice is that you are “there”.  If they see you three or more times, you will almost become part of the background of the gym.

There are a few things you can do that will get you a lot of negative attention very quickly.  The first is to not replace your weights when you finish using them.  If you were playing golf, you would not leave the flag lying on the green after you finished a hole.  In a gym, when you use a weight, put it back.  Replace your weights even if others don’t seem to do it.  Other people in the gym are not there to pick up after you.

If you use a bar that has to be loaded with weights, completely unload the bar when you are done and leave it for the next person.  If others don’t do this, you pick up after yourself anyway.  The quickest way to be viewed as an idiot is to leave your weights scattered around, or leave weights loaded on the bar when you are done.    If you pick up after yourself, the “big guys” will notice and have a positive impression of you. 

One of the issues that almost always comes up for older men and women is the “age” of people training in a gym.   When you first go there, it seems like the place is almost exclusively for the “20-something, 30-something” set.  Depending on the gym, it may be that the bulk of the members are in the 20-40 age group.  However, almost every gym in the country will have a sizable contingent of members who are over 50.  It may be that they train at different times than the younger group.  Often they are there at the same time, but somewhat less obvious than the younger group. 

If you are bothered by training with so many younger people around, one of the things that you should know is that different groups tend to fill the gym at different times of day.  It will vary depending on where you are, buit generally the younger crowd trains between 5 and 8 PM.  This is a very unscientific observation I have made over the past half century in literally dozens of gyms.  The morning (5AM-9AM) time tends to be dominated by older working people who train before going to the office.  You can find a time that works best for you.

If you are still feel out of place, remember if the crowd is all in their 20’s, you are probably invisible to them anyway. 

Feeling out of place or uncomfortable in a gym can stop you cold in your quest to become fit and healthy.  I’ll do everything I can to assist you in hopping over this hurdle.  Remember, if you join a gym, you have the same right to be there as any other member.  I’ll do my best to help you get over the initial feelings of being the new person.  Once you get past this period, the gym will feel like part of your “own” personal space.

Next time…more on overcoming the issues of joining a new gym

Richard

Way too many people cheat themselves out of having a good life after 60.  These people are not strong and healthy enough to have the freedom to do many (or any) of the things they would want to do.  If you are strong and healthy, you have the freedom to choose what you want to do.  If you are sick and feeble, the things you can do is very limited.  How can you not lose your freedom?

It is a fact that none of us will live forever.  However, most of us can be strong and healthy after 60 to have very few limits on what we can do.  The cool thing is that most of us can actually transform ourselves into strong and healthy people who have few limits (or no limits) on the things we can do if we want to. 

On the flip side, most of our problems have come about from over eating, lack of exercise and not paying attention to our health.  Paraphrasing the words of author Elizabeth Gilbert, we have used our bodies as nothing more than a transport system for our head.  We have not taken care of the transport system, treating it like a cheap rental.  The consequences of this type of treatment are that we come to our 60’s with a big variety of ailments that progressively limit what we can do.  If we continue to act this way, we will die well before our time, and have a very difficult time in the years before our final demise.

Now the good news.  There is a lot most of us can do to change this grim picture.  You have heard the story before: eat right and exercise.  I’ll add improve your mindset to this list.  If you begin to make good physical and mental training part of your life, you can transform yourself in ways that you never thought possible.  You can be the person who everyone looks at and says “how did you get to be the way you are?”

The problem most people seem to have with this type of notion is that it is very hard to start doing the right things.  For several reasons, getting over the first step is really hard for a lot of people.    To help you make the first step, I have a free mini course that will give you a quick introduction to the type of things that will transform your body and your life so that you can enjoy your life after 60 instead of enduring it.  You can access this course in the box on this page. 

The course is free.   You take no risk, because you are not obligated to buy anything more.  You will get a quick introduction to the practices that will help change your life for the better.  I offer it for free because I think that you will find it is really worth your time and effort.  If you are happy with the free course, you will be much more likely to buy my other products.  However, if you don’t like it, you are not stuck with any commitments.

Taking the first step is hard for a lot of us.  But, any journey of any length begins with that first step.  If you don’t make that first step, you will continue on the same road you are now.  Where will that lead you? 

In the next few blogs I’ll address some issues that I believe keep people from taking that first step.  Issues like hopelessness, intimidation, self doubt, and so forth.  We have all dealt with these, and will continue to deal with them, because life is often difficult.  But, there are ways to overcome these obstacles, and move ahead.

Check out the free program on this page, and let’s move ahead to a better life for you.

Richard

If you are a sedentary person over 60, I want to introduce you to some regular people for whom age is no barrier to participating in a very difficult and demanding sport.    While this sport might not be your cup of tea, the example of these people, show that age is no barrier for getting into outstanding physical condition, and taking part in a very difficult sport.

As some of you know, I have been participating in powerlifting for over two decades.  This is an event where you do three different lifts, and attempt to lift a weight that is as much as you can do for a single repetition.  For people who rarely (if ever) lift a heavy weight, this sounds like a form of torture, and an invitation to being crippled.  Actually, it is quite the opposite.  It is something that is inherently enjoyable and when done properly makes you feel almost bulletproof.

But…back to the main theme of this post.  When I began competing in this sport in 1986 (after 22 years of competitive running), I noticed that there were a group of men (and women) competing in powerlifting who were well “over 40″.  This was not a surprise because while I was running I had noticed that there were a lot of older people who took part in races.  Some were very fast, and regularly finished in the top 5% of everyone in the races.  I saw the same type of thing in powerlifting.  Many of the older lifters were stronger than men twenty, thirty and forty years younger.

There is a tendency for those outside the sport to classify these people as “freaks of nature” because they excel at a sport that is supposed to be a young man’s game.  My view is very different.  Having trained along side of some of the best in the sport (all ages) I am convinced that people who excel at powrlifting (or any other sport) are those who are mentally committed to develop their full potential.  In short, those who excel at this sport are those who put in the effort to be outstanding.  They train hard, smart and consistently.

This past week end I held a powerlifting meet where there were several competitors in their 60’s.  Each of them had a totally different background.  Some had been athletes all their lives, and others had taken up weight lifting as their first ever competitive sport when in their 50’s.  The common element in all their backgrounds was that they worked hard and carefully at developing thier skills and abilities in a very demanding sport.  They all took justifiable pride in their accomplishments, in part because they understood that there was no shortcut to success.

The cool thing about all of this is that the example applies directly to just about anyone.  if you are determined to succeed at something, and have a clear goal, you can accomplish things you would never have believed possible when you started.   Being a powerlifter may not be your goal, but being really fit is something you can achieve by using the same dedication and perseverence.   Great successes are the product of working hard and working smart.  The idea that “naturals” are the only one’s who can succeed is rubbish.

If you want to begin discovering your real potential, I’ll be more than happy to give you an assist.  if you want to build a much younger, stronger and more flexible body, I’ll show you how to get rolling in my new book A Guide to Getting Younger After 60.       This will be available very shortly…right around November 1. 

In this book, I share with you a lot of what I have learned about building a young and powrful body.  I should note that I’m 70 and have been training in a lot of different sports since I was 14.  I have been training with weights since 1955….so this is not something I discovered “yesterday”.  What I convey to you is based on my personal experience, and training with a lot of people of all ages.

This is an invitation to see what your real potential actually is.  You have nothing to lose but some years.

Richard