One of the widely accepted beliefs, that happens to be wrong, is that peoples capacity to learn new things decreases as they age.  Current research in brain science shows quite the opposite.  People have the capacity to learn new things at almost any age.  Included in these “new things” that people can learn are physical movements such as dancing, balance, and some sports.  

Just because people can learn, does not mean that they will learn.  The brain is the ultimate example of “use it or lose it”.   While it is possible to do some pretty miraculous things, they are not acquired by magic, nor are they acquired with great ease.  Here lies the nub of a problem.

It is possible for people well past 60 to learn some very demanding and difficult athletic, artistic or intellectual disciplines.  The key is the word “discipline”.  This indicates that while some spectacular things can be done, they can only be acquired through dedicated practice, patience and persistence.  

In the Decades Younger program, I tend to focus on the physical transformatons that are possible for people over 60.  This is simply because these are the key to health and vigor.  If you don’t have your health, you are not free to fully explore your artistic or intellectual capacity.  With a sound mind and a sound body, you are free to lead the life you choose.  

Sadly, very few people over 60 have experienced the freedom that comes from being very disciplined.  I remember many years ago I heard a saying that has rung true throughout my life.  That is ”the people who are most disciplined are the most free”.   Think about it.  The musicians who are able to create whatever they can imagine are those who put in the time to master their craft.  Think about such legendary musicians as John Coltrane, Peter Frampton, Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan and many more.  None of these ever simply “walked on stage and did great”.  They built their abilities to do great things with hours and hours of dedicated practice.

You can literally “take ten years off your body”, but you have to be dedicated and do the required training to master your own physical fitness.  You don’t have to become a monk, but you do have to understand that the limits on what you can do physically are defined more by what you work to accomplish than by the inevitable “march of time”.  None of us will live forever, but we can have a great impact on the quality of the life we have.  That is what this program is all about.

On November 1, I will release a new book titled A Guide to Getting Younger After 60. This is the blueprint you can use to begin to literally “take ten years off your body”.    You will discover the way to care for yourself so that you can build a younger, vital body and mind.   It will include ways to train your physical body, the way to feed yourself for optimal fitness, and the way to enlist your mind in the enterprise of making a younger you.

To your best health and youth

Richard

Most people know that they should work out, but many complain that they lack the motivation to either get started on a program, or keep training for more than a few weeks.  Most people seem to know that they should work out if they want to be strong and healthy, but don’t translate that into sustained action.  there is a contradiction here….we know that we should do physical training for our long term welfare, but we still overeat, don’t work out and our bodies decline as a result. 

I believe that there are a lot of reasons why people don’t do what is necessary to take care of themselves in the long haul.  I’m going to suggest a reason you have probably never heard before.  This is that we are literally “hard wired” to overeat, and the only way we can cope with this is to use our mind to manage what we consume. 

First of all, the human body we have is the same genetic package we had about 40,000 years ago when we were living in the wilds.  We basically have the same body that our ancient ancestors had.  For them to survive and reproduce, they had several drives that helped them live long enough to reproduce.  I believe that some of these drives are at the root of why modern people have such a hard time taking proper care of themselves.

In order to survive in the wild, it was absolutely essential that early humans responded to things that were immediate threats.  If early humans found food, they had to eat it quickly because they had no way to preserve it.  Starvation was always a threat, and many primitive societies had eating patterns where they literally binged whenever they had a chance to eat.    In short, what we call “over eating” today was a pattern absolutely essential for survival in the wilds.

Primitive humans were almost constantly hunting for food.  In the 35,000+ years humans were on the planet before we created writing, daily existence was dominated by the hunt for food. Eating a lot whenever we can is a drive that is literally “hard wired” into our bodies. 

What we call “civilization” became possible when food supply could be guaranteed, at least to some modest extent.  Shortages were still more prevalent than excess.  Up until as recently as 40 years ago, mass famine was still a recurring event in parts of the world. 

In the contemporary United States we literally have an “over abundance” of food.  However, humans have the same genetic make up that tells us to eat whenever possible because we might starve.  This creates a situation that has never before existed in human history.  We literally have too much food, but are left with a drive to eat constantly because we might starve.

The obesity epidemic is a very recent phenomenon.  It is largely confined to the United States where the supply and diversity of food that has become available since 1970 is truly phenomenal.  People with the impulses of hunter-gatherers are suddenly confronted with amounts of food that were inconcievable a few years before.  The almost inevitable consequence is that most people eat far more than they need, and roughly a third eat a great deal more than they need.

The only mechanism we have to control our own eating is our own mind.  A small sub set of people have adopted a “fitness lifestyle” that includes careful monitoring of the amount and type of food they eat.  These people have developed their own capability to discipline themselves to eat only what they need.   This strategy utilizes the mind to control impulses that are still part of us, but no longer useful for survival.    The impulses and drives are still there, but people in the fitness sub-culture don’t allow these drives to dominate their regular eating behavior.   

The bottom line is: our appetite has little or no relation to what we actually need to eat.  Unfortunately for many people, they assume that if they are “hungry”, they need to eat. 

OK…what does a “normal” person do with this insight?  If your desire is to become fit and healthy, realize that your “natural” impulse will be to overeat.  This impulse will not go away….and it will show up every day, many times during the day.  A little voice in your head will say “I need to eat”.   

In order to become fit, you will have to develop a plan for what you are going to eat, how much you are going to eat, and whenyou are going to eat.  Over time, you will need to learn how to manage your eating.  One of the best ways to do this is become involved with a program that will help you with both the diet and the exercise activities involved in getting fit. 

On November 1 I’ll release a new book called A Guide to Getting Younger After 60: How to take 10 Years off Your Body.   In this book deal with the whole set of issues about how to eat properly so that you don’t load yourself down with excess body fat.  This is not just about dropping body fat. It is about building yourself into a person who is genuinely fit strong and healthy.  

This is not just another of those “work out for five minutes and eat anything you want” gimmicks.  It is a comprehensive program based on my 56 years of training and study.  No shortcuts…but it really will work..and work for you!

Have a great day…

Richard

One of the prevailing myths of our generation is that if you have a physical problem, you go to the doctor and get it fixed.  Certainly this applies to serious diseases.  However, many of us seem to have the idea that our bodies are like our cars or computers.   We use them with no regard for maintenance, and then go to the doctor when something breaks down.  We assume that the doctor can give us a pill or a shot, and we will be just fine.  This strategy never really works very well.  As we get older, it is a recipe for disaster.

Americans (and some others) seem to be willing to go to extreme lengths to fix a serious health problem once it arises.  However, most people will do almost nothing to prevent it in the first place.  for example, some obese people are willing to undergo gastric by-pass surgery to prevent themselves from overeating, but will never stick with a proper nutrition and exercise program that would have helped them reduce without surgery. 

For some reason, it is easier to endure the pain and trauma of major surgery, and a recovery period of many months than it is to deal with the emotional pain of not eating a bag of chips, or binging on cookies.   You get pain either way.  The difference seems to be that the pain of not being able to eat because of surgery is easier to manage than the pain of self denial. 

I would be the last person to suggest that you should never go to the doctor.  Modern medicine has been able to accomplish near miracles when it comes to eliminating dread diseases (polio, smallpox),  and performing a wide array of life saving operations.  However, one thing the medical profession is not equipped to do, is save us from our own bad habits and poor choices.  A doctor can make you “not sick”…but they can’t make you ”healthy”.   Doctors certainly can’t give you a great quality of life.

The term “health” in this case means having a physical (and mental) being that allows you to live life to the fullest.  This means that you have few physical limitations on what you can do.  That job is one that can’t be out sourced.  You have to do that one yourself.

For a person who is 60 years or thereabouts it is absolutely critical that you take full responsibility for your own health and welfare.  You have to be the one who manages what you eat, exercises, and does the array of things that will allow you to have a great quality of life.  What are some of those things you have to do?

First of all, you have to eat properly.  That means you have to eat high quality nutritious food, and eat the right amount.   The number of calories you eat, and when you eat them determines whether you put on fat, or get your bodyweight to a proper level.    To do this, you need to know what the eat, and when.  Just knowing what to do is not enough.  MOST important…you have to actually follow this program.  

Secondly, you have to exercise and build up your body to support the life style you would like to have.  You can’t get a great body by taking pills.  You can’t get it by injections.  You can’t get it by wishing it was yours.  You have to go out and build it by doing carefully structured training. 

Finally, you need to develop your mental fitness to propel yourself forward and build a high quality inner life.  Your mindset and your ideas are essential for living life to the fullest. 

You may wonder how you can do all of this.  Trust me it can be done, and you will derive great satisfaction from doing it for yourself.  To help you accomplish this, I have written a book A Guide to Getting Younger After 60:  How to Take 10 Years off Your Body.  This book will be available November 1 on this web site, and from other sources.  It can be your entry point to a high quality of life.  It can be your entry point to transforming yourself in ways you never believed possible.

The doctor can make you “not sick”.  But you are the only person who can make yourself “healthy”. 

Enjoy the journey,

Richard

What is the perfect workout for anti-aging?  You have probably seen a dizzying array of claims for various training programs that all claim to be exactly what you need to become younger.  Which system really is the best?  Is it cardio dominated running or cycling?  Is it yoga or aerobic dance?  Or, is  it weight training?  Then is it best to train 5 minutes a day, an hour a day, three times a week, six times a week….what is best?

Here is a little secret that I’ll let you in on.  I have been training for 56 years with a huge variety of different approaches…and if you really want to know the truth….ALL of them work.  Some work better than others, but basically if you do the training, you will recieve some benefit.  In short, it is kind of ridiculous to say that only one approach works and the others do not work at all.

I will add that based on my 56 years of training and fitness, I believe that there are some approaches that will give you a better return on your effort than others.  The main thing is to actually do something.  If you do nothing, you will decline.  If you are over 60 you may decline pretty rapidly.  But, as I said, some things are better than others.  For example….

In my opinion, weight training should be mandatory for anyone over 60.   Why do I say this?  Because the most dramatic and preventable effects of aging are the decline in ability to do normal every day things that require you to walk, lift, climb, carry, bend, stretch and so forth.  Without a sound muscle structure and good flexibility, seniors tend to gradully do less and less.  If you don’t take steps to keep and build good functional strength, you will find that you are able to do less and less as time goes on.  Weight training is an excellent way to prevent this type of decline.

Another type of training that is really important to prevent pre-mature decline is some form of cadiovascular work out.  This is because the hert and circulation system need to be worked in a controlled manner to stay in top working order.  Without training, the heart, like any muscle, will get weaker and less able to do anything other than keep a minimal blood flow moving around your body.  Without regular training, your blood vessels can become partially obstructed and make your heart work harder just to support minimal activity.   This means you can become unable to do any activity that requires anything beyond minimal exertion.

In short, if you don’t train, you pay a far higher price than you might want to think about.  “Use it or lose it” really applies in this case.

Doing something is far better than doing nothing.  Looking for the “perfect” workout is basically rediculous, because all forms of training will help you get some results.  The key is, are they the results you need the most?

If you are 60+ (or 40+) you need a program that will help you get stronger and more fit over time.  Most people get on a training program and do the same things over and over without changing.  Doing the same workout for months (or years) on end means that you will reach a certain point, and never improve.  You need to have a constant challenge that helps you get in better conditon over time.  If you don’t have this, you are wasting a lot of your time and effort. 

I have been training for 56 years and in that time I have learned a lot about what works best if you want to get in good conditon at any age.  To help you get the most “bang for your buck” in your own quest for a younger more fit body, I have written a book that can help you get the most out of your investment of time, effort and money.  This soon to be released e-book will provide you with a program that you can use to build a strong, flexible and well conditoned body.  I’ll also provide you with background you need to sort through the maze of conflicting information. 

This book titled A Guide to Getting Younger After 60:  How to Take a Decade off Your Body will soon be available on this site.  This book can be your guide to a complete transformation….you can be in much better shape than you ever thought possible.   The book will be available the last week in October.  Check out this site for more informaton as the release date nears.

Remember, any training you do will give you some benefit.  However, if you want to get the most out of your effort (and your money), you need a good structured program that will help you make steady progress beyond the first few weeks.