There are many falsehoods that have developed over the years regarding aging and strength. As someone who has worked out all my life they have always seemed liked excuses to me, but they are things I hear all the time. Here are a few of the “LIES”, let’s call them what they are, I’d like to put to rest.
LIE#1: You naturally put on weight as you get older… WRONG!
Stop blaming those expanding love handles on getting older! In fact, of any other challenge, this is the simplest to combat. There are four factors which contribute to middle age weight gain: slowing metabolism, lower testosterone, poor diet and lack of exercise. Look at that list. Two of the four factors are completely within our control. It’s time to stop blaming those expanding love handles on getting older. It’s just an excuse. All you need to do is make the right food choices and take care with what you eat. That tiny change alone will stop the onset of weight gain.
But when it comes to strength, here’s another myth to bust…
LIE #2: As you get older, you naturally get weaker… WRONG!
I’ll show how wrong this lie is. Research from the University of Oklahoma found that over an eight-week period a group of middle-aged guys (35-50) succeeded losing body fat and building muscle. But that’s not all. Compared with a group of college-aged guys over the same period, the older guys lost MORE body fat and gained MORE muscle. So, let me say this again: None of this is inevitable. Yes, you’re susceptible… but it doesn’t have to be your future. Getting older isn’t the problem. (And any guy who blames age for their performance is making excuses.)
You don’t have to accept these lies.
LIE #3: As you age, you naturally lose energy… WRONG!
There’s one everyday reality that hits you harder than anything else: always feeling tired. To feel that overwhelming exhaustion every day is, well… exhausting. You wake up tired. Yawn your way through the work day. And then spend the evening slouched on the sofa unable to keep your eyes open.
And you pay the price.
You spend less quality time with your wife. Less time with your kids. Every activity is a struggle. Before you thought nothing of heading out to do any number of outdoor activities… now, you’re lucky if you make it through the evening. Your energy levels start on a downward spiral when your lack of energy reduces your activity level. It becomes a vicious cycle.
But here’s the thing about what I call the Energy Spiral. It goes up as well as down. Find the energy and get back into daily activity and the spiral turns upwards. More energy = even more energy. Reinvigorating your body to release enough energy to keep increasing energy levels needs to be a major part of any program.
LIE #4: Injuries are just going to happen as you get older… WRONG!
Remember what you were like in your 20s? Knocking around the gym. Lifting big. Huge gains every week. Eating whatever you wanted with no side-effects. And then what happened when you hit your 30s? Change happens. A nag turns into an ache. The gains take a little bit longer. The fat clings a little harder to your body than it used to. The realization hits: we’re not invincible. Progress is painful. What worked for you as a 20-year-old kid doesn’t work for you now.
It’s perfectly natural. Your body changes. But NONE of the programs reflect that change. They expect you to try nailing it like you did in your youth… and when you don’t get results, frustration sets in. You try working out harder. And for longer. Yet the results stall. Your energy starts dropping and soon you’re exhausted, frustrated or, even worse, injured. It doesn’t have to be that way. With the right program you can avoid injuries!
It’s worse than hitting a plateau. And it’s not just a case of changing it up or trying something different. The next stage is all about motivation…
LIE #5: Motivation is much harder to come by as we age… WRONG!
Of course, it’s not your fault. When you hit your 30s, life gets in the way. You mature. Your priorities change. Your days fill up with the everyday rigor of spending time on your career. You dedicate your free time on evenings and weekends to your family. Hanging out in the gym or sweating it out for hours on end stop having the same appeal. Your motivation wanes. Your diet slips. Life gets in the way. Your priorities may have changed… but your body still needs attention
As you can see, NONE of these issues are physiological.
Our challenges are not about our body. They are around what we choose to do with our body. These are the same challenges for every guy, like you and me. You may be experiencing one or more of these right now… you may be going through all three. By challenging and resolving each of these issues, you can turn back the clock. Deterioration and decay doesn’t have to be your reality.
I’ve found a program that works to help you overcome these lies we’ve all been told. Known as 40 Strong I think if you’ll give it a try, you’re going to be achieving the kind of results you did in your 20’s.
40 Strong is about you doing what you love to do when it comes to activity. This program is about choosing different ways to be physically active. Liking what you’re doing for exercise is the key to longevity and long-term results.
Because if you truly like something, it will be very hard to stop doing it.
I always like going back to children when it comes to explaining exercise and being active. Most of the children in this world have one thing in common; they like to play. Playing is exercise. Kids run, jump, twist, climb and move their bodies with tremendous power, strength and agility. As we age, we lose that ability. Not because we got older, but because we stopped moving like that every day and this point is missed by many experts in the field of strength and health. This program is about adding recess back into your life and having that time everyday where you get to play in different ways. In doing that you will regain energy, muscle, mobility, confidence and your life will be forever changed.
