At 45, I’ve managed to retain muscle, have very low body fat, and look younger than my age. I rarely get sick and all my health markers are excellent. I’ve done this despite a busy life (married, 4 kids) and a demanding career in tech that has me sitting in front of a computer for large amounts of time daily. Many of my peers struggle with extra weight, have bad muscle quality, catch colds and other illness easily. The secret to my success isn’t terribly complicated. I don’t do fad diets. I don’t live at the gym (can’t, no time). There are a few basic things that I have done for years, and frankly never realized until recently that some of it aligned with health strategies advocated by certain anti-aging groups.
Point #1: Lift
I was an athlete in high school and college, and always lifted. After my playing days ended, I stopped lifting as frequently, until I ran into a few of my buddies who were a little older that I had played ball with. They were already fat. Call it vanity, but I did not want to get fat. So I went back to the gym. However, as I got into grad school, then work, then marriage and children, the time to work out seemed to dwindle. So I experimented with honing gym time down to essentials. Really focused only on strength training and HIIT. I play in adult sports leagues, but those aren’t really enough (an hour of softball or basketball a week isn’t going to cut it). I work out typically no more than 45min, and no more than 3 or 4 times a week. My muscular build (and ability to retain it) really stems from the type of exercise I do. Strength training is the foundation. Check out P.D. Mangan’s book on the benefits of strength training. https://amzn.to/2M80z8L For excellent information on technique, Starting Strength is the best place to begin.
https://amzn.to/2Vv2FneFor those of you with room for a home gym, my recommendation is not to get things like bowflexes or stationary bikes. Get a power rack. And some free weights. I found a relatively inexpensive rack that serves its purpose. (Find it here: https://amzn.to/2Rrz675 ) I like the X Training bumper plates, as they are good quality and take abuse. (Find them here: https://amzn.to/2LRMDQ1 ) As for the olympic bar, you can often find those in thrift stores, but if you want a new one, Cap Barbell has a nice one. (Find at https://amzn.to/2RyFyJp )
Point #2: Diet
I have generally never been a fan of things like pasta, pizza, crackers, processed foods. Nor snacks in general. Probably stems from my formative years where the way I ate was much different than the way most Americans eat. Mostly I ate proteins (meat) and vegetables. I was never religious about this, and never tracked anything. The staple of my diet, however, has always been carnivorous in nature. All I can say here is eat steak, eat vegetables, and ignore the zeitgeists. I’m not alone in this. See https://amzn.to/2sqWXW7
As for drinking, I drink (socially). I have, though, changed my preference during the last decade. I used to drink beer primarily, but that’s basically like drinking a loaf of bread. So I switched to whiskey and red wine, primarily. Alcohol has positive effects, according to various studies. In moderate doses, of course. In most things, moderation is key.
Point #3: Intermittent Fasting
This one, I stumbled on. I never liked to eat late. And often, I would miss breakfast and eat a late lunch because of my schedule. So I was unintentionally fasting for around 17 hours at least a few times a week. This (again without any intention on my part) means my body was being put into ketosis. Ketones are produced by the body if you fast or follow a very low carb diet. You can read about this from much more knowledgeable people than I on the subject, but generally speaking what occurs is your body burns fat, not muscle tissue in response. There are also reported anti-aging effects. There are supplements that can help with this, as well. I’d recommend the Perfect Keto products. Some of them are pretty awful tasting, be warned. I like the collagen one in chocolate, and the MCT oil powder. Both seem to enhance the intermittent fasting effects, and you need collagen supplements as you age for a variety of other issues as well.
Find them here:
Collagen: https://amzn.to/2RxqXxV
fightthedrift 