I generally work out and eat healthy because I like to. I probably don’t have to in order to stay alive and have a pretty good quality of life. I could go years without resistance training and still have no problem walking up the stairs or lifting up the groceries. I am 25. I am also lucky. I like the way exercise makes me look and feel. Confidence from looking “good” isn’t a bad thing. I also like the way eating healthy makes me feel. I have a lot of energy and generally feel very good (no stomach issues, skin doesn’t break out anymore etc). I need to ‘walk the walk’ for what I help my clients with, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a lot of work for me. Constantly thinking about how my food will match up with my workouts is a job in itself. I think my girlfriend gets pretty annoyed with it sometimes.

But, I really enjoy everything I do with my nutrition and workouts or I wouldn’t be doing it. I am simply lucky to have good health, but at the same time I should have good health at 25 years old! I want that health and I want to feel this way forever though. I am realistic about my body. I know I won’t look like I look right now forever. But, I can always feel pretty dang good (barring any unforseen illness or injury) if I take care of myself.

The majority of my clients are 45-65 years old. I always say that I never really believed when people would say that they could tell when it was going to rain by their sore knees. Well, after training well over 100 people who have some kind of knee pain or injury…I do believe that old saying now. Guess what? Most of those clients with knee problems are over between 45 and 65 years old too.

By training so many people in this age range I have noticed a few things:

• More and more people are interested in living longer and living BETTER. For numerous reasons.
• I see that many people in their 50s or 60s haven’t really ever exercised or been conscious of their nutrition until it caught up with them. This doesn’t mean it is too late though. It is never too late to start. 
• The people 45-65 who I have worked with who had been active and ate better for years before meeting me usually have less pain, better overall health, are stronger and usually are happier with their appearance and how they feel. There are exceptions to every rule though obviously.
• The people 45-65 who have exercised or ate healthier in the past are usually more willing to make positive changes to their life. Thus only improving the chances they reach their goals
• Peoples’ metabolisms aren’t crashed simply because they “got old.” Lack of exercise, loss of muscle from that lack of exercise, not eating enough protein, poor nutrition or not caring about nutrition are the main reasons you mysteriously gained 30lbs over the past 20 years. This is data from my clients and can be applied to many, many more people than just the clients I work with. Yes, as you age your metabolism slows, but you can also be proactive about it, knowing that it will happen and fight it with strength training and better nutrition. Or you can just do nothing and complain about your terrible metabolism. That is up to you. 
• My clients 45-65 who begin exercising and eating better for the first time in their lives or the first time since their 20s or 30s always feel better, have less pain, are more confident, lose some lbs, are stronger and so cool things like clap pushups, deadlift 200lbs and do their first ever chin up. All over the age of 45!!

Where to start if you are feeling like this “age” thing is catching up to you? I got you.

• Get more active. This doesn’t mean you have to start training for an Iron Man.
  • Try walking a flight of your stairs for 3- 5 minutes straight every morning when you get out of bed. Progress each week by adding 30 seconds or starting holding dumbbells. This simple trick has helped sooooo many of my clients get stronger!
  • Try classes out at a gym. Zumba is still being active, even though I will never do it.
  • Hire a coach to learn a bit about strength training basics; like how to squat so your knees don’t hurt. Improving your strength could be the difference in you catching yourself from falling on that black ice this winter. A good coach will keep you safe and develop your exercise program specifically around your goals and limitations. None of my clients have the exact same program.
• Eat more protein. USDA guidelines say 50-60g of protein per day is good. That is not enough if you want to retain muscle and maybe lose some lbs.
  • Start drinking a protein shake every day. There are are 100 million quality brands out there now…no excuse not to find one you like. Or a protein bar is good too.
  • Make your snacks centered around protein and not carbs. Pick a couple low fat string cheese sticks instead of the crackers. Pick a Greek yogurt cup instead of the pretzels.
  • 100g of protein per day is very much doable if you increase protein at your snacks.
• Be safe around injuries.
  • If your doctor says you need a knee replacement. Listen to him. Take care of yourself and get the injuries taken care of so you can focus on getting stronger and prolonging the time to the next knee replacement.
  • Remember surgeries can really improve your quality of life in the short term, but if you really want to get everything out of the surgery you probably need to start getting stronger. 
• Know which supplements are beneficial and which are a waste of money.
  • Here is my opinion: Omega 3 fish oil pill, multi vitamin, fiber supplement, Vitamin D supplement, glucosamine all can’t hurt to take. Will they make you Superman? No. But, they can’t hurt.
  • Everything else is up to you if you believe the hype around herbal supplements or what your wellness coach recommends.
  • Quality nutrition usually trumps all supplements.

  Please don’t wait until you fall or that hip arthritis is so bad you can’t bend down to pick up the grand kids. Be proactive, my clients will all tell you it is worth it.