Training for Health and Longevity

I’ve written before about how professional athletes are competing successfully in sporting events for which they would have been considered way too old just fifteen years ago - Phil Mickelson and Aging Mentality  Advancements in training techniques and the science of how we age have shattered outdated stereotypes around getting older. Very liberating! We read about the athletic endeavors and accomplishments of active baby boomers in articles like this one in the Washington Post - Americans over fifty are doing extreme sports their parents never imagined. Inspiring, for sure. But also a little daunting, even demoralizing, since most of us are not working out two hours a day preparing to climb Mount Everest or spanning the globe running an Ironman daily for a week. The workout routines of these folks can seem out of reach. Too complicated, too intense, too advanced. “Where do I even begin?!?” Begin by recognizing your fitness level. Thirty second Instagram routines are slick and visually appealing but lack substance and nuance - never mind appropriateness for the older body. Pictorials that promise “30 days to a beach body” and “rock-solid abs” are just not realistic. You’d be hard pressed to put together an effective workout from these vignettes, especially as a beginner. Even the more serious resources can be confusing. If you're an average Joe or Jane, a knee routine designed for NBA Players, as outlined in this article from yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, may not be for you… yet! 😀By contrast, training for health and longevity is approachable and achievable, regardless of age and athletic ability. It’s not particularly sexy, and there are no shortcuts. It takes time to notice a change. Happily, the amount of effort needed to achieve and maintain a healthy fitness level is more manageable than you might think – it mostly requires consistency. Achieving basic functional fitness is pretty straightforward.  Learning to work out is like learning to play music. You start with simple scales and master some fundamental chords. This will allow you to play a song. You can build from this or stick with the basics, which will be enough to enjoy the instrument. You wouldn’t start playing the piano by attempting complex chords and jazz progressions! Yet we make this mistake all the time with fitness.  We start too aggressively. We get bogged down and overwhelmed debating nuances that don't apply to our level of expertise. Which workout is better, Yoga or Pilates? Free weights or exercise machines? Protein shakes before or after training? Which cardio "zone" should I be in? Guess what? For the vast majority of us, it doesn’t matter! What matters is getting regular movement and exercise that safely challenges and develops our bodies in four primary areas: Flexibility, Endurance, Strength, and Balance. Back to the newbie musician. You only need to learn three chords to play "Margaritaville" or "Ring of Fire." Lots of fun at a party and well within reach. “Hey, you’re playing music! Cool.” That’s the equivalent of training for health and longevity - achievable and sustainable routines that make you feel good and look good. And that’s all you ever need to do for general fitness, what I call Basic Maintenance. Sure, next-level, or sport-specific training is effective and rewarding, but only once you have a base fitness level. So get the basics down to stay healthy and vital. Start slow and be safe. Then, and only if you're interested and physically prepared, you can progress to the more complicated stuff. Keeping it simple.  I filmed a workout called the Simple Six that’s been very popular with the SecondFifty Community. Here’s a comment I received not too long ago:"Naming the exercise routine the Simple Six does not sound intimidating on first impression and how easy it is to adapt it to any level of fitness invites anyone to try it.  You can do it anywhere with minimal equipment and it only takes 25 minutes which makes the entire program very accessible to anyone who wants to take charge of their Second Fifty. Very commendable."Feedback like this is extremely gratifying. And it got me thinking… Why not develop several more Simple Six Workouts? Clear, straightforward, effective routines that can be made easier or harder based on ability and progress. I do the Simple Six all the time for the reasons outlined in the comment above. In fact, I'd like to have more routines I can follow without thinking and planning! So I’m going to put them together. Simple Six workouts will address these four cornerstones of longevity and health: Flexibility and mobility: Stretching builds functional movement patterns that protect against injury and preserve a basic range of motion as we age. This is foundational to everything else.Cardiorespiratory training: Necessary for a healthy heart and lungs, and to build enduranceStrength training: Essential for healthy aging, preserves physical and mental ability. People who do strength training live longer.Balance training: Important to avoid falls and for confident movement. It supports, and is supported by, the other three cornerstones. Here’s the link to the original Simple Six Workout Video on the SecondFifty Website, complete with a detailed introduction and explanation. Give it a try! And don't forget your mobility work. Here's a link to the SecondFifty Mobility Reboot Videos.  Password: mobility!There are seven individual classes of 15 - 20 minutes each. We practice essential stretches for hamstrings, hips, shoulders, and spine. Once you learn these mobilizations, and with 15 minutes a day of consistent practice, you can begin to regain the movement patterns you were born with. George

What Causes Type 2 Diabetesand How to Reverse It 

I plan to watch this informational webinar on Diabetes.Did you know that 1 in 3 Americans have pre-diabetes, and most don't even know they have it? The science is rapidly evolving around what causes diabetes and how to prevent and reverse it through lifestyle and diet.

 This 

should be an interesting presentation. Dr. Barnard is well regarded and level headed...

A free webinar with Dr. Neal Barnard, MD.Sponsored by Forks Over Knives.

Wednesday, March 22, at 4pm eastern time.Click this link to register.

Neal Barnard, MD, FACC

, is an adjunct professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. He has led numerous research studies investigating the effects of diet on diabetes, body weight, and chronic pain, including a groundbreaking study of dietary interventions in Type 2 diabetes, funded by the National Institutes of Health, that paved the way for viewing Type 2 diabetes as a potentially reversible condition. He has authored over 20 books and is the editor-in-chief of the Nutrition Guide for Clinicians.

Stay Strong. Age Well.

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I'm George Harrop, founder of

SecondFifty.Blog

—an online resource for people who want to prioritize their health and wellbeing by taking a common-sense approach to nutrition and fitness. Many modern middle-aged people have spent the previous decades building careers and raising families. 

Now we're committed to getting and staying fit during the second half of our lives. We're on a mission to age with more agility and ease! Join us →