50 is the new 30

I discovered this document as I was writing the debut blog post for the isBullshit Medium website. The draft article was not disturbed or refined for publishing. The document did require grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation fixes. The intent of writing this unpublished article 11 years ago was to share how I kept my mind, body, and spirit youthful. I hoped it would motive other people to initiate new, healthy physical, intellectual, spiritual, and psychological habits, and embrace the mantra of “it’s never too late”. I titled the document “Article Idea: My 50 Body — 50 is the new 30”.

I did receive feedback from someone I dated, actually more like a few one night stands. She indicated the article was self-serving and egotistical. I like to believe it is just another data point to prove that “I like to talk about myself” — reference from How not to have a heart attack blog. I am hopeful she was an anomaly, and you will find the spirit of the content redeeming. Regardless, I plan to pen a “60 is the new 16” blog as I turned 60 on April, 23 of this year.

Profile: I am a 49 year-old father of two and IT professional. I am in better mental, physical, and spiritual health as I turn 50 than when I was in college. My ‘secret’ is a healthy diet, daily meditation, exercise, and reading. I was active in my teens and twenties, but it was later in life that I started to run marathons, snowboard, surf, and do yoga. I also started the practice of cleansing 5 years ago (inspired by this book) that reduced excess weight, reduced my cholesterol, and improved sleeping. I am an active blogger, and have co-authored four books in the last six years. My schedule involves a lot of business travel, and working 50+ hours a week, however, this is no reason why I can’t eat well and stay fit. I also spend significant time with my boys relaxing, running, hiking, traveling with them both in the US and abroad, and enjoying the NH seacoast where I live near the ocean.

I thought a potential interview would be the best way to provide background and articulate my idea:

Why do you work out? It really has nothing to do with outward appearances. It has everything to do with stress reduction, a healthy mind and body, and being more productive at work. I have solved problems I may be having with my boys, personal life, or come up with solutions for tough work problems all while working out.

What is your typical work out routine? I don’t follow a specific work out routine. This includes the type of workout, intensity, and length of work out. I believe you need to workout hard when feel good, and do the activity that best suites your mood, energy level, and your location. For example, if you are in the mountains during the fall, go for a hike of mountain bike ride, in the winter downhill or cross country skiing, If you find yourself in some warm weather in a new city, check out the city with a run. I don’t follow a specific workout regime. I enjoy doing all kinds of activities from mountain biking to snowboarding to running. If I am tired, I believe you should rest. Days where you feel good you should take advantage, and work out as hard as you can.

You also incorporate meditation into your daily routine. How does that fit in? Meditation, a healthy diet, intellectual stimulation, and physical activity all lead to a happy and successful life. One without the other three creates an imbalance for me. The four also compliment each other, and form a continues circle of symbiotic improvement. For example, meditation reduces my heart rate, which increases my stamina, which leads me to think more clearly which leads to better decisions which leads to a happy life….’the circle of life!’

Have you always worked out? I was a ’90 pound weakling’ my freshman year in high school, so I begin a seven day weight lifting regime. I was a decent long distance runner as well so I ran track in high school as well as playing football. I continued running, weight lifting, and did a bit of biking in college. In my twenties (do to a knee injury), I started to road and mountain bike.

You also do variety of other activities, when did you start these? I think it is never to late. I didn’t complete my first duathlon until age 41, my first ½ marathon until I was 44, my first ocean dive at 45, I ran my first marathon and completed my first criterium bike race at 46, my first surf and paddle board at age 49. I didn’t actively snowboard until age 45.

Was there ever a period where you didn’t work out consistently? From age 31 until about age 38, I was really not working out at all. I was to busy focused on new marriage, career, and really finding myself in therapy — a lot. So, I was doing a lot of psychology fitness which makes me a much more balanced person today. At 38, three things happened: my general practitioner doctor grab his fat stomach and told me middle age was hitting me, and I was become fat like him. I realized that I was soon be turning 40. I was told I had high blood pressure and cholesterol, and medicine was just around the corner. I decided to take matters into my own hands, and start running again. After years of working out, I found that I could not run 2 miles!

Right after you started working out again at 38 you started to have children, how did this impact your fitness? I had a good routine down so I continued to run. I would take my younger son out on jogs using a jogging ‘cart’. He loved it, and it was a great workout. I also took the boys on the back of my bike. One in a basket on the bike, and the other pulled behind. This was another great workout. When I could not run, I would do yoga. This was actually the start of my first yoga workouts, and was a great way to watch my boys and also get them involved in yoga. They would try to do the posses next to me, and also climb on me when I was doing a difficult pose that made the pose even more difficult.

You also attribute a lot of your current balanced mental, physical and intellectual health to meditation. Why is this? When I first began meditating at age 35, it was near impossible to sit for 5 minutes. As I practiced and increased my times slowly (up to 30–45 minutes daily today), I noticed I slept better, my blood pressure went down, and my heart rate lowered. All these things, allowed me to be more intellectually alert, work out harder and longer, and focus more at work.

You travel a lot. Travel seems to be on the main reasons people don’t eat well or exercise? To be blunt, I think this is a really lame excuse. I find travel actually makes it easier to work out and eat well. For one, someone else is paying for my meals, so I can eat things that are harder to cook at home but are great at restaurants. Working out is easier, as most hotels now have nice gyms and you can always put on some running shoes and see your new surroundings. Since you don’t have the obligations of taking care of kids, or the distractions of ‘doing things around the house, you have more time to work out.

What activities you do enjoy the most? I like variety and mixing up the length and pace of workouts. Some days, I will simply go for a long walk along the ocean that allows me to mix in some walking meditation and a very low impact activity.

How easy is it? — Not easy at all!…but it is fun. My dad was hard working union man, and I was raised in farm area. I was taught you have to work hard, and life is not a ‘bowl of cherries’. I have to say I loathe it when people say, “It is so easy for you to stay fit/healthy”. It make look easy from the outside, but they don’t see me getting up at 4.30 in the morning to go for a fast paced 30 mile bike ride, or running in 20 degree weather, or avoiding soft drinks and chocolate (that I love).

Do you feel like you can eat anything because you work out a lot? I did in my 20’s, and for the most part in my 30’s. It really wasn’t until I started to do the cleanse program when I was 46 that I really started to eat well. Up until this time, I was a sugar and chocolate lover. I was dranking my share of alcohol which causes you to not eat well. I grew up on Wisconsin on meat and potatoes, and was not taught any healthy eating habits. I believe starting to eat right has caused me to be in better physical shape at 50 then I was at 22 even though I was working out so much more back then.

You mention drinking your fair share of alcohol. Was there ever a concern of this? Certainly. I have been blessed, and cursed, with an extremely addictive personality. I like to take most things to the extreme, and treat most activities as a competition. I did the same with drinking (and drugs to a degree). When I turned 34, I decided that it is easier and best for me to stop drinking completely then my futile attempts at slowing down. Just as my additive personality provided me with the ability to commit and just ‘do it’, I was able to wake up one morning on Feb 11, 1998 and decide to stop drinking.

Have you ever used a personal trainer? A few years back I had a friend, great road rider, and newly anointed personal trainer convince me to be one of his trainees. The program was based upon core training and was great for learning a new way of working out and strengthening my core, however, my times in 5Ks and 10Ks and my biking riding all suffered. What I learned is my body does not respond well to routine, and I don’t enjoy working out when I have to watch my heart rate, record the time I have worked out and length of intensity. I think people can benefit from trainers, but like anything else it is up to you.

Where are you at now? I am at my peak in terms of overall physical and mental health. However, I feel the best is yet to come. I continue to improve my diet, and finding ways to work out more efficiently. I feel the next few years will only bring new personal bests in both running and riding my bike.

What do you see in your fifties? I really look forward to my fifties. My new endeavor is swimming, and I will compete in some triathlons in the next few years. I also look forward to more centered spiritual practice with incorporating more yoga and meditation retreats. The best part is going to be running and biking with my sons. I did a 5K with my older son Slade last year and he ran a competitive 22.30 as a 13 year old. I think in a couple years I am going to have to work hard to stay with him.

How about 60s/70s/80s and beyond? I believe a lot of life is mind set. Are you a glass half empty or a glass half full person? I read the book Happiness Advantage recently. It discusses how mind set slowed down or actually reversed aging. I think the best is yet to come, as I am wiser, more focused, and have a balance of physical, mental, intellectual, and spiritual energy. Here are a few photos (so you can see I am active and fit)