Today is my birthday!
I am thirty-eight years old.
But I’m not “38.”
Let me explain.
We have collectively accepted this idea that as we age, we must experience the inevitable breakdown of the body.
We expect pain and chronic illness to creep into our lives.
We expect to be displeased as we morph into someone we do not recognize in the mirror.
We expect to feel lousy and that aging will be an unpleasant decline.
Aging, by definition, is the process of growing old. All the negative connotations and expectations we attach to growing old (and what aging means) are just our perspectives.
And we can change our perspectives.
We get to decide what aging means for us!
Take Satchel Paige, for example. Satchel was a Major League Baseball rookie pitcher at age 42 (the oldest man ever to debut in the major leagues) who had the fastest fastball in history and played in MLB until he was 59 years old.
Whoa!
Satchel famously said, “how old would you be if you didn’t know how old you was.”
Just because your body is older, doesn’t mean your body has to be “older.”
I personally believe aging is a process by which we build strength. Inner strength, strength of character, and physical strength.
Aging is not a limitation, it’s an advantage.
Not only is it possible to become healthier as we age, it’s our birthright.
A health assessment of weight lifter and fitness expert Clarence Bass at age 80 showed that in some measurements, he was the healthiest he had ever been in his life.
At 80!
Clarence Bass, Satchel Paige, and the many other examples of people living not just increased lifespans (how many years you live) but increased healthspans (how many years you live with optimal health) are not medical marvels or freaks of nature.
They are examples of what is possible for you and me.
When we choose what aging means for each of us.
I decided in my mid-twenties that I was going to take impeccable care of myself. And it was this decision that propelled me into taking the inspired action for the last 15 years that has resulted in the strong, healthy body I have today.
My body enables me to live the life I want to live, doing all the things I want to do– and not just doing them, but enjoying them.
My biggest secret?
Slow-cadence, high-intensity strength training.
Exercise is about taking care of the inside of your body, not the outside. And this 20 Minute • Once A Week workout packs a serious punch when it comes to the health of your body.
A million amazing things happen to the inside of your body at the cellular level during your strength training workout. Your muscles, bones, organs, and cells become healthier with strength training (but that’s a story for another blog).
Recently, we have discovered that even our genes become healthier.
Dr. Simon Melov from the Buck Institute of Aging Research at the University of California San Diego conducted a study to explore the impact strength training has on aging. His conclusion? He identified 179 genes related to aging that reverted to youthful levels after a 50% increase in strength.
A strength increase of 50% is usually achieved in 12 weeks of high-intensity strength training. Which is good news because it means that it’s never too late to start.
In 12 weeks, your genes (and the rest of your body) could be younger.
At the Strength Shoppe, we reverse chronic conditions everyday. The improvement in the everyday lives of our clients is the most inspiring part of what we do.
Showing people what is possible for them based on what I know about the body is one of my life’s purposes. I want to give you the opportunity to live the life of your wildest dreams in a body you love.
If you want to look and feel younger, it isn’t going to come from a night-time face cream that promises you’ll wake up looking like Charlize Theron.
It’s going to come from the inside, out. It’s going to come from decisions you make over and over again that positively impact the health of your body at a cellular level. It’s going to come from getting to know and understand how your body works and what it needs to be healthy.
It’s going to come from you having a relationship with your body.
I’m so excited to help you develop a positive, nurturing, healthy relationship with your body.
If you live in the Los Angeles area (Pasadena or DTLA/Echo Park), give us a call at The Strength Shoppe.
See ya at The Shoppe:)
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