Before I dive into this topic, I want to give you this little PSA…

I created Champion of Aging to inspire people of a certain age to take control of their health and fitness in order to compete in the toughest sport of all… the sport of aging.

In particular, I am a huge advocate of strength training, as I believe it is the single most beneficial form of exercise for people 50 and over.

With that said, I encourage you to sign up for the Champion of Aging Tactics newsletter and I will send you regular content to help you become a Champion of Aging!

Now, onto our regularly scheduled program… how do you want to age?

At 60 years old I can make the following observations of people in my general age group (50 to 70).

There are three general categories I can put people into in regard to their approach to health and fitness.

Category 1 – Sedentary

This group of people does not exercise at all.  They don’t even take the time to walk regularly.

Some of them are obese, and surprisingly, some are actually quite thin.

In that second group, chances are they smoke or are regular drug users, and that helps them keep the weight off.

Category 2 – Some exercise, generally active, but

Active couple

This category encompasses the largest group of people, and there is a wide spectrum in how active they are.

Some get their 10,000 steps in almost every day, or perhaps they do some yoga, pilates, or some exercise with light weights.

They may even try to eat right, but their focus is mainly on staying thin, so they don’t pay attention to their macros, and they don’t eat enough protein.

They are ahead of the game, and many will live long, but they will get frail over time due to a lack of strength training in their routines.

Some actually exercise quite a bit, may actually lift to build muscle, but they are still considerably overweight because they still eat too much and possibly drink too much alcohol.

Still others are reasonably active, but don’t do much to engage their brains.

Thus, this is the broadest category of people.  They are simply missing one or two things that keep them from being Champions.

Category 3 – Champions of Aging

Many of you reading this probably feel that all of the people in this category are fanatics and have less than 10% bodyfat.

The reality is that only the people truly concerned with aesthetics are like that, or they are still competing in sports at some level.

Most of us in this category simply train and pay attention to our diets and stay active in other pursuits.

However, now and then we will still enjoy occasions where we are ok with indulging.

Our goal is to simply be sure we can enjoy life to the best of our abilities just in case we happen to live to an advanced age.

How do you want to Age?

As I indicated, the largest category of people is Category 2.

I would venture to guess that about 60% of people fall into this category.

Category 1 is the second largest group, and I would guess about 25% of people fall into this category.

Champions of Aging make up the smallest group by far.

At this stage of my own life I am still blessed that all four of my parents are still alive (mom and stepfather, dad and stepmother).

They range in age from late 70s to 95 years old.

One of them falls into Category 2 (he’s the oldest) while the others are in Category 1.

Three of the four, including the oldest, are dealing with different levels of frailty (they are the oldest three… 89, 92 and 95).

One is completely reliant on a walker now.  One has balance issues and recently fell down some steps and broke some ribs.

The three oldest are my inspiration for creating Champion of Aging.

Their lives are far more difficult now as the sport of aging has taken its toll.  They have lived long lives, but three have lost their independence… none of them are capable of living alone now.

None of us have any idea how long we will live.

Genetics, environment, and luck will play a significant role, even if we take excellent care of ourselves.

The only thing we can truly control is our own strength and fitness.

Yet, based upon my own observations, less than 20% of the people in my age group actually train regularly with a clear plan to build and maintain strength over time.

It’s never too late to get started, but…

It’s never too late to get started with strength training.

I’ve read of people who never started until they were 85 and older.  They are able to get stronger even at such an advanced age.

Clearly, they are not going to come close to their strength potential.  That occurs before age 40.

The earlier you start, the stronger you can get and stay.

However, if you do wait too long, you may end up too frail and incapacitated to even get started.

I’ve written about the benefits of strength training in the past, but for us older folks, here are a few of the important ones…

  • Improved mobility
  • Improved metabolism and weight control
  • Improved heart health
  • Improved mental health and cognitive function

This is why legitimate strength training should be the primary form of exercise for people over 50.

Beyond strength training

While strength training will take you a long way toward becoming a Champion of Aging, it is just one part of the puzzle.

It is important that you are active outside of your home gym or wherever you train.

Being active in work, your community, with a sport, or just being out in nature will take you far as well.

Many of the people I lumped into Category 2 are quite active in this regard.

They may play golf or tennis, or work hard in their communities, but they are simply missing that training piece of the puzzle.

Meanwhile, some folks do exercise, but are not engaged in anything else, and their mental health suffers.

Champions of Aging engage in everything they can to stay strong, fit and mentally healthy.

Here are a few more tips to help you become a Champion of Aging beyond just strength training…

Cardio exercise

You should absolutely do some cardiovascular exercise a couple days per week.

While strength training can help with your cardiovascular health, actual cardio exercise will take that further.

Consider mixing in some long slow distance (jogging, cycling, rowing, etc) activity with higher intensity training, such as a spin class.

Increase your daily activity

It is important to stay active in other activities outside of the gym.  This is particularly the case if you want or need to shed some fat.

Hiking, golf, tennis, surfing, gardening or even training in a martial art are great ways to keep active outside of the gym.

Travel

As they say, travel is good for the soul.

Travel is great for overall mental health.  Everyone needs to get out of their normal everyday environment.

Therefore, take the time to get away every couple of months or so.

Study

While research is still uncovering reasons why some people are eventually affected by a form of dementia, some research suggests that maintaining an active mind goes a long way toward holding off mental decline.

There are many ways to engage your brain, but here are a few…

  • Read often
  • Stay active in work if possible
  • Learn a language
  • Study a martial art
  • Go back to school

Final thoughts on competing in the sport of aging

Life is hard, and it only gets harder with age.

However, you have choices.

You can choose to compete in the sport of aging, take it easy and let the cards fall where they may, or something in between.

If you decide to choose to compete in the sport of aging, we’ve got lots of info to help you get started and then stick with it.

The first step is to be sure to sign up for our Champion of Aging Tactics newsletter.

Now, get to work!