Faster, stronger, longer. For a longer health span. It’s well-established that exercise can significantly reduce the risk of major diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and dementia. Also, being fitter and more physically healthy leads to improved mental health. I’m 67 years old, and while I was an average athlete at best as a young man, I’m now at the high end of performance and key health metrics for my age group. The message is clear to me. Working hard, being faster and stronger, and training for longer durations works. Especially when attention is paid to nutrition and other lifestyle factors. See here a summary of the benefits of exercise and, conversely, the risks of frailty, disease and mental illnesses when more sedentary lifestyles are enacted.
Follow my blog and social feeds, where you will see the type of exercise and nutritional strategies I use. I’ve been fortunate to have been involved in sports, sports nutrition, and functional foods for thirty years. As a result, I have a good idea of what works and what is BS. I will support the former with scientific evidence and call out the latter.
Please remember that the challenges I set myself are truly challenging for me. I only complete some of them. If I were to hit every target, then I would not be setting the bar high enough. Injury can stop me, or life can get in the way. But I will give them my best shot and document the good, the bad, and the ugly.
FIND ME ON MEDIUM AT: medium.com/@thestephenmoon
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December 1, 2024The Best Laid Plans
‘Stick or quit’ is not my usual conversation with myself. It’s on my mind now, and I’m not sure if it’s my psyche playing with me, introducing the ‘quit’ word to get me going again. Or is it that time? It’s been some year or two. After a challenging 2023 that threw up significant life changes, I decided to throw down a misogi challenge to myself. To run a marathon. Something I’m not built for, something that would tax every atom of my ageing body.
But life got in the way again this year, with a serious cycling accident in April. Being a combination of stubborn and optimistic, I thought I could still run my marathon in November. But unfortunately, a side effect of my head injury was vertigo, which seriously curtailed my training. I started, genuinely intending to train for the marathon, even running while wearing a sling after my collarbone operation. The vertigo couldn’t be overcome. When out running, the road would sharply drop away to my left side as though a gentle jog was morphing into a big dipper ride. It’s not ideal base training.
While the vertigo eventually cleared, weeks of training time vanished. The grown-up thing to do was to postpone my marathon until 2025. My logic was that I had plenty of time to train correctly. It’s still annoyingly complex, however. I struggle to keep up with the volume of training. My knee problem from many weeks ago has now resurfaced. I spend much of my time feeling sore in one part or another, as my five to six days a week in the gym or on the treadmill and road taxes my reserves. Taking 400mg of Ibufrofen before bed on run days doesn’t seem like a healthy long-term practice.
Father Time Is Undefeated
It’s led to a lot of reflection for me. Is this it? Stick or quit time? Since I was 67 in late May, have I reached the point where severe physical decline starts? After a lifetime of cycling, I still grieve for the exercise I loved so much. But after two trips to the ICU, suddenly making a mockery of my 50 accident-free years, it’s not fair of me to put my wife and family and friends through more anxiety.
My inner voice said this wasn’t a problem, and I could get my dopamine and serotonin hits from running as my endurance exercise drug. While my inner voice, egged on by my brain, said this was the perfect solution, the body called a time-out and said, “screw you.”
I’ve read many studies on how exercise is the key to a strong healthspan. No shuffling around for me. I’ll hit the gym and road hard and be physically vital as I enter my seventies. Father Time is undefeated, as the boxing fraternity tends to say. I’m wondering if it’s my turn.
The fitness bros, the scientists, and all the other cognitive bias sources I study say that I can turn the tide. But my body is tending to side with Father Time, and I’m leaning back on the ropes like a heavyweight boxer who has suddenly found his legs have betrayed him.
The Social Element Of Training
Stick or quit? I’ve gone around the alternatives. I may retreat to the gym and stay in shape with weights, stationary bikes, upper body erg machines, and rowing machines. That sounds like a sensible way to stay fit and minimise the battering I’m doling out to my body. I can make a case for it, and in a year, I will be in top form, awash with functional muscle, decent cardio, and flexibility.
This gym-based option also scares the crap out of me. I’ve turned my back on the sport that allowed me to experience nature and an enriching social environment while slamming out 60, 70 and 80-mile cycling adventures in the UK and Europe. But no worries, running gets me outdoors and offers major challenges such as half and full-marathon events. And some of my former cycling friends also like to mix in some running, so the social aspect remains.
Am I Being Unrealistic?
Nagging injuries and permanent soreness are flagging worrying realities for me. Should a 67-year-old, 195cm tall, 110kg lump be putting himself through pounding runs? A wave of gloom engulfs me as the prospect of no running presents itself. Is this it? My sporting opportunities are plucked from me one by one. I get driven indoors to the gym. Then, that option starts to drift away from me. It is a metaphor for a shrinking life, eventually shrinking to a hospital bed and then a final destination. Perhaps it’s not a ‘stick or quit’ decision, more of a gradual decline.
It’s not my style to think this way. In my darkest moments, I have always pushed forward. That’s been the pattern of my life, even from my early days. Recent years have seen me struggle through long periods of mental health challenges, with the last two years offering up 27 fractures, a brain injury, a haemothorax, and a punctured pelvic artery. But in all those cases, it has never occurred to me to stop moving forward. In reflective moments, I have realised that I can’t cope with drawing back from this relentless forward movement. I know that if I stop, that will dismantle my spirit.
So what do I do about it? Do I accept Father Time as the Jake Paul to my Mike Tyson and go and sit on the stool? Do I set aside any thoughts of a misogi, take to the gym, and spare my joints and powers of recovery any more insults?
So, Do I Stick Or Quit?
Stick or quit? I guess I sound like an old man whining or a lion in winter raging against the loss of his powers. Whatever. It’s my reality, and it challenges my core drivers. It’s existential to some extent. My lizard brain tells me this is a threat and must be faced up to or run away from. Father Time is dancing on his toes in the neutral corner while I take a standing eight count from the referee. (How many fingers is he holding up as an aside?)
That being the case, I must press on. I fear an accelerated unravelling of fitness and health if I back down. Perhaps aches and pains are just the price of the game in one’s sixties. I’m going to approach things from several angles and see if there’s a route through this—a path to decent physical fitness and all the mood and mental health benefits it brings.
I’ve got a decent running coach already in Coach Parry, and I have agreed with the team there to back off training until the first week of January 2025 to give me time to recover and, where needed, heal. Then I’m coming back with a lower running load. I aim to run twice a week and do one aerobic session on the Wattbike at the gym. I’ve got a seriously good coaching resource and don’t use it enough. It’s time to change that.
I strength train twice a week, and for runners over the age of 50, this is key. Injury becomes inevitable without dealing with the natural loss of muscle mass older adults face. But I need to adjust here, too. I’m prone to getting myself into some pretty full-on lifting sessions at the gym – for example; I bench-pressed more than I have in this decade of my life only this week. How an allegedly intelligent man thinks he can train for a marathon and set personal bests in the gym is a winning strategy is beyond me. I will do a decent weekly workout with weights and a second session with body weight and resistance bands.
Recovery And Maintenance
Recovery hasn’t been taken seriously enough. I’m training five and sometimes six times a week. Rest days are quite often forced because I’m dog tired, rather than them being planned. Again, the scientific research on the importance of rest stretches from here to Mars. It’s time for me not simply to read this stuff but also act on it. Yes, the facts apply to me too.
One area I have made good progress in is mobility. I’ve followed a simple programme that focuses on hip region mobility, and I’m a lot better for it. I intend to continue with this.
The recovery from both my accidents was massively helped by working with a top-class physiotherapist, Stephen Davies. I intend to have a few sessions with him in December to see if I can get ahead of the game and improve my knee health. I’ve twice torn the meniscus in my right knee in the last three years, and I have moderate osteoarthritis in both knees. I’m convinced – so, thankfully, is my physio – that surgical intervention and steroid injections are not the answer. I will be ok if I can focus on and succeed with better knee health. I don’t have any other obvious injury problems. Just the zillions of aches and pains that being old delivers free of charge.
What’s It To Be?
So what, you say. Some old guy is banging on because his training is going badly. Why doesn’t he go and sit down and get old, like other old guys? Physically, I see what happens to people my age and younger if exercise isn’t a priority. I don’t have to look far beyond my own family to see the risks of doing next to no exercise. That’s a significant consideration in my stick or quit dilemma. The niggling physical injuries are probably a better option than drowning in an increasing number of age-related health problems.
I want to live on my terms for as long as possible. Having read this screed, I know you will think I tend to be a fool. But not as badly as some of my exercise excesses would lead you to think. I will not willingly let all my choices be taken away from me one by one. That way lies a deterioration of mental health to go with the physical decline.
That’s not why I’ve struggled and fought to get this far. Nanakorobi yaoki has been my principle. And that will continue for as long as possible. I have no wish to live forever. I will take the years allotted to me by God, fate, chance or genetics. It’s the quality of the years gifted to me that I’m concerned about.
Will I run the New York Marathon next year? It’s going to be tough. I have physical challenges now, and by November next year, I’ll be 68. But without a big challenge, I can see even more challenges ahead of me. But sometimes, executing the plan is the prize. The benefits of continuing to train may be more valuable than the endorphin-laden achievement of crossing the finish line. Watch this space. [...]
October 27, 2024What Do You Do?
Transitions from full-time work. I finished my last full-time work role a year ago. It was time. I have worked since I was 16 years old, and my last day at work was fifty years and one month after my first day. My work life was varied: I was a bank clerk, a postman, and working in a meat packing plant. Then, working for large corporations running factories. A mid-career break to gain an MBA and then straight back into corporate life in senior strategy roles. My final phase was the world of startups and small growth companies.
There was a particular weirdness to it all as well. I succeeded in many respects and told myself I was living my best life. Even three years ago, I would boldly say that I would work until the day I dropped. Yet I wasn’t enjoying work. I’ve written elsewhere about my struggles with anxiety and depression throughout my youth and adult life. I found one of my journals recently in my home office, and rereading it was, in some ways, shocking. I hadn’t enjoyed at least the last four years of my career.
The truth, I guess, is that the long hours and high pressure of a senior executive role created enough white noise in my mind to stop me from addressing what was troubling me. If I was busy, then I didn’t have to look in the mirror too hard. Through the years, I have looked hard at some of the self-sabotage mechanisms I sneakily deployed and had a crack at dealing with some of them.
Work has defined me to a great extent and I was always able to answer the emotionally-stunted conversation-starting question, “What do you do?” No longer.
Removing Coping Mechanisms
Drinking too much was one of my avoidance strategies. While in the warm glow of the first few drinks, my mind didn’t have to deal with the corrosive and non-stop anxiety that plagued me. The deadening effect was my escape from … from me. The hangovers and post-session self-loathing were, for many years, the fair price of the game. But more than six years ago, I stopped drinking and have never missed it.
With that major step taken, I was able to double down on seeking the proper mental health support. I’ve been on anti-depressants since 2018 (although there have been previous periods, too.) I’ve worked with psychotherapists and psychiatrists throughout that period, too. Do I feel better? Yes, I do, but I I must pay attention to it daily. I don’t believe I will ever escape the issues that trouble me. I see it as a challenge: there’s a better life if I keep working at it.
The transitions from full-time work over the last year hasn’t been as hard as I thought it might be. As I said, I hadn’t been enjoying it. I wasn’t the best to work with at times, which troubled me. My day-to-day way of being was unpleasant, with dark periods and turbulence being the norm. It’s a lonely place, too. Collectively, we humans are not well-equipped to deal with one of our tribe suffering mentally. Words such as “I’m here for you 24/7” and “You can talk to me at any time” must be considered hollow.
Dealing with a mental health issue isn’t the most straightforward matter, and at times, I wasn’t fully conscious. But the human spirit is also strong.
Over an extended period, I have tried to make my way, sometimes stumbling, to a place where I can come to terms with myself. One by one, large parts of my life and some harmful coping mechanisms have been removed. And still, the search for me continues. The non-negotiable is the need to make concrete changes; staying in one spot and hoping for salvation is not a recipe for improvement.
My Brave New World
Now I had dropped my anxiety-fuelled commitment to work forever, and it was time to look at life in a very different way. Gone were the 70-hour weeks and unrelenting pressure. I wasn’t waking up, mind and pulse racing, at 3 am. I wasn’t out of bed and overcaffeinated by 5:30 am. That’s good. Right?
The flip side of transitions from full-time work appeared. All of a sudden, the days stretched before me. As always, I needed a plan. Some of my moves were obvious. I wanted to pay forward some of my long experience in business and felt that I could help small growth businesses and their CEOs. In addition to my business experience, I qualified at a high level as an executive coach 15 years ago. I set myself the goal of finding roles with small growth businesses in my first year, and that’s been achieved.
And what else? A challenge for me is how to use my time meaningfully. I filled my days with stressful activities for many conscious and unconscious reasons. The stuff lower down Maslow’s Hierarchy was dealt with; my work rate ticked off security and survival. A lot was thrown into climbing the ladder, of kidding myself that I was getting to Maslow’s self-actualisation.
I would guess that it was more complex than that, and part of me was running away and not running to. With that stripped away, there are bigger questions for me. Who am I? And what the heck do I do with myself? Will I ever understand myself, let alone find the nirvana of self-actualisation?
Real Changes
My physiology has changed, which sounds like an odd thing to say. For many years, I have tracked my health closely, including taking blood tests. My cortisol level used to be dangerously high, and it’s now dropped into the lower part of the normal range. It’s a clear indicator that my stress has plummeted.
The other area of change is sleep. Even as a child, I had severe sleep issues and remember being treated for insomnia by the local doctor. He told me very seriously that if I took the whole barbiturate tablet, I would go to sleep forever. Sleep was always an issue throughout my early adulthood and growing up. But now I’m sleeping seven hours a night, and very often eight hours. If that doesn’t sound a lot, I can tell you that for me, it’s the somnolent version of Bob Beamon’s long jump.
Despite my recent bad luck with cycling injuries, I’m in good physical condition. The virtuous interplay of a settled mind, regular exercise, and the ability to recover while sleeping is a blessing. Transitions from full-time work include physiological changes, and I have enjoyed the positive changes.
My mental acuity doesn’t appear to be an issue, as I can tell by the thorough reading I put into any article on dementia and my crystal-clear clear recall of said articles.
This is all good news. But looking after myself and supporting a couple of small growth companies doesn’t take me 70 hours, that is for sure. That’s a good thing, right? Except in my case, this meant the mirror is thrust in front of me more often.
Searching For A New Me
A year into the major life change, it’s become apparent that if I’m not careful, I will simply live a diluted version of my old life. Taking on more advisory work, because it’s a comfort zone. And letting this patchwork of roles dominate my diary, giving me the perfect excuse to have no quality time to explore me, new opportunities, and the possibility that there’s a different way to live.
It’s taken a year for me to understand this. I read that many people at the end of their working lives are struck with worries about being irrelevant, and this is something that’s bothered me. It’s one of the reasons why I have continued to work. If I don’t work, who am I, and who will remember me? The reality is that once you have walked out of work for the last time, any memory of you disappears like a footprint in the wet sand. I’ve come to terms with the subject of relevance.
The case is made in my head that living a diluted version of my former professional self blocks me from getting on and exploring the rest of my life. Transitions from full-time work must be thoroughly examined; it’s an easy trap to end up with a diluted, shrunken version of a former being.
Now What?
I’m a fortunate man. I’m healthy and have a loving wife and some great friends and I don’t have any financial concerns. I understand I’m in a position that many would envy. My mental health has improved, although it needs daily work, in the same way my physical health needs daily work. I’m well-set in many respects to address the transitions from full-time work.
Meaning in life is a nebulous concept. I thought my meaning in life was clear, but I haven’t tackled the subject at all. I’ve thrown up false idols and manufactured skewed arguments for paths I have taken. The path is cleared for me to explore who I am. Exciting and scary in equal measure.
It’s a journey, and perhaps one with no end. Yet, realising that I’m on a journey has immeasurably helped me. As has the realisation that the behaviours and norms built up over decades can be challenged. We all have the ability to enact real change in our lives, but without accepting that truth, many of us never enter into the change zone. I’ve entered it. Now what? [...]
September 11, 2024Keep It Simple And Focus On Four Areas
Staying in shape at 50 and beyond. I’m a 67-year-old weekend warrior athlete who spends time in the gym and working on my cardio through running. I’m in the top 15% of my age group in crucial metrics such as VO2 and heart rate variability. I was never a great athlete as a young man. But I know that consistently showing up and doing the work makes a big difference, hence my current condition.
Before you yawn and switch off, thinking, ‘Why do I need to know what this old guy does?’. Keep in mind that we all start to face the same fitness challenges from 40 years old and onwards. Stick with me for the next few minutes, and I’ll spotlight the key areas which make me a resilient outperformer. Staying in shape is possible at all ages. And it’s never too late to start.
Muscle Mass Is Key
I go to the gym three times a week for strength training, which is core to my conditioning. Without maintaining muscle mass, I’m more prone to injury while running. My overall body composition and metabolic rate suffer, too.
Strength training and muscle mass are vital considerations for all from the age of 35 onwards. Men start to lose 3–5% of their muscle per decade and will lose 30% of their total muscle in their lifetime. This muscle loss has significant effects on mortality and quality of life. The study linked here shows a significant difference in mortality in older people in the upper and lower quartiles of measured muscle mass.
Strength training can help combat obesity and improve bone density. Interestingly, solid evidence indicates that regular strength training can improve mental health; see this metastudy data.
The good news is that you can build muscle in your 70s and 80s. It’s never too late to start, and saying, “I’ve never lifted weights,” is a poor excuse to stay in the armchair. You will be more mobile, active, resilient, and less prone to debilitating falls and fractures. And your mental health will benefit.
Don’t Be Tentative
Don’t fall into the trap of being tentative, either. Take the obvious steps to prevent injury—for example, a warmup and observing good form during lifting. But feel free to train hard—a BMJ study here shows that high-intensity training is more productive for older athletes than moderate-intensity exercise.
I’m an experienced lifter. I focus on the big compound movements of deadlift, bench press, and heavy dumbbell rows. Squat features in my work, but I focus more on good form than lifting heavy. I don’t play around with single muscle group exercises. I go short, sharp, and intense.
We all need to pay attention to muscle mass from our 30s onwards. And if you haven’t lifted regularly, it’s never too late to start. Key to staying in shape at 50 is hitting the gym. Or when there is no gym, finding a way to do the work.
Throw Some Cardio In
I spent many years and tens of thousands of miles cycling. In my mid-60s, my VO2 was consistently in the top 10–15% for my age group. A couple of accidents stopped me cycling. I now lace up my running shoes, and that’s how I work my cardio now. You can cycle, run, row, step — whatever works for you. But doing at least two hours of cardio every week is essential.
VO2 significantly predicts a longer period of good health in your lifespan. I’m not going to tell you that lifting, running, or some esoteric supplement will make you live longer. I will continue to direct your attention to practices that underpin a better quality of life. This metastudy has many nested studies, and you can explore these. The summary is that a good VO2 will help you live a healthier life.
Even at an elite level, a wealth of evidence illustrates that you do not have to go all out in your cardio training. Indeed, this can be counterproductive as it will challenge your immune system and invite injury.
Use The 80/20 Rule
I train 80% to 85% of my time in zone two and spend some time each week pushing harder with a series of sprints or a good hillclimb. There is a wealth of information available on the 80/20 method. I would point out that Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar uses this method. And this YouTube video discusses the legendary marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge’s use.
Staying in shape at 50 needs a decent cardio element built into the routine. And some of the work needs to focus on moving VO2 in the right direction.
Keep Your Nutrition Simple
I worked at an elite level in the sports nutrition industry for a major part of my career. As a result, I have seen most of the leading and bleeding-edge technologies. However, I have also heard a lot of BS about nutrition and diet.
Let me be clear. There is no magic supplement that will transform your performance. Don’t buy into the hype or get taken in by overclaims about various products or technologies. For example, there has been massive noise in cycling regarding ketone esters. Use has become widespread in the professional ranks, but a healthy dose of FOMO underpins that. However, no one can produce a clear and consistent clinical trial data bank showing any performance advantage.
I have the same approach to a broader diet. What do the keto diet, paleo diet, intermittent fasting, low-carb diet, and plant-based diets have in common? They are all forms of calorie restriction, and in many of the examples given, they are tough to sustain.
For performance, be well hydrated and ensure sufficient glycogen from eating carbohydrates in your muscles when you start your workout. For long sessions of over one hour — for example, a long ride — ensure you ingest another 90 grams of carb per hour and keep your supplies topped up. I hate seeing someone tackling a long ride while carrying one banana in their back pocket. One banana provides enough carbs for 20 minutes for a decent-sized male athlete.
Double Down On Protein
My biggest breakthrough in recent years has been increasing my protein intake to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight, which is 200 grams of protein per day in my case. I used to find this difficult, but I worked towards a regime that delivers it consistently. This has made a real difference to my body composition and resilience; my injury frequency and immunity-related issues, such as colds and infections, are sharply down.
I ensure I have good-quality protein with every meal and use protein shakes and high-protein yoghurts to achieve my daily goal. On an intense training day, I will take protein within 20 minutes of completing my workout. Before bedtime, I will also take a high-quality protein shake — either a kefir-based protein yoghurt or casein-based shake to maximise overnight muscle repair.
In line with my suggestion that you lift weights consistently from 40 onwards, I would suggest the same approach to protein intake. Our bodies are less efficient at absorbing protein as we age, yet this study shows that extra protein can supercharge muscle mass increases as we get older. Stating in shape at 50 means ingesting more protein, it’s a simple and effective way to help achieve your goals.
The harder and more complex we make nutrition, the more challenging it is to see consistent results. As said, I’ve seen most things in this field and can tell you the most effective approach is to keep it simple. Be well hydrated and ensure you have enough glycogen to fuel your session. Consume 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. Eat a good, balanced diet and dump the ultra-processed foods. And stop searching for the magic supplement because it’s not out there.
Most Of All, Be Consistent
Consistency is king. I’ve learned that over the years. When I was younger, I fell into the trap of having enthusiastic bursts of exercise and then losing faith due to injury or illness. Truth be told, this has most often been due to being overenthusiastic.
My second excuse has been that life is too busy. Again, if you want to engineer your body to serve you well for your whole life, you can always find a way to fit the work in. When travelling on business, if the hotel has no gym, you can still run outside and do bodyweight strength exercises in your hotel room.
Work hard at fitting the routine into your life. It gets easier once you see the real-world benefits flow into your health. Positive habits reinforce more positive habits. I’m more disciplined now than I was at 50 because I see and feel the benefits of showing up and doing the work.
Four Focus Areas Will Win Out For You
As I said at the start, I’m a 67-year-old athlete. I was not a good athlete as a youth, but now I’m in the top quartile in my age group simply because I show up and get the work done. And I’m more robust, too, as proven by my coming back from two serious cycling accidents; my medical team in both instances was clear that this was due to my muscle mass and bone health.
The practices I observe will pay dividends when you are 40 or 75. So do not let my age be the weak justification for you discarding my lived experience and advice. Following a similar disciplined plan will pay you big dividends of 50.
My overall health regime is simple: three strength workouts a week, a decent couple of hours of cardio work each week, simple nutrition, ensuring my protein intake is consistently at my target, and most of all, turning up. Just show up and do the work; you will see multiple benefits, regardless of age. Staying in shape at 50 is achievable if you keep these simple elements in mind and work them into your lifestyle. [...]
September 1, 2024One Last Blog On Resilience
Do the work. That’s been the core mantra for me over the last couple of years. I am going to move my writing on after this post, into a broader look at physical and mental wellness, particularly in the context of older athletes. But it’s hard not to have spent some time on two life-threatening events, especially as the effects and recovery have roundly endorsed the benefits of getting fit, and staying fit at any age.
Double Comeback
The diagram on the left is my fitness ramp rate from my TrainingPeaks account. It shows the story of two comebacks. A serious cycling crash on 28 May 2023 saw me in ICU with 14 fractures and a haemothorax.
Then in a statistical freak, my second accident in 50 years on the bike on 19 April 2024, which saw me in the ICU in Girona, Spain. 12 fractures, a punctured artery, and a large concussion.
The graph in the bottom right shows my fitness climbing back from my 2023 accident. Then the 2024 accident, and where I am now fitness-wise
By the end of this month, I intend to be fitter than at any point in the last two years. By that, I mean fitter than the form I carried into my 2023 accident. I will achieve that, count on it. Do the work has been my internal script. Being consistent and doing the work, even on the days I didn’t feel like it.
Do The Work – Physical
I have got decent muscle mass for someone of my age. I was a skinny youth, and then an overweight and undermuscled middle-aged man. Over the last twenty years, the benefit of having good muscle mass has played out for me in the real world. The scientific support for the benefits of good muscle mass is overwhelming now, here is just one article.
We all start to shed muscle mass once we pass the age of 35. It can become a life-threatening issue as we age. Look at the statistics on the increased risk of death after a fall in people 65 and older. And don’t switch off when you hear ’65’. Modern medicine and improved living conditions and nutrition is seeing us live until our late eighties and beyond. There are 12 million people – or 18% of the UK population – aged 65 and over. By 2050 this will have grown to 25-28%
One day you will be part of the older group. The work you do now will ensure you enjoy your whole life in much better health.
There Is No Silver Bullet
There is no special workout, as an aside. The key is to get to the gym, or even do bodyweight exercises at home, two or three times a week. I’ve been doing strength work three times a week for the last three years or more. The workouts aren’t long grinds. I can do an effective workout in under 30 minutes, and I very rarely train for more than 45 minutes. This includes a small amount of mobility and flexibility work at the end.
I like to explore other ways to maintain muscle too, to inject variety into things. Recently I have put weighted vest hill walks into my regime. I do longer walks with a weight plate thrown into my backpack. Get creative. As long as you are overloading the body in a meaningful way, it’s productive. Just do the work and do it regularly.
Do The Work – Mentally
It would have been all too easy for me to capitulate when faced with my first accident. Even more so after my second accident. I remember flashes of me saying and thinking ‘I can’t do this again’. I know people who are defined by their challenges and their lives become a bitter spiral of decline. Sadly I saw that in some of my family members too, and it affected me.
I am not in any way some spiritual ‘woo-woo’ type. But, I have become aware that my life is very blessed in terms of my family, friends, economic circumstances. And I look at people who live with struggle and adversity and that knocks my head back into shape. For all too many people, life is a daily struggle of mental, economic, social, or physical adversity. If you’re feeling sorry for yourself, remember that millions are much worse off. Count your blessings.
I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression most of my life. But as with physical robustness, with the right mindset it’s possible to navigate the path. Sure, my down days come along, but in general, I stay ahead of things. I have good professional help. I do my work with small but important practices such as journaling, reading texts on the subject, and meditation. There are people I don’t want in my life, as they drain my spirit. Some people lift me and some people drain me. I have acted to remove the latter more as the years have gone by.
Remain Open To Learning
I continue to explore new avenues to gain insight to my inner being. In August I attended my first men’s group, for example, and spent 2.5 hours listening to other men. I related my feelings to them as well. I was surprised and then not surprised that other men deal with exactly the issues I deal with. It gave me more to reflect on, it gave me new tools to underpin my mental health.
My mental strength is a key component in the steep increases in fitness you see in the 365-day graph. Strong mental health leads to good physical health, and that positive cycle reinforces. Do the work on your mental health too – it underpins one’s overall wellbeing.
Do The Work – Be Resilient
There is no doubt that I am resilient. In the past, I would have said stubborn, but over the last five to six years I would say resilient. I have faced many mental health challenges and am still standing. The key has been ensuring that I have addressed my health on many fronts. I have always sought to try new tools. Central to my push has been the knowledge that if I gave up, I would have imploded.
Physical fitness, whether on the bike – now replaced by running – or in the gym has been key too. I feel energetic when I’m in good shape. And unquestionably my recovery from two life-threatening accidents happened because of my physical robustness. Several well-qualified medical professionals have been adamant on this point.
I am calling time on writing about my two accidents. They don’t and won’t define me. They have been useful to write on wellness and health to illustrate the real-world benefits of doing the work. Do the work. [...]
August 28, 2024Positive Mindset
My positive mindset powered me to deadlift my body weight for three sets of eight yesterday. So what? It was a significant milestone for me only four months after a serious cycling accident. I was knocked unconscious, and while there was no lasting brain damage, the related vertigo has only just cleared. And I broke my collarbone, scapula, eight ribs, and my hand — 12 fractures in total. The collarbone required a titanium plate and eight screws, given the magnitude of the break.
Even while I was in the ICU in Spain, I began to think of my recovery. Too soon? Not at all. I believe envisioning recovery and returning to regular service is a significant motivator. I am unfortunate enough to have been in this situation previously, and a key to my recovery then was to say, “I will ride a bike again in two months.” And that’s precisely what I did.
This recovery was slowed a little by a pause in the action for surgery, and the vertigo curtailed my running. Yet, while I had my accident on 19 April and didn’t return home until 26 April, I started running regularly from 31 May.
Three sets of eight reps of 100kg deadlift was a big day for me.
I must add that this is not me claiming to be the poor man’s David Goggins. Neither is it me ignoring medical advice or simply being pigheaded. I believe that the mind is a powerful thing, and it can encourage the body to recover quicker and work harder. Conversely, I think that letting apathy or negativity into the mindset can lead to a downward spiral that affects mental health and, in turn, physical health.
I have put three reference links at the foot of this article, and they approach the power of the mind in healing and good health from different angles. My reference point was a critical care nurse, Christian, who said, “Your recovery is remarkable. At your age, even one of your injuries can be life-changing. But your fitness and positive mindset have made a huge difference.”
Fitness and mindset. I carried the first into my accident. The second was not a given; there were a couple of flickers in my mind when I knew I was at a fork in the road: Take the left fork and give in, or take the right fork and make progress. That was an almost subconscious flicker of a millisecond. But on reflection, I realised that my deeper consciousness kicked in with a weapons-grade dose of self-preservation.
From that point, it was a case of doing the work—just keep showing up and doing the work. Some days, it was a modest amount, but the job was done. At times, it was painful, in the way only broken ribs can be, but the work was done.
Again, I stress this is not me trying to be a tough guy. But my mind was signalling to the body and receiving a positive response, and the reward was progress. I could not afford the mind to stop signalling, as my survival cycle would unravel quickly. Then, a deadly combination of depression and physical pain could ease into the driver’s seat.
What’s my point? In times of duress, a positive mindset is often the difference between recovery and a downward spiral. This applies to physical and mental health. First, be positive.
Secondly, be consistent. Mindset and consistency worked for me; the data suggest objective evidence that this is a winning combination.
Be positive and consistent, build resilience, and see results. It’s more complicated than reading the words on the page, but it’s a recipe for success. The alternative is not something I want to contemplate. Show up mentally and physically and do the work.
References:
Association For Applied Sports Psychology — Using The Mind To Heal The Body — https://appliedsportpsych.org/resources/injury-rehabilitation/using-the-mind-to-heal-the-body-imagery-for-injury-rehabilitation/
Johns Hopkins — The Power Of Positive Thinking –https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-power-of-positive-thinking
Psychology Today — Can Positive Thinking Help You Heal? — https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/owning-pink/201112/can-positive-thinking-help-you-heal [...]
August 26, 2024The Last Glass
I was travelling back from Sardinia and had a mediocre red wine at the airport. I put the glass down and thought, “That’s it, I’m done.” Since then, it’s been six years, no alcohol. At the time, I didn’t tell anyone. There was no big lead into the day; I stopped in the moment.
I haven’t wanted a drink since. I can smell my wife’s glass of red wine and give her an amateur opinion on whether it’s good. But without any need to taste it.
Was I an alcoholic? Was that why I stopped? My father was a chronic alcoholic, and that had a massive effect on my childhood and youth. Other members of the broader family have also wrestled with the impact of booze. The equal and opposite occurred for some of my family, and they have shied away from drinking.
Consuming A Depressant
I drank a lot for many years and was undoubtedly alcohol-dependent for periods of my life. I realise that the effect of drinking blunted the edges of my chronic anxiety and social awkwardness. The beer buzz was a decent shield for me. The drift into being drunk was a great hidey-hole from my reality.
What didn’t click with me for a long time was the fact that alcohol is a depressant. And I have been depressed for long periods of my life. It is a destructive circle of being depressed, drinking and feeling some relief for a short period but waking up feeling even worse. Finding myself in this loop for longer than I would like to consider shows the grip that addictive substances can exert.
Early Disappointments
Six years, no alcohol served me some early disappointments. I expected weight to drop off me, but it didn’t. I guess the body adjusts and finds calories from other sources. My ice cream habit goes almost as hard as my drinking habit. But the only downside is the calories. A second downer was having to explain in a slightly embarrassed fashion why I wasn’t drinking any longer. I’m not sure how that goes in other cultures, but in Britain, it’s easy to feel the weight of judgement when quietly stating you don’t want a beer.
Six years and no alcohol didn’t see off my battles with anxiety and depression either. Indeed, some of the worst periods of my mental illness – it still feels tough to write ‘mental illness’ – happened after I gave up drinking. Yet I know I did the right thing by stopping. I have had therapy, I see a psychiatrist, I am on medication, I meditate and journal, and I keep fit. And I don’t drink. All of those together have more than likely kept me together.
The Data Says Don’t Do It
Medical data has come out increasingly against the consumption of alcohol, too. The daily newspapers love to trumpet how moderate daily consumption of alcohol is not harmful and, indeed, can be beneficial. Yet data suggests that zero alcohol is the safest approach. Any amount of alcohol increases the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, and poor brain health.
This isn’t me being a smug bugger by the way. Instead, I make a deal with myself to show I’m not on an entirely fruitless path. I don’t miss the foggy feeling of too much red wine and beer. I do feel that my mental health would have been worse had I continued. Adding another positive score to my card in terms of reducing the risk of cancer as a freebie does help. Not that I’m competitive or anything.
Six Years, No Alcohol – What Now?
I chose my path and saw no benefit to going back. I’m not falling for the “Go on, one drink won’t do you any harm” argument as the science says it can harm. I’m more interested in pursuing my broad efforts to keep my mental health on an upward trajectory.
This is not meant to come off as a self-congratulatory blog post. I don’t feel a sense of achievement or pride. Instead I feel that stopping with the booze was an act of self-preservation. I can pull out a tedious number of studies to illustrate why zero alcohol is a good move. The day I said, “No more” was absent any drama or sounding of trumpets, it was an important day for my health. Even then, I encountered some significant setbacks, but it could have been much worse had I continued.
Six years, no alcohol will be twelve years, no alcohol in due course, that I am sure of. [...]