High performance athletes are always looking for an edge that can help them beat their competition. They try better training techniques, better diets, better supplements, better sleep habits, and some have even resorted to illegal and dangerous drugs. All in an attempt to run faster, jump higher, or be stronger than their competitor.
How to Set Up a Home Gym: A Look at Our Garage Gym
Here’s a peek into our garage gym and how you can set one up in your home so you can workout when and how you want. Barbara and I are always encouraging our readers to get into strength training. We’ve been doing it for over seven years, and it’s something everyone over the age of…
65 Years Old And Getting Stronger: How We’re Doing It!
We’re 65 and getting stronger. Here’s how we’re doing it with strength training, diet, and rest, and some of the strength gains we’ve made. Well, praise the Lord. I’ve reached 65 years old. There are some good perks with being 65. I get some cool senior discounts. Our market gives a 5% discount on groceries…
If You’re Over 40 You’re Probably Losing Strength. You Must Deal With It Now!
Are you gaining or losing strength? Evidence suggests that we will begin losing muscle mass and strength after the age of 40. Losing too much muscle and strength increases your odds of mortality and the susceptibility to the diseases of aging. Here’s how to get stronger and build better muscle mass. I recently came upon…
Get A Good Grip: How Your Hand Grip Strength Predicts Longevity
Hand grip strength is a major factor in predicting longevity and resilience to chronic disease. Let’s look at how to determine how strong you are and improve your chances of living longer. Do you know how physically strong you are? Really, it’s a serious question. For your age and gender, what kind of strength do…
Why At 64 I Prioritize Strength Training Over Aerobic Training
Maybe you’ve visited your MD recently for your annual physical. She points out to you that the “couch potato” lifestyle you adhere to is not the best medicine for aging well. So she suggests that maybe you should consider doing some exercise. Or maybe you’re reaching middle age and realize you’re…
How We’re Staying Healthy At 64: Barbara and John’s Diet And Exercise Strategy
As Beatles lovers, Barbara and I have sometimes laughed about what it would be like when we turned sixty-four. If you’re a Beatles fan, you know why. Their song When I’m Sixty-Four is a story about a young man wondering if the love of his life will still cherish him when he’s sixty-four. The man…
Alzheimer’s Disease Is Surging Among Millennials – What’s Going On?
Many of you in the baby boomer generation have already experienced this terrible scenario: A few years back, you noticed your aged mom or dad starting to forget things. Then it started to get worse. And then before you knew it, they were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
How To Make Dieting Successful: Strategies For Keeping Off The Weight You Lost
Losing weight is probably one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. This is attested to by the spike in gym memberships seen every January. While some people successfully follow through on their pledge to lose the extra pounds, most of us seem to…
Our Strategies For Getting Healthier And Stronger at 63
Barbara and I are quickly approaching our 63rd birthdays. November for me and December for her. And now, even though we are kind of “senior citizens”, we are healthier, stronger, more agile, and trimmer than we’ve been since our thirties. To be honest, I feel the best I have since I was 32 years old….
Are You Getting Enough Dietary Protein To Maintain Healthy Muscle Quality?
* This post is a little long because I couldn’t think of what to leave out. Everything seemed important. Hopefully, when you’ve finished reading you’ll understand the critical importance of adequate protein consumption for good health and aging well.
April Favorites For Fitness And Wellness Enthusiasts
Hey friends, Here’s April’s treasure box of health and wellness resources Barbara and I have put together for you. It’s filled with several books we’ve recently read that offer excellent health and exercise advice. And we’re also sharing several products that we use often and have found very helpful in our wellness…
Can Starting An Exercise Program In Your 50s Help You Live Longer?
Okay, so you’ve reached middle age. You enjoy your time reclining comfortably on your couch after a hard day’s work. Perhaps tonight you’re watching a show on TV featuring trim athletic people scampering around, and you suddenly let out a sigh.
Your Attitude Toward Aging Might Affect Your Odds Of Developing Alzheimer’s Disease
How do you feel about aging? The answer to that question really depends on who it’s being asked of, right? If you’re under 40, this question probably seldom enters your mind. Like relationships, raising kids, and paying bills. However, for those of you over 40…
March Favorites For Fitness And Wellness Enthusiasts
Barbara and I have decided to put together a monthly treasure box of health and wellness resources for you. We’re filling it with several books we’ve recently read that offer excellent advice. And we’ve also listed some wellness associated products that we use often and have found to be reliable.
Why We Bought a Sleep EZ 100% Natural Latex Mattress [Review]
I promised myself that I would wait 6 months before I wrote this post. Now that it’s been 6 months since my family’s been sleeping on our Sleep EZ mattresses, I’m ready to give you the low-down on what we think about them and how we came to the decision to buy an organic…
How To Start Strength Training Over 40
I recently received a call from my sister asking me for some suggestions on what kind of weight bench she should buy. Being the inquisitive fellow that I am, I asked, “What in the world do you want a weight bench for?””Really, don’t know what a weight bench is used for?” she answered. Touché.
Why People Over 40 Need Strength Training
Everyone wants to find a fountain of youth. But it’s only a myth, right? However, what if I told you there is something you can do that’s scientifically proven to help you live a longer, healthier life? And, it’s safe, effective, efficient, inexpensive, and only takes about 30 – 40 minutes three times a week.
My Cholesterol Levels Part 2: Examining My Need For Statins
In my last post, I examined the efficacy and safety of statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs that tens of millions of Americans are currently taking. I decided to write that post after I’d visited my doctor and refused a statin prescription. After reviewing my lipid panel, my doctor said I needed statins
My Cholesterol Levels Part 1: Why I Rejected Statins
This post originally appeared on John’s website, The Progressing Pilgrim, in October 2017. He has since been on a ketogenic diet for over a year. Read our story here. His weight has stabilized at 160 pounds and his waist is 32 inches. At 62 years old, he can still pull a 300-pound deadlift. I’ve now…
10 Ways I Protect My Back So I Can Barbell Train At 61 Years Old
Recently, I was speaking with my bank officer, Angelo, and noticed that he had a muscular build that suggested that he lifted weights. I asked if he did, and he replied that he had indeed lifted a lot in college. But then he let out a sigh and said, “Now that I have…
The 10 Most Important Strategies I Used To Beat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Part 2
I’m writing this post from my new home office in Raleigh, North Carolina. My family and I are almost finished moving in, and so far we’re absolutely loving Raleigh. The new home we’re renting is magnificent, the area…
The 10 Most Important Strategies I Used To Beat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Part 1
I did it! I beat CFS! After suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) for 28 years, I believe I’m finally healed. I know, I should be a little cautious about saying that because when a person with CFS…
One Scientifically Proven Way To Reverse The Aging Process
I remember when I was 15 years old thinking to myself, “If I live to be 65 years old, that means I’ll be around for 50 more years. Wow, that’s a long time!” When you were 15, 50 years seemed like forever, didn’t it? We’ve all had these kinds of thoughts when we were young….
Could Your Dish Towels Make You Sick?
If you’re a regular visitor to our site, you’re probably someone who wants your diet to be dominated by healthy, clean food. You want to eat food to be nutrient dense and free from plant toxins (gluten, lectins, etc.), free from poisonous chemicals (glyphosate), and free from nasty bacteria. Sometimes, though, our efforts can be…
How To Use The MyFitnessPal App On Your Mobile Device
In a previous post, I showed you how to use the MyFitnessPal app to calculate your daily food consumption for a ketogenic diet. For Barbara and me, this app has been absolutely essential to our keto diet success story. However, shortly after publishing that post, I realized that most of our friends…
Our Keto Journey Part 5: Important Tweaks We Made For Keto Success
You’re now familiar with what a keto diet is and how ketosis affects your body. You’ve established why you want to go keto (e.g.. weight loss, help in treating a specific health condition, or enhanced physical performance). And you’ve solved the mystery of macro calculation. So now…
Our Keto Journey Part 4: How We Calculate Our Keto Diet Macros
In this fourth post in our series Our Ketogenic Diet Journey, I’ll give you a behind the curtains peek at how Barbara and I configured our ketogenic diet. The keto diet with its amazing health benefits is finally becoming mainstream. More and more people are turning to the diet as an effective…
Our Keto Journey Part 3: Defeating A Skinny Fat Body And Healing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
This is part 3 of our series Our Keto Journey. In John’s case, he wasn’t overweight, but he did have a metabolically dangerous fat issue that required he go keto. Surprisingly, there may be up to 30 million people in the United States with this same problem, but …
Our Keto Journey Part 1: The Keto Diet Is Hot! Here’s Why
Barbara and I have been on a ketogenic diet for about six months, and we are absolutely amazed at the results. I’ve lost inches. She’s lost inches. And we’re both full of energy. To tell you the truth, the diet wasn’t even that difficult to configure or stay on. From our perspective, it wasn’t restrictive…
How to Recompose Your Dad Bod in Less Than a Year (Even if You’re in Your Fifties)
This article covers body recomposition and the benefits of strength training and the ketogenic way of eating. Okay, guys. You’ve put your kids through school. Your mortgage is almost paid. Your job… well, we won’t dwell on that. It could always be better, right? You’ve come to that place in life where you can finally…
Want To Live Longer? Then Keep Your Spouse As Healthy As You Are
Do you want to live longer? Okay, that’s a stupid question. Of course, you do. Here’s an excellent way to help that happen. Make sure your spouse is as healthy and fit as you are. Now, you might ask, “If I’m already healthy and fit, how will a fit and healthy spouse help…
Will My Friend Jerry Ever Beat Diabetes And Obesity? Part 2: Winning The Battle
A few weeks back, I wrote about my friend Jerry’s (name changed) ongoing battle with heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. See part 1 here. He’s been out of the hospital for about six weeks. I spoke to him today, and he says he’s lost about 30 pounds, his blood glucose is under control,…
Will My Friend Jerry Ever Beat Diabetes And Obesity? Part 1
Recently, I went to the hospital to visit my friend Jerry (name changed). He was recovering from heart failure. He’s also obese, a type 2 diabetic taking insulin and a slew of other meds for various conditions. As I entered his room, he was in the middle of eating his lunch. I was shocked at what his medical team thought was a healthy meal…
Saturated Fats Won’t Kill You: The Important New PURE Study
Barbara and I have been following a gluten-free, low-carb, healthy-fat way of eating (LCHF) for about 8 months. And we’ve had outstanding results. Both of us have lost over 15 pounds and, importantly, we’ve kept it off. Some of that weight was water but most of it was that fatty baggage that everyone hates so…
Don’t Be Fooled Again: The FDA Allows Soybean Oil To Be Marketed As Heart Healthy
The government just can’t seem to stop telling us what foods are good for us and which are bad. They did it again last week. The FDA gave their approval for companies to market soybean oil as a heart healthy ingredient. This doesn’t just mean that soybean oil can be marketed as heart healthy.
My Quickest Recovery From Back Spasms: Did A Strong Back Help?
I was able to recover from back spasms quickly due to the strength training I had done over the years; building muscle and strengthening my bones. Two Saturdays ago, I was bending down to put something into my freezer when a severe pain shot through my lower back. In the words of Forrest Gump, it…
The American Heart Association Says Coconut Oil Is Going To Kill You. Why They’re Wrong!
Doesn’t it seem that nearly every time we’re told by dietary experts that something is really healthy for us, eventually we find out that it’s really not? Or something we thought was harmful actually turns out to be quite healthy? Back in the early 80s, I was working at a hospital where several staff members…
How We’re Getting Lean And Mean With A Low-Carb Healthy-Fat Diet
Did you ever get a really nice compliment that made you feel really good because it validated all the hard work you’d put into a project? Compliments like those don’t come around all that often, but when they do, you’re left with a smile that seems to last all day. Barbara got one of those…
New Study Finds You Can Lose 11% Body Fat And Get Healthier In Only 8 Weeks On A Low-Carb Egg Based Diet
A recent study from the University of Alabama found that you can lose 11% body fat and become healthier in only 8 weeks on a low-carb, egg based diet. And you don’t have to count calories. I know it sounds like some sensational…