Here’s a common exercise question, followed by a helpful explanation. “Why do you sometimes have us twist our bodies while we’re also moving forward? Or lift our arms in front while lunging to the side?” You see, fitness isn’t just about doing one thing at a time, like lifting a weight now and then running ahead in a straight line later. It’s about understanding how your body moves to improve and protect it. So, rather than think about moving just one way at a time, pay attention to how you actually move. Sometimes straight ahead, sometimes side to side… sometimes twisting, looking back… and u ..read more

Tony, a lifelong tennis player, is in his mid-50s now. When he started noticing his game wasn’t as sharp as it used to be, he thought gym workouts might help restore his power and relieve some pain. But the trainer he used ignored Tony’s personal needs and past injuries, even when Tony said he didn’t like certain exercises. “He just kept saying ‘Do it more’ and ‘Try harder,’” Tony says. “I quit going. I just didn’t see the point.” Too bad Tony lives far away. If he worked out with me, I would help him modify workouts to fit his specific requirements and limitations. I’m able to do that bec ..read more

Peter likes to run the trails in his neighborhood and work out on equipment in the park. Maria is crazy about hiking with her weighted backpack. And Joe rides his bike as often as possible, even to the grocery store and his favorite watering hole. These are just three of the responses received recently when asking people what kinds of activities they enjoy outside of the gym. I believe working out is important and can improve your life in countless ways. One of them is being able to get outside and enjoy yourself more, with the confidence that comes from the strength, agility, and endurance I ..read more

DonnaJean Wilde, a 58-year-old retired educator, made headlines recently when she set a world record for abdominal planking by a woman. She received official recognition from the Guinness World Record folks for holding a plank for 4 hours, 30 minutes and 11 seconds in Magrath, a town in Alberta, Canada. That was 10 minutes longer than the previous record, set in 2019, Guinness says on its website. “The challenger’s forearms and toes must touch the ground at all times,” Guinness explains. “The remainder of the body must be lifted off the ground and be kept straight throughout.” Wilde says she h ..read more

Here’s a “hot take” on a common bit of advice that tells us to “Never look back – you’re not going that way.” Yeah, sure. But here’s the deal. If you don’t look back sometimes, then how can you review where you’ve been – and feel great about how far you’ve come? If you’re always looking ahead to a goal off on the horizon, then you’re always going to be unsatisfied – because that goal, and the horizon, will constantly move farther away from your grasp. It flies in the face of so much of our “goal-driven” culture, but it makes sense to focus on our gains instead of the gap between where we are a ..read more

Do you want to live to be 100? More people are reaching that mark nowadays than ever before, and the trend will skyrocket in the coming decades.  The topic of longevity is having a moment, darn near approaching a cultural obsession. What can we do to live NOT JUST LONGER but also BETTER. What role does exercise play in all of this? Here’s just one example. Toni Stahl, at left in the photo above, lived an amazing life. As a young Navy wife, she was at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. She survived cancer. She farmed, enjoyed waterskiing, and worked into her 90s part-time at a hospital. She ..read more

You already know that exercise is good for your body. You might also know that it helps your brain, as well.   But now, new research in the journal JAMA Neurology shows that living a healthy lifestyle protects the brain from cognitive decline even if it already shows signs of Alzheimer’s hallmarks or other brain pathologies that can occur long before dementia.   Scientists said the study is “an important step” in understanding how people can change their lifestyle habits to lower their chances of getting Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia.  In the research, they examined the ..read more

It’s the time of year when everyone wants to build new habits, and “getting in shape” is always one of the most popular New Year resolutions. I love it, of course, and welcome everyone who’s starting this month – and all the returning friends who are back for more strength, endurance, and agility. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of people build healthy habits that last long after the holiday thrill fades. How’d they do it? Here are some common success factors for you to keep in mind. Set SMART goals SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. So, apply thi ..read more

You’ve heard of low-carb diets and low-fat diets. But you’ve probably never heard of anyone telling you to avoid eating protein – especially after age 50 or so, when we need to double our efforts to get enough of it. You need protein to grow and maintain muscle mass, which we naturally lose as we mature, causing frailty, falls, and more problems. Most of us get protein from meat, eggs and dairy; vegetarians find plenty in beans, nuts, certain vegetables, soy and more. Consider these key points. When we exercise, our muscle cells break down and need repair. (This is all a good thing!) That’s ..read more

It’s easy to think of aging as a steady decline. But fitness proves it doesn’t have to be that simple and dreadful. If you exercise regularly, you’re more likely to maintain physical abilities. Period. So think of it as a sliding scale – with physical dependence at one end and being an elite athlete on the other. Nobody wants to be physically dependent, of course. And while most of us don’t aspire to be an elite athlete, everybody wants something in the broad middle there. We want to be fit so we can stay independent and avoid becoming frail for as long as possible. So let’s consider the fitne ..read more