Bernie Borges [00:00:01]:
Alright. Here we go. A little solo on my mind episode. Here we go in 3, 2, 1. Hey there. This is Bernie Borges, host of the Midlife Fulfill podcast. And, hey, I hope this episode finds you well. I mean that.
Bernie Borges [00:00:16]:
Your wellness is on my mind. In fact, my my wellness is on my mind, and that’s why this is an On My Mind episode. Now the 2 previous episodes, episodes 193 and 194, featured coach Alan Meisner reviewing the health and fitness motivation workbook. And I hope that you’ve invested the time to listen to or maybe watch both of those episodes on video. Now, if you have not yet downloaded the health and fitness motivation workbook that coach Allen and I covered on episodes 193 and 194, hop over to the show notes page now. Just either scroll down or swipe over depending on what you’re listening or watching on, and you’ll find the link to download this free workbook. Now, in those 2 episodes, we did not explain how to get fit by suggesting some specific workout routine. You can find endless videos on YouTube or maybe even fitness influencers on Instagram for those kinds of suggestions.
Bernie Borges [00:01:19]:
And we didn’t tell you how to eat. Although, Alan and I both shared some aspects of our diet discipline, But we didn’t suggest that you should eat the way that we eat. Instead, Alan presented his proven method to find motivation so that you can become a person of habit for sustained health lifestyle that makes you fit for task. Now that’s Alan’s phrase, and I have totally embraced this phrase, fit for task. It means that for those of us over 40, we’re not gonna compete in the Olympics. No. No. We’re not competing in the Olympics.
Bernie Borges [00:02:01]:
Our fitness needs to enable us to do the things that we need to do, some task in the moment of everyday life. Now, Alan told the story of his grandfather who loved to play golf, but he had to stop playing golf in his eighties because he didn’t do the fitness training in his earlier years to set him up to continue to play golf into his eighties. And I previously told the story of when I helped my son move not quite a year ago. We spent an entire day from about 9 in the morning to about 5 in the afternoon loading and unloading a truck with household belongings and all kinds of stuff. All day long, we were up and downstairs. We were picking up boxes, lawn equipment. I mean, you name it. And we were just getting in and out of the truck all day on that moving day.
Bernie Borges [00:02:53]:
And on that day, I didn’t do any less work than my 28 year old son. I didn’t take any breaks other than, of course, the 30 minute lunch break that we took together. I didn’t struggle. I didn’t get short of breath. In short, I performed that day. Now, I use the word perform very intentionally. On that day, my task was to help my son move, and I fulfilled that task. I was fit for task that day because of my decades long commitment to a fitness routine.
Bernie Borges [00:03:30]:
And by the way, Alan doesn’t call it exercise or even working out. He calls it training. Now health that thought because I’m gonna come back to that. 1st, I have another story that I wanna share with you. Recently, a dead tree fell onto my property in the back area of my home. Now, the remaining tree trunk was about 12 feet long, and it needed to be removed and disposed of. Now, the appearance of this dead tree trunk was very deceiving because it looked like it would be light, but it wasn’t as light as I thought it would be. It was heavier than I thought it would be.
Bernie Borges [00:04:10]:
Now I was alone, and I wondered if I might risk injury if I attempted to pick it up to relocate it for proper disposal. I thought about it, and I decided to go for it. Now, I managed to pick up one end of the dead tree trunk about 2 and a half, maybe 3 feet off the ground. And my plan was to maneuver it to the left and drag it along the grass to another location about 30 feet from the spot where it health, and that’s where I could dispose of it. And then it happened. I lost my grip and my balance at the same time. In a split second, I prioritized letting the tree trunk fall to the ground beneath me, and at the same time, gravity was pulling me toward a face plant on the ground with the tree trunk underneath me. Now in that split second, I managed to extend my arms in front of me, palms down, and land on my 2 hands in a push up position.
Bernie Borges [00:05:15]:
And importantly, I cushioned my fall without any injury. Boy, it could have been a lot worse. If I didn’t land in that push up position, I might have not only done a face plant, but my abdomen area would have landed on the tree trunk, and I might have been punctured by some of the protruding wood from that tree trunk. Now this happened about 6 PM in late July, so there was plenty of daylight. But here’s the thing, I was alone. So there’s no video or photo evidence of this story, but it really, really happened. And I did manage to take a photo of the dead tree trunk, and I’m sharing that in my weekly newsletter on August 8th 2024, in case you’re listening to this some sometime past this date. And by the way, you can subscribe in the show notes if you’re not subscribed to get my weekly newsletter.
Bernie Borges [00:06:10]:
Anyway, to finish this story, after I saved myself from a face plant, I got up thinking about what might have been. And immediately, I kept going on with my mission to dispose of this tree. I picked up the end of the tree trunk again, and slowly and with considerable considerable physical exertion, I dragged it about 30 feet to the spot where I could dispose of it. Incidentally, I was wearing gloves to protect my hands from scrapes and cuts. Anyway, when this incident happened, I also thought about coach Allen because I was fit for this task. If I was not fit for this task, the outcome might have been an injury, and who knows how bad it might have been. Again, I was fit for this task. And this brings me back to coach Allen’s preference for referring to exercise or working out as training.
Bernie Borges [00:07:11]:
Friend, we are in training to handle the things that we need to handle as we age, And this is exactly what Alan and I covered on episodes 193 and 194. On episode 194, Alan says the following, and I quote, nothing good happens in our comfort zone. Now, Alan is referring to the fact that training to be fit for task is not easy, and your goal should be to reach a state where your training is habit, where no one needs to tell you to do it because it is who you have become. This is where I am. This is where Alan is. And this is where you wanna be as well, my friend. Now I have this conversation with people often, and I’m referring to this topic of health and fitness. So I came prepared in this episode to share some medical facts about the importance of fitness over 40 just in case you need some more motivation.
Bernie Borges [00:08:18]:
So these are facts that now you can just as easily research these facts yourself online, but I’m gonna save you the trouble. So the following are 8 facts that you should know about the importance of fitness over 40. Number 1, muscle mass preservation. As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass and strength. This is a process called sarcopenia. Now the Cleveland Clinic defines sarcopenia this way. Saropenia is the age related progressive loss of muscle mass and strength. The main symptom of the condition is muscle weakness.
Bernie Borges [00:09:02]:
Saropenia is a type of muscle atrophy primarily caused by the natural aging process. Scientists believe being physically inactive and eating an unhealthy diet can contribute to sarcopenia. Now Alan mentioned sarcopenia in episode 193. If you listen, you might remember that I chimed in complaining about this reality because I have experienced sarcopenia in my own strength training. However, regular exercise, particularly strength training, can help maintain and even increase muscle mass. Okay. Number 2. Bone density maintenance.
Bernie Borges [00:09:44]:
Alan spoke about the importance of bone density maintenance. We lose bone density as we age. It’s just a fact. Weight bearing exercises and resistance training can help maintain bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Harvard Medical School says this, numerous studies have shown that weight bearing exercise can help to slow bone loss, and several show that it can even build bone. Activities that push that put stress on bones stimulate extra deposits of calcium and nudge bone forming cells into action. The tugging and pushing on bone that occurred during strength and power training provide the stress. The result is stronger, denser bones.
Bernie Borges [00:10:37]:
Love that. Okay. Number 3. And I think we all know this, cardiovascular health. Johns Hopkins Medicine says this about the relationship between exercise and cardiovascular health. A regular exercise routine can help lower blood pressure, lessen risk of developing diabetes, maintain healthy body weight, and reduce inflammation throughout the body. Medical experts say that one of the key benefits of experts medical experts say that one of the key benefits of exercise is that it helps to control or modify many of the risk factors for heart disease. Friend, the bottom line is that regular aerobic exercise can improve heart health, lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Bernie Borges [00:11:36]:
Number 4, metabolic health and weight management. Exercise can help regulate metabolism, improve insulin sensitivity, and assist in maintaining a healthy weight. The Harvard School of Public Health says this, physical activity increases people’s total energy expenditure, which can help them stay in energy balance or even lose weight as long as they don’t eat more to compensate for the extra calories they burn. Physical activity decreases fat around the waist and total body fat slowing the development of abdominal obesity. Weight lifting, push ups, and other muscle strengthening activities build muscle mass, increasing the energy that the body burns throughout the day even when it’s at rest and making it easier to control weight. Physical activity reduces depression and anxiety, and this mood boost may motivate people to stick with their exercise regimens over time. Amen to that. And you know, on a side note, I often wonder why some health care professionals, not all, but why some health care professionals don’t follow this advice based on how many of them that I have met that are overweight.
Bernie Borges [00:12:59]:
But, hey. I digress. Back to the list. We’re halfway through. Here’s number 5. Cognitive function. This is one of my favorite benefits of regular exercise. Physical activity improves cognitive function and may reduce the risk of age related cognitive decline and dementia.
Bernie Borges [00:13:19]:
The Centers For Disease Control says this, physical activity can help you think, learn, problem solve, and enjoy an emotional balance. It can improve memory and reduce anxiety or depression. Regular physical activity can also reduce your risk of cognitive decline, including dementia. One study found that cognitive decline is almost twice as common among adults who are inactive compared to those who are active. Regular physical activity can help the can help reduce the risk of some common cancers and add years to your life. Another amen to that. Okay. Number 6, balance and fall prevention.
Bernie Borges [00:14:11]:
Regular exercise can improve balance, coordination, and flexibility, reducing the risk of falls and related injuries. Tufts University School of Medicine says this, falls are the leading cause of injuries in adults ages 65 and older. Falls are the most common cause of hip fractures and traumatic brain injuries. Now, even if you’re younger than age 65, please pay attention to this important topic. I wanna share 5 forms of exercise that are commonly recommended to patients over 40. You don’t have to be over 65. These are recommended to patients over 40 to improve balance. Number 1, balance training itself.
Bernie Borges [00:15:00]:
Number 2, strength training. Number 3, Tai Chi, which is a gentle martial art that focuses on slow and controlled movements and shifting body weight. Number 4, certain yoga poses can enhance balance and stability. And number 5, flexibility training that involves stretching the muscles and joints, which can improve range of motion and reduce stiffness. Now, the article referenced here explains each of these in a lot more detail. Alright. We’re almost in the home stretch here. Number 7, mental health and stress management, another one of my favorite benefits of exercise.
Bernie Borges [00:15:41]:
Exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve mood, and enhance overall mental well-being. The Mayo Clinic says this, exercise in almost any form can act as a stress reliever. Being active can boost your feel good endorphins and distract you from daily worries. Exercise pumps up your endorphins. Exercise reduces negative effects of stress. Exercise is meditation in motion, and exercise improves your mood. And again, friend, the article gives a lot more details on each of these. And here we are in the homestretch, number 8 and another one of my favorite benefits of exercise, and that is sleep quality.
Bernie Borges [00:16:34]:
Regular exercise can improve sleep quality and duration, which is crucial for overall health and recovery. Now the sleep foundation says this, studies have found that proper exercise can alleviate sleep related problems and help you get an adequate amount of rest. Recent research also suggests insufficient or poor quality sleep can lead to lower levels of physical activity the following day. For these reasons, experts believe sleep and exercise have a bidirectional relationship. Optimizing your exercise routine can potentially help you sleep better, and getting an adequate amount of sleep may promote healthier physical activity levels during the day. Makes sense. So friend, there you have it. And if in case you were wondering, of course, I was reading all that.
Bernie Borges [00:17:30]:
I could not possibly memorize it. But there you have it, eight reasons that underscore the importance of maintaining a regular fitness routine for those of us over age 40. Remember, we’re not gonna compete in the Olympics, but I want you to know that these articles that I just referenced, they’re all linked up in the show notes. So if you wanna dive deeper into any of those, check them out in the show notes. And I wanna remind you of Alan’s perspective, which I’ve totally embraced, and that is that working out is actually training. We are training to either become or to maintain the person that we need to be, whether that’s to play golf, help someone move, do yard work including disposing of a dead tree trunk, or whatever it is for you. And these 8 health benefits are icing on the cake to maintain your motivation to be the person that you need to be in your health and fitness journey. Now again, if you have not downloaded the health and fitness motivation workbook that coach Allen and I covered on episodes 193 and 194, hop over to the show notes page now.
Bernie Borges [00:18:44]:
Again, you can scroll down or swipe over depending on what you’re listening on or watching on, and you’ll find the link to download this free workbook. It is a free workbook, and it’s called a workbook because there’s exercises, and you can fill in your answers to these exercises. So you personalize it for your situation. Now, I also wanna remind you to consult with your health care provider before you start any new exercise or shall I say training program, especially if you have pre existing health conditions. Now, before I close out this episode, I wanna ask you this question. Do you know someone who needs to be reminded of the vital importance of health and fitness motivation? If you do, please share this episode with them. I’m sure that they’ll thank you for it. And if you are someone who was sent this episode by a friend, I wanna urge you to go back and listen to episodes 193 and 194.
Bernie Borges [00:19:43]:
And, also, be sure to subscribe so that you catch future episodes. Friend, remember, if you’re 80% fulfilled, you are doing great. I’m gonna sign off here and I’ll see you on the next episode of the Midlife Fulfilled podcast. I’ll see you then.
