Every day we get questions on how to get fit. This is a very, very broad topic and a challenge to deliver 1 single answer. Why?
Because the definition of “being fit” means different things to different people. To us, it means to achieve physical and mental fitness. Drilling down further, that means doing what is best for your mind and your body so that they operate in the most optimal way.
In our observation, many men want to jump straight into going to the gym to lift weights or to immediately start jogging. The thing is, those are good practices. But, without proper nutrition, you are fighting an uphill battle.
You see…proper nutrition is the foundation for optimal fitness (both for mental and physical fitness). Just like a house, if you do not have a strong foundation, it will NEVER support what you try to build. Your diet / nutrition is your foundation.
After addressing the foundation (food / nutrition /diet), then we add in exercise. But, did you know that you can overwork your muscles? That you can put too much of a load on them or work them for too long and you can actually lose muscle in the process?
It is not about working super hard or extremely long, it is about working smart and doing things the way our bodies were designed to do them. Do not get us wrong, you cannot lay down on the couch curling a beer and get physically fit. It takes effort. But it should be the “right effort” which encompasses the right exercises, durations and loads.
We actually work out (lift weights) 4 times a week for 1 hour each and we take 3 days off. This still delivers the results you see in the enclosed pic as well as others on our Facebook Page and website (https://mfa40.com).
After you get a handle on your nutrition (including supplements) and your exercise, then the next thing is to improve on good habits and eliminate bad ones.
For example, many men do not get enough sleep. They think that it is a badge of honor to grind it out working and pulling all nighters to get ahead. Yeah…those are the guys who have heart attacks in their 40s and go under (6 feet under) rather than ahead.
Proper sleep (at least 6 hours) is imperative or the body cannot repair itself. Sleep quantities (how much sleep is needed) varies from person to person. Did you know you should sleep in 90 minute increments (6 hours, 7.5 hours, 9 hours, etc) for optimal sleep patterns and restoration of the body?
Do you sit at a desk all day? Yep! Bad habit. Did you know that can put undue stress on various organs in your body and lead to unhealthy and unwanted consequences? Getting up from your desk every few hours to walk around helps shake things up.
And many people at their desks also slump over, shoulders forward. This puts undue stress on the neck and back leading to strains and aches. Sitting up straight, shoulders back and getting up to walk around every few hours helps here.
We can’t list every bad habit here. But we think you get the idea.
For better mental health, a step in the right direction is stress reduction. It can actually lead you towards death. Stress is the catalyst towards a whole host of negative things in our mind and our bodies. Did you know that many men create stress from worry and worrying is based on things that many times are not even real or have not happened yet and…may never happen?
We wrote a whole post on stress here. Check it out (https://www.facebook.com/MensFitnessAfter40/posts/963606777521304)
With our nutrition, our exercise, our increase of good habits, decrease of bad habits and taking control of our stress (which is a big part of mental fitness), the last thing we focus on are professional services.
We rely heavily on chiropractic care and massage therapy. As much as we try to sit, sleep and lift weights with proper form, we can still slowly pull our backs, necks, hips and ribs out of alignment. A chiropractor is a mechanic for our skeletal system.
With our skeletal system in alignment, our muscular system can be so tight or have so many nots or scars than it can both pull our skeletal system back out of alignment as well as cause us cramps, aches and pains. A good massage therapist is the mechanic we need for our muscles.
Listen guys, we know this is a lot. It can be like trying to drink from a fire hose of information. So, that is why it is broken up. Nutrition first. Only nutrition. No gym. Only nutrition focused. Master it until it is a habit then move onto exercise.
We put out information on our Facebook page (Men’s Fitness After 40) every single week that covers all of the different aspects of fitness mentioned above.
If you want a program that walks you through, step by step, with instructional videos, downloaded support material and more, then try out EVOLUTION. It is our 90 day program that focuses on total fitness for guys 40 and over that we are so confident will deliver results that we offer a 100% money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied.
This is a program that our founder, Chase Barfield (see image), lived and developed based on his personal experience. Check out the image to see his results. This program is based on eating from instinct (when you are hungry) not from intellect (a lot of math). It is working out 4 hours a week. Getting good sleep. Reducing stress and a whole lot more.
To begin your EVOLUTION, just click this link > https://mfa40.com/evolution/
We covered this topic because of the continuous questions we get from comments and direct messages asking “how do I get fit?” Follow the formula here, continue to check back and read the articles, join EVOLUTION (if you want a formal program) and just get started.
Getting started with a little bit of something is much better than never getting started and doing a whole lot of nothing.
Simple Concepts. Powerful Results.
Specifically Designed For Guys Over 40.