Anti-Aging Remedies

Observe children: Once, they rarely stopped moving from morning till night. These days, though, television, Nintendo, automation, urbanization, and the automobile have turned many kids into brainwashed little pairs of staring eyes. And we too contribute. What kind of example are male adults giving when we are guilty of the same sin? How many times have I seen parents haul their wee ones off to soccer or ice-skating or little league only to sit passively on the sideline till the event is over?

Genetic studies give strong credence to the adage "fat parents make fat children." Behavioral example does the same.

You can use a variety of incentives to psych yourself up for getting into shape, ranging from the personal to the scientific. It doesn't hurt to repeat to yourself every night before you go to bed and every morning as you stare at your paunch in the mirror statements such as: "I need to get that gut off before we go to the beach this summer." "Being in shape makes me feel good, and I look better too." "Regular strength training, even when I'm older, can increase muscle strength, bone mass, and flexibility." "I can reverse, or at best slow, the seemingly inevitable deterioration caused by the aging process." "Being in shape makes me a better father/worker/boss/husband/ lover."

Having a positive attitude can be a start, but the couch potato cum exercise monster still has a ways to go.

As men, we've been conditioned to think we can ignore our bodies. We've come to believe it's not macho to admit disability or discomfort, something about "big boys don't cry." We just expect our bodies to work, and we're especially proud if we can keep some level of fitness while hardly seeming to try. Working against us here is the fact that having to do anything to remain fit is subconsciously seen not as something real men have to do. I'm a real man and have to consistently work very hard to keep the wolf from the door.

Habits built over half a lifetime can be hard to break. The greatest hurdle for anyone over 40 is making the decision to stay fit or, even harder, restarting a physical conditioning program. It is just so much easier to wake up, brew some coffee, smear a bagel with cream cheese, and then hunker down to the morning paper. I'm at a point in life where I do the bagel first and run later when the sun is at full mast. The over-40 guy who wants to initiate an exercise regimen frequently may have to overcome built-in cultural inhibitorsin other words, he has to really want to get his physical life in order and work exercise into his hectic schedule. Priorities, priorities, priorities. At the very core of this struggle is the place exercise must occupy on our priority list. It always seems so easily expendable when "duty" calls. Chalk this way of thinking up to the age-old (and aforementioned) American work ethicbusiness first. Run a little behind on a deadline, and so will the trip to the health club. "I'm late, I'm late for a very important date...."

This approach to life may carry you through your thirtiesthose years critical to establishing a financial basebut now, as you enter your forties, the ever-increasing aches and pains coupled with diminishing flexibility and stamina force you into a tough decision: Are you going to keep exercise and wellness down a few pegs on the list? What are you going to do with the truth that life without fitness and health may not work any longer?