Note: This is some valuable information, "secrets", from my running/health & diet blog (also at bottom is an article that was published about me).
HEALTH & DIET: (10 entries copied from my blog between Jan. 1, 2006 to 2011)
I should begin by telling you that I've kept myself in exceptionally good health and that I've been at my same 18 year old weight since I was 27. Although I didn't have the best eating habits when I was a child through about age 26, since then I've consistently done a 2-3 times per week, 1 hour plus exercise regiment (for almost 30 years as of August, 2011). During these past 30 years, I've also consistently tried to eat good foods and listen more and more to my body. So rather surprisingly, I actually weigh a few pounds less than I did when I was 18-19 years old at 6' 2'', 168-172 pounds. Now, my slightly lesser average weight of 166 pounds fluxes between about 164 to 168 (lower in the summer and higher in the winter). This slightly lower weight is probably due to my doing less weight training than when I was 18, and I actually have a little less body fat now too.
Since 27 years old, I have always thought of myself as being 60% of my physical age (which at 56 now makes me 33 years old). This really does seem to be quite accurate in my case as my strength and speed really haven't seemed to change that much in the past 29 years (and even jumping is about the same as I can still dunk a softball without doing any additional jump excercises and even a basketball given several weeks of jump training). If you just think of wild animals in nature-- middle aged deer, tigers, birds etc. still stay about the same weight and are still about as fast as the younger animals (although maybe expending a little less wasted energy).
I have found myself to be more and more competitive within my age group as the years go by (and with very minimal training before events). Keeping your body consistently at it's best weight and shape through good health habits pays great benefits, both immediately, and years/decades in the future. It's the ONE decision/effort in your life that you'll always be glad you did!
In the next 9 entries, I will give you a great deal of details into the "secrets" I've learned over the years for maintaining a 60% of my age body and my 18 year old weight. Just knowing some of these truths will begin to effect a paradygm shift and change in your habits, ways of looking at food, excercise methods and your body in general.
HEALTH & DIET: (Feb. 2, 2006)
I think it might be helpful for many of you if I discussed a little about "diets" and listening to our bodies. First of all, let me say, that although I certainly have spent time on things that were a waste of time, the one wise decision I made at age 27 was to make my health my number one priority (you only get "one car in this life", and you can't trade it in). As I mentioned above, I am 6' 1'', aprox. 166 pounds, and I have kept this ideal weight (for me) and continued a regular exercise routine since I was 27 years old and thoroughly committed to making health my number one priority NO MATTER WHAT (work included). As the years go by, it becomes more and more obvious that this was the wisest decision I ever made! Many experts claim that we naturally gain weight little by little as we age after about our twenties. I and a number of other health conscious people are proving this to be false. If we listen to our body's signal about when we're actually hungry and when we're full, our body will naturally keep us at our optimum weight (animals in nature don't gain more weight just because they get older).
Of course, this is much more true when the food we are eating is healthy- and the closer to organic the better because regular, non-organic food has many chemical additives and even pesticides on the vegetables etc. that dull our body's signals and functions. Especially this is true with almost all processed foods, many of which not only have unhealthy chemicals in them but actually have additives that unnaturally INCREASE your appetite. So I strongly recommend that you at least get yourself on a level playing field by eating foods that don't have these unnatural, harmful and even appetite inducing chemicals. So many people "live to eat, rather than eating to live". I too, enjoy eating, and infact, I never feel like I'm sacrificing. I usually eat until I'm full (although my "full" is probably 75% of what most people consider full), and I always go away feeling satisfied. I never think about food until I'm hungry and I never think about it after I'm full. This is the way it is in nature with animals too. They don't obsess and think about food when their not hungry and after they're full. My body has learned to feel completely satisfied when it gets to a certain fullness (which you too will naturally start to recognize as you learn how to think and eat this way). I thoroughly enjoy my food when I'm eating it, and in fact, I probably can taste and enjoy subtle differences and flavors much more than the average person. I can also get the full taste sensation and satisfaction out of much less salad dressing and lesser sweets etc.
Concerning diets, noone ever loses weight permanently when they're on a "diet". As long as they feel they are on a diet they will feel they are sacrificing and at some point they will tire and give up. Then they usually not only gain back the original weight but add a little on top of that as well. A person MUST change their way of thinking about food. They must rewire their software. More on this later.
For now I'll just give you a few hints in starting to eat less food until your mind and body are trained to where it becomes automatic and natural.
Of course, you can drink more water during your meal to feel fullness sooner, but the better way (and better for the digestive juices to not get overly diluted) is to eat a lot of filling and low calorie vegetables at first. Then you can go to your main course and eat until your full. Also, eating with smaller plates and even smaller eating utensils can be helpful. That way you eat smaller portions but can feel that you are eating a lot more especially since you can even go back for a small second and still be eating less than you normally would have with a regular sized plate (of course, you can also just choose to put smaller portions on a large plate too if that works for you).
Also strategically placing just small amounts of butter or small amounts of salad dressings, syrup etc. on your foods is helpful. Your taste buds can only taste so much of these rich dressings etc. at one time anyway- and so 1/2 or even 1/4 of your usual amount can still actually give you the same taste sensation. THINK before you take your portions and don't do things so automatically. "If you do the same things you will get the same results".
On deserts you obviously will want to take even smaller portions with a small fork or spoon. Then really savor every bite. Tell yourself you can go back for seconds- which you may do, but you may also choose not too. Try to never feel like you are really sacrificing. Enjoy the process of really making your body healthy and sensitizing your dulled body signals. Think how happy your body and you will be. More in the weeks to come.
HEALTH & DIET: (Feb. 6, 2006)
I realized today that there are a lot of things that I probably take for granted with my normal health state that may not be normal for others. For example, most people think that one bowel movement per day is normal (I used to believe that too and occasionally even went 2 days or more). However, for the last number of years with all of the vegetables, fruits and grains we eat, 2 bowel movements in the morning have long been my norm (and sometimes an additional one later in the day). This is the way the body was designed to function. Also, I remember a number of years ago, back in my late teens and early twenties when I wasn't that health conscious, I used to always get very tired after meals and other times during the day. Since my late twenties and increasingly through my 30's until now, I seldom ever get tired during the day at all. My energy level is almost constantly at a great level. I haven't had a flue or fever for many years now and it's been several years since I had a real cold (I occasionally start to get a cold, maybe once or twice a year, but it doesn't catch, and at very worst only last a day or two). I hear that many people can't sleep more than 4- 6 hours a night. I always try to get at least 7.5 hours of sleep- and often 8 to 8.5 hours when I have time. Some experts say about 8 and 1/2 hours of sleep a night is ideal (I know when I don't have any deadlines, my body usually sleeps for about 8.5 hours). Like many of you, I can get by on 7 hours for quite a long while and even 6 hours for a few days when necessary- maybe I could even force my body to get used to that, but it's not natural for a healthy person that's sensitive to their bodily signals and needs- and there is probably some damage to the body. Anyway, maybe you can compare yourself to the above to see which areas you might need improvement in. More later.
HEALTH & DIET: (March 6th, 2006)
First, a little anecdote: Because my 14 year old daughter had been talking about wanting to cut down on food and lose a little weight although she really doesn't need to, I recommended that she just cut out deserts until she was fully grown (another 6 months or so- at 15 years?). She already does much better than most teenagers. (This recommendation also has to do with the fact that we've always taught her that the healthier you can eat while your body is being formed during adolescents, the better body/car you will have for the rest of your life).
Anyway, I had forgotten about it and she mentioned that she wanted to buy some Krispy Kreme donuts (a dozen variety pack because it had a couple of the types she wanted). I kind of reluctantly bought it and then started looking forward to trying 1 or 2 of them (we usually end up throwing away about 1/2 of the sweets we buy anyway- sometimes it's just nice to buy some sweets and feel satisfied and then just throw the rest away). However, as we walked to the car, Shanon remembered her apparent commitment on cutting out almost all sweets until 15 and asked me if I would just throw them away. My first reaction was no, we just bought them. Then she said "I'll pay you $10 to just throw them away". I then told her I thought that was good that she now didn't want to eat them and I had a good idea to just give a couple to Shanon's grandparents and I'd eat 2 and then Shanon would only have to pay $5 as the dozen donuts only cost $7.43. However, Shanon insisted I just throw them away as she knew it would bother her knowing everyone was eating them. And she also said she didn't think it would be good to give out sweets to our loved ones anyway. I then said, OK, good idea. We agreed and I threw them away and Shanon paid the $10- so I told her for fun I'd use the extra $2.57 to pay her or someone else in the family not to eat sweets when they were eating more than they really wanted to.
In the above type of situation, most people would think "what a waste" and would certainly eat a few donuts themselves and give the rest to others- which is fine I guess. But it is an equally good or better option to just throw them away if you decide you can do with out--- and why give unnecessary sweets to your loved ones that they would be better off without. I think one of the big contributors to peoples' eating too much is the mentality that they have to eat everything on their plates- many of us can remember how we were scolded when we didn't eat everything on our plates......"think of the starving people in --------- and how much they would love to have that food, don't waste it!" type of ingrained thinking.Things should always be looked at logically and decided by what is MOST important. Although it is usually a good thing not to waste or throw away something you just bought, your health is always MORE important! And money should be used wisely and creatively to better your situation or your health. In this case Shanon decided that her health and her goal was more important than $10.
HEALTH & DIET: (March 23rd, 2006)
I guess I should tell you that although I didn't exercise for over a week and obviously wasn't burning nearly as many calories as I usually do, I didn't gain any body fat (just a little water weight which quickly came off when I exercised). Usually people will feel like they want to eat as much as they did when they were exercising or even if they hold back they feel like they are sacrificing because they're thinking they want to eat as much as they usually do. This is just mistaken thinking. It is not grounded in the reality of your body's natural signals. Your body will naturally NOT crave as much food when you don't exercise. You won't get hungry as much or as often (UNLESS you let your thinking convince you otherwise). The one problem you might encounter, is again, the residuals of eating lots of processed foods and the appetite inducing chemicals. These can make you feel hungry when your not.
Since I seldom eat processed foods, and also keep chemicals out of my body by mostly eating organic certified foods. I don't have those unnatural hunger cravings. And I never think about eating until I actually feel hunger paings...there are plenty of other things to think about and why torture yourself. Just think about and thourally enjoy eating when you're actually eating.
During this past week of no excercise, as always, I just ate when I was hungry and stopped when my body told me enough. I never felt like I was sacrificing. This is very natural for me, but I just realized that my staying the same even with a large change in the amount of calories I was burning is probably not so natural with most people and that this might be insightful to many people who eat more by their thinking then by really listening to their body. I also do not gain weight even when I've been on week-long cruises with all of the food that's available- most people say they gained 3-5 pounds. (However, I must admit that on cruises, with the great and variety of foods they have, I do continue to exercise in the on board gym so I can continue to eat as much as I usually do).
In order to be able to feel and be able to trust your bodies signals, you must first get it sensitized to where it really knows when it's hungry and when it's full. This is done by more and more stopping the thinking of "I want to eat" or because it's noon or I want to/have to eat all of this etc. Instead one must more carefully feel and respond to their bodies signal that it's truly hungry or that it's full (knowing when you're full is the most important which can save you even if you started eating when you weren't really that hungry).You should also make sure that the majority of foods you're eating are not processed or junk foods because that kind of food masks your bodies signals and can actually makes you feel hungrier than you are. Good foods are natural or much closer to the natural state (not processed and the closer to raw and fresh, the better- and should have a lot of nutrition (vitamins, minerals etc. as in vegetables and whole grains etc.) in them that allow your body to function properly and send you the proper signals. These type of foods actually allow your body to burn more calories too. Obviously, you should also try and exercise if you can too- especially building up muscles which will be burning more than average calories for you even while your asleep.
HEALTH & DIET: (April 19th, 2006)
Concerning the importance of taking care of the body: It always amazes me how most people make their body/health a 2nd, 3rd or even lesser priority in their hierarchy of effort and values (surveys show that a full 2/3rds of all American adults now are overweight! and most of those are probably out of shape cardiovascularly etc. too). Yes, health is a value. What people spend their time and effort on is what they value.
Most people claim to value family and health but few actually back up their words with sufficient time and efforts. Most people's real value often seems to be making money and maybe watching TV or other supposedly enjoyable activities. Enjoyable activities are appropriate when we've taken care of our other higher priority values. Making money is certainly important in allowing us to take care of our self and families. However, with honest evaluation, many people would see that making money has become an obsession and the motivation for making it and often making more than is even needed, has gone far beyond just trying to provide for the family.Now, back to the body/health as a lesser priority in most peoples lives... Consider the amount of time and effort most people put into making their dream homes/retirement. Compare this with the time and effort they put into making their dream bodies (at least for their age). Which is more important? having a dream home (often times more expensive than can really be had without a lot of stress) or having a body that is very healthy and in shape? Which do you think most effects a person's happiness and well being? How many wealthy and even super wealthy people are there who have houses/finances far beyond their needs but poor health. How much of ones wealth would a billionaire give to reverse sugar diabetes, chronic arthritis, cancer or other rehabilitating health conditions? (I do know, from a well known lecturer, of a wealthy Japanese business man who totally devoted himself to making money- some questionably, and amassed a huge amount. He was still only in his 50's and on his death bed with cancer when he told this well known lecturer and purported healer that he would give him all of the money and stock certificates he had underneath his bed if he could restore his health. There was over $25,000,000 worth! The lecturer analyzed his condition and said "you have used your superior intellect and spent great effort in amassing an amazing amount of money, unfortunately you haven't used any of this intellect and effort to take care of your health. There is nothing I can do for you now!" As obvious as this is, people continually strive for wealth at the expense of their health. You only get one body/car in this life! Once you've ruined your health you can't trade your body in for a new model. You're stuck with it! and no amount of money is going to replace it. Your health/body is the one area you don't want to gamble on!
It's the one investment you can be sure will pay you great returns and the one investment you know you will be glad you kept investing in (with time, effort and money). No one has ever regretted spending effort on taking care of their health, but many have regretted time and effort spent on other areas and investments.
This in a "NO BRAINER"!!
Your body/health has got to be your number 1 priority every day! The older you get the happier you'll be that you made it your number 1 priority/value.Having read this I hope that some will at least raise their body/health priority up from where it is now.I guarantee you won't regret it. I also guarantee you will regret it if you don't prioritize your health.If you're not doing it, immediately start to eat better and excersise regularly AND don't forget to try and get sufficient sleep and reduce stress where possible. Don't just resolve to do it. Do it! and Do it NOW! "The weak indulge in resolutions while the strong act!"
Have a good day.
HEALTH & DIET: (June 25th, 2006)
After telling people about the dangers of SYNTHETIC vitamins (which also apparently includes increased cancer rates, enlarged arterial walls etc.) I then recommend that everyone try and eat as big a variety of vegetables and fruits as possible in order to get as many vitamins and minerals as they can (also to try and eat mostly organic like we do, to avoid the pesticides etc. that they put on the crops and hormones etc. in milk and meat too). We then tell them to not take any vitamins at all if their only choice is synthetic ones, but if they do take vitamins, they should take the whole food ones. Like I always say, "You only get one body (no trade-ins) in this life so you better take very good care of it!!- AND, what good does it do to have a Million dollar house when you have a 25 cent body". In this life, health has got to be number one or you've really got your priorities messed up!!! That's why, I always eat as much variety and organic food as possible, and excercise regularly- along with usually taking a whole food vitamin/mineral supplement 2 to 3 times a week to make up for the lack of minerals and vitamins in our foods from the depleted soil. Also I should mention that I don't think it is wise to take any supplements other than actual food, every day because there may be a tendency for the body to rely on that supplement and utilize the vitamins, minerals etc. more easily than regular food to where it might become a little lazy when digesting regular food. I don't know this for sure, but I recall reading an article to that effect several years ago and decided to error on the conservative side. For any other types of medications etc. I think it's fairly well proven that if you keep taking it for a while your body will start to depend on it (like high blood pressure medications etc.). Your body can then go to the point of almost no return where you have to take that medication for the rest of your life because the body loses the ability to perform that function that the medication is now doing.
HEALTH & DIET: (July 7th, 2006)
TIP- Always remember that just forcefully suppressing your desires and refraining from overeating and eating bad foods etc. is a difficult and usually losing battle. You must SUBSTITUTE a superior activity for the one you're trying to remove. For example- when your about to indulge in your bad habit, pull out some reading material (magazine, book etc.) that your excited to check out) a game (cards, video, celphone activity), call someone, go for a brisk walk, work on a fun project, accomplish something you've been wanting to do, etc. etc. Just train yourself to first, do something different than the bad habit when the urge first comes- you can even tell yourself that you can still endulge afterwards- then, maybe you will but maybe you won't- and even if you do, it may be less endulgence than you would have.ALSO, remember to compliment yourself and enjoy even small accomplishments as you slowly but surely develop positive habits and ways of thinking (more about this in the next HEALTH & DIET).
Health and Diet tip: (this entry is copied in from June 2008-- this is the last of the Health and Diet tips on this blog-- if I add more I will inform at the beginning of the blog).
HEALTH and DIET: (June 21, 2008)
Over the past few years I've been surprised to have a couple of comments on my skin being relatively smooth and healthy looking for my age. Actually, I haven't been as good as I might have in staying out of the sun- and I've had some pretty good sunburns. However, at least the last several years, I've tried to build up before spending longer times in the sun. So my skin isn't as good as it might have been, but I guess it is better than average.
The thing I believe has really helped (despite the sun exposure) is NOT using any skin care products, including lotion. In fact I rarely even use soap. I just wash well with water (except for washing my hair with a quality shampoo every 2-3 days). Keeping chemicals off the skin is probably the best thing you can do to keep the skin looking young and naturally moisturized etc. So try and avoid lotions and even sunscreen which they're now finding don't seem to help in preventing skin cancer over those who don't use it- probably because of the chemicals in the sunscreen. If you must use soap, it's probably better not to overly scrub because this can mess up the natural balance of helpful skin culture bacteria.
Also, don't become extreme in avoiding the sun completely. You actually do need a little sun exposure for vitamin D and even to help in bone density maintenance. At very least, do as some doctors are now recommending, and get some direct sun on your legs.
HEALTH and DIET (Jan.18, 2010):
The fact that I've even including my little 1 mile walk (above) shows how little I actually even go for a walk or get any exercise besides just what I'm publishing on this blog. It's rather amazing, but the body can maintain a relatively high level from just 2 exercise routines a week and hardly anything else. Though, having said this, I really would like to get out and use my legs more in playing tennis, basketball, skiing etc.
This may not be fully backed up by science (yet?), but the following is my experience and conclusion concerning shorter, more intense training as opposed to endurance type of training: To me, just walking has never really seemed like any exercise at all-- it seems far too low stress to really be doing much to improve the body's fitness (unless you're really in terrible shape). As I'd mentioned, in a previous post last month, I went on a 6 mile plus hike for the first time in about 6 months (having never walked more than 1.5 miles during that time, and usually only once or twice a week), and yet, I was able to easily out do all of the other hikers in speed and ease (admittedly, most of them were older than me, but all were seasoned hikers and a few were younger than me too). The only thing that I eventually felt at all was from the uneven path and rocks etc. that we traversed where my legs weren't quite use to the angles.
But what is important here, is that higher, short intensity workouts will not only increase your muscle strength and speed, it will also make it much easier for you to do long endurance type of walks, jogs etc. (even thought you may never do any long endurance training). In fact, I believe my short, but relatively intense 2 time per week training center exercise and weight training do much more for me in easily accomplishing a long hike (or jog) than actually training by doing long hikes or jogs 2 or 3 times a week.Another example of this is when I trained and only worked on 400 meters and less (seldom ever running more than a 400 meter and usually just running 100 to 200 meters). One day, out of curiosity, I just ran a practice 800 meter by myself and ran and broke my personal best time (and this was during practice without the benefit of the adrenaline and competition that an actual race provides-- I probably could have cut off another 2 or 3 seconds at a track meet).
So just running the shorter, more muscle quickening workouts had actually done more for me than the longer months of training I had done 2 of the training years before when working out for the 800 meter and the mile (and in all 3 of these occasions, I had only worked out a total of about 2 months AND this last time, I was probably spending less overall training time.So, in conclusion, once you get in somewhat reasonable shape, I would suggest that even in preparation for hikes, and longer distance running, you should do a lot more of the short, quick intensity training than the long, slower endurance type. Basically, your legs get used to running at faster speeds and so jogging and longer distance runs seem slow and easy to your legs (which is the reason you don't necessarily have to even practice walk or run the full distance of your eventual goal).
Of course, if you are into some more serious running competition, I would advise you do a little of the distances you'll actually be running, but just put a lot more emphasis on the shorter, quicker, more intense training.
HEALTH & DIET (June 20, 2011)
I just read through my last few years of comments above and realized that I'm even more healthy now then I was in 2006. Interestingly, I've actually gained a few pounds of muscle recently through increasing some of my weights with a couple of additional exercises-- and I still have no fat. So I'm now weighing in at an average of about 169-170 pounds.
When I think back of my health in 2006 at 51 years old, I was definitely in great shape. But now at 56, I actually have even a better body, am just as quick, and maybe a little stronger and more flexible and probably sleep even better.
The slight improvements come from just doing a little more stretching on a daily basis and adding a little more to my exercise routine. Besides the obvious difference in increased weight (like the aprox. 500 pounds I now do on my leg presses), I will try to measure my improvements in actual competition like running and soft ball throw etc.).
I should mention again, there is a positive mentality that's important for maintaining or even improving your body in mid age. I actually believe that I will continue making improvements until I'm 60 years old, after which I will maybe finally admit to having hit the midway mark and beginning of decline. Even if this isn't totally true, it is a powerful mindset and helps one to make it into a "self-fulfilling prophecy".
(November 25, 2016)
Most people look and feel their age. Few people think that 60 is young. Yet there are a growing number of people who feel and look much younger than their age. What are their secrets? At a young age it was obvious to me that we only get one body in this life and that there is nothing more important than keeping that body healthy and in good shape because you live with it 24/7. Let me tell you what I have discovered and lived.
I teach Happiness and "50% of Age Super Health" seminars. Although I'm 61 my friends and 29 year old fiancee tell me there is nothing 60-ish about me when it comes to health. I have the energy, power, and body of a very athletic 30-year-old. I can run a 5 minute 15 second mile and with very little extra training I easily won the 200, 400, and 800 meter races in the 2016 Nevada Senior Games and the Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah. From the age of 26, I committed to make health a top priority in my life. For the past 35 years, rather than getting overweight, out of shape, and feeling old I have basically been able to maintain the same body I had at age 30.
Here are some of my secrets:
First, and of major importance, always think of yourself as younger than your chronological age. I don't allow myself to believe that I'm getting older. I seriously believe that my body is 50% of my actual age (and for over 30 years my body's appearance and performance have seemed to confirm that). The following example shows how young thinking mentality works: There was a study done by a Harvard graduate psychologist who took 2 groups of 75-year-olds and had them live in 2 different small abandoned towns for a few weeks. She told the first group to just live there with no special instructions. She told the 2nd group to live there and to try and believe and act as though they had gone back in time 20 years and were only 55 years old. She even made sure there was only music from 20 years before as well as all the decor and appliances etc. After the 3 week experience she had a group of people judge the age of both groups without knowing anything about their experience. On average, they guessed members of the first group's age to be about 75 years old as expected. But surprisingly, they judged the 2nd group as being more than 5 years younger on average.. From this experiment, we can see that there is a definite mental effect on our age and how we feel and act. I logically concluded that along with thinking they were younger the 2nd 75-year-old group must have begun physically moving more like they did when they were 55 and becoming a lot more active. I also recommend that in thinking of yourself as younger that you should interpret things differently when it comes to your body. For example, when I have soreness or stiffness, I don't think of it as "I'm getting old". Instead, I thinks, I must not be stretching or moving around enough, so of course, I feel stiff. Then I make sure to do more stretching or whatever is necessary to not feel stiff or sore.
Of course, there is also a major physical component to feeling and becoming younger. We must do the obvious things that we've heard for years. Eat healthy food, exercise regularly, maintain our ideal weight, reduce our stress and get enough sleep. In more detail, the following is an article in the online Salt Lake Tribune written about me.
60 IS THE NEW 30 (YOUNG THINKING & 5 WAYS TO A MUCH YOUNGER BODY) Las Vegas, Nev. Dec. 22, 2016
61-year-old Edward Southwick tells you how to start working towards 50% of age super health. Most people look and feel their age. Few people think that 60 is young. Yet there are a growing number of people who feel and look much younger than their age. What are their secrets? Let’s get some hints by learning a little about 61-year-old, Edward Southwick.
Edward, who is also the author of ‘The 10 Habits of Happy People’ also teaches about 50% of age Super Health. He is 61 years old, but there is nothing 60-ish about him: 60 is the new 30 video. He has the energy, power, and body of a very athletic 30-year-old. He runs a 5 minute 15 second mile and easily won the 200, 400, and 800 meter races in the 2016 Nevada Senior Games and the Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah. From the age of 26, he committed to make health a top priority in his life. For the past 35 years, rather than getting overweight, out of shape, and feeling old he has basically been able to maintain the same body he had at age 30.
Edward notes, “At a young age it was obvious to me that we only get one body in this life and that there is nothing more important than keeping that body healthy and in good shape because you live with it 24/7.”
Here are some of his secrets:
First, and of major importance, always think of yourself as younger than your chronological age. Edward doesn’t allow himself to believe that he is getting older. He seriously believes his body to be 50% of his actual age (and for over 30 years his body’s appearance and performance have seemed to confirm that). He gives the following example of how young thinking mentality works: There was a study done by a Harvard graduate psychologist who took 2 groups of 75-year-olds and had them live in 2 different small abandoned towns for a few weeks. She told the first group to just live there with no special instructions. She told the 2nd group to live there and to try and believe and act as though they had gone back in time 20 years and were only 55 years old. She even made sure there was only music from 20 years before as well as all the decor and appliances. After the 3 week experience she had a group of people judge the age of both groups without knowing anything about their experience. On average, they guessed the first group’s age to be about 75 years old as expected. But surprisingly, they judged the 2nd group as being more than 5 years younger. From this experiment, there is a definite mental effect on our age and how we feel and act. Edward logically concluded that the 2nd 75-year-old group must have begun physically moving more like they did when they were 55 and becoming a lot more active. Edward also recommends that in thinking of ourselves as younger that we should interpret things differently when it comes to our body. For example, when he has soreness or stiffness, he doesn’t think of it as “I’m getting old”, he thinks, “I must not be stretching or moving around enough, so of course, I feel stiff”. Then he makes sure to do more stretching or whatever is necessary to not feel stiff or sore. Of course, there is also a major physical component to feeling and becoming younger. We must do the obvious things that we’ve heard for years. Eat healthy food, exercise regularly, maintain our ideal weight, reduce our stress and get enough sleep.
In more detail, we should do the following:
1- Eat a lot more vegetables and fruits than we normally do. We should also eat a large variety and try to eat foods that don’t have a lot of chemicals and pesticides in them. Eating vegetables and fruits with pesticide spray on them could be worse than not eating them at all. So, although it costs a little more it is important to try and eat organic labeled foods as much as possible. Our bodies need a wide variety of vitamins and minerals which come from eating a large variety of vegetables and fruits. Try and eat all the different colors of vegetables (Edward eats a 12-vegetable medley cooked in a slow cooker/crock pot that has everything from broccoli and mushrooms to carrots and zucchini).
2- Increase your overall physical conditioning by doing at least 2 full body exercise routines a week and trying to get in some daily aerobic activity like jogging or bicycling (or at the very least some brisk walking).
3- Try and keep your weight the same as your ideal weight (or at least as low as when you were 20 years old). Edward is 6’1″ and only weighs 165 pounds (5 pounds less than he did when he was 20). Many Americans might think that he is an exception and that it is unrealistic, but Edward notes that most Japanese elderly people weigh less than when they were 20. They also eat a very healthy diet with a large variety and portions of vegetables (and they seldom eat processed foods). So along with becoming a lot younger than our chronological age we can also remain the same weight as our younger selves.
4- Reduce your stress by doing daily meditation and deep breathing exercises as well as really unwinding by doing something you really enjoy every day. You should have something to look forward to at the end of your work day and on the weekends.
5- Get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. Edward notes that he has gone through short periods when he only got 6 hours or less of sleep a night and realizes that very busy people may push that kind of lifestyle. However, if they do, the body will usually pay for the reduced sleep and body replenishment time. This comes out in various forms such as more illnesses, increased stress and even weight gain (and aging more quickly). Edward recommends making enough sleep a priority just like good eating and exercise.
For more tips contact Edward Southwick at www.allabouthappiness.com
The health and happiness coach previously appeared on national TV and radio as well as did seminars all over Japan. Now he works on bringing awareness in America to those who think they must “act and feel their age”.
Distributed by Shenteria Marie ([email protected])
HEALTH & DIET: (10 entries copied from my blog between Jan. 1, 2006 to 2011)
I should begin by telling you that I've kept myself in exceptionally good health and that I've been at my same 18 year old weight since I was 27. Although I didn't have the best eating habits when I was a child through about age 26, since then I've consistently done a 2-3 times per week, 1 hour plus exercise regiment (for almost 30 years as of August, 2011). During these past 30 years, I've also consistently tried to eat good foods and listen more and more to my body. So rather surprisingly, I actually weigh a few pounds less than I did when I was 18-19 years old at 6' 2'', 168-172 pounds. Now, my slightly lesser average weight of 166 pounds fluxes between about 164 to 168 (lower in the summer and higher in the winter). This slightly lower weight is probably due to my doing less weight training than when I was 18, and I actually have a little less body fat now too.
Since 27 years old, I have always thought of myself as being 60% of my physical age (which at 56 now makes me 33 years old). This really does seem to be quite accurate in my case as my strength and speed really haven't seemed to change that much in the past 29 years (and even jumping is about the same as I can still dunk a softball without doing any additional jump excercises and even a basketball given several weeks of jump training). If you just think of wild animals in nature-- middle aged deer, tigers, birds etc. still stay about the same weight and are still about as fast as the younger animals (although maybe expending a little less wasted energy).
I have found myself to be more and more competitive within my age group as the years go by (and with very minimal training before events). Keeping your body consistently at it's best weight and shape through good health habits pays great benefits, both immediately, and years/decades in the future. It's the ONE decision/effort in your life that you'll always be glad you did!
In the next 9 entries, I will give you a great deal of details into the "secrets" I've learned over the years for maintaining a 60% of my age body and my 18 year old weight. Just knowing some of these truths will begin to effect a paradygm shift and change in your habits, ways of looking at food, excercise methods and your body in general.
HEALTH & DIET: (Feb. 2, 2006)
I think it might be helpful for many of you if I discussed a little about "diets" and listening to our bodies. First of all, let me say, that although I certainly have spent time on things that were a waste of time, the one wise decision I made at age 27 was to make my health my number one priority (you only get "one car in this life", and you can't trade it in). As I mentioned above, I am 6' 1'', aprox. 166 pounds, and I have kept this ideal weight (for me) and continued a regular exercise routine since I was 27 years old and thoroughly committed to making health my number one priority NO MATTER WHAT (work included). As the years go by, it becomes more and more obvious that this was the wisest decision I ever made! Many experts claim that we naturally gain weight little by little as we age after about our twenties. I and a number of other health conscious people are proving this to be false. If we listen to our body's signal about when we're actually hungry and when we're full, our body will naturally keep us at our optimum weight (animals in nature don't gain more weight just because they get older).
Of course, this is much more true when the food we are eating is healthy- and the closer to organic the better because regular, non-organic food has many chemical additives and even pesticides on the vegetables etc. that dull our body's signals and functions. Especially this is true with almost all processed foods, many of which not only have unhealthy chemicals in them but actually have additives that unnaturally INCREASE your appetite. So I strongly recommend that you at least get yourself on a level playing field by eating foods that don't have these unnatural, harmful and even appetite inducing chemicals. So many people "live to eat, rather than eating to live". I too, enjoy eating, and infact, I never feel like I'm sacrificing. I usually eat until I'm full (although my "full" is probably 75% of what most people consider full), and I always go away feeling satisfied. I never think about food until I'm hungry and I never think about it after I'm full. This is the way it is in nature with animals too. They don't obsess and think about food when their not hungry and after they're full. My body has learned to feel completely satisfied when it gets to a certain fullness (which you too will naturally start to recognize as you learn how to think and eat this way). I thoroughly enjoy my food when I'm eating it, and in fact, I probably can taste and enjoy subtle differences and flavors much more than the average person. I can also get the full taste sensation and satisfaction out of much less salad dressing and lesser sweets etc.
Concerning diets, noone ever loses weight permanently when they're on a "diet". As long as they feel they are on a diet they will feel they are sacrificing and at some point they will tire and give up. Then they usually not only gain back the original weight but add a little on top of that as well. A person MUST change their way of thinking about food. They must rewire their software. More on this later.
For now I'll just give you a few hints in starting to eat less food until your mind and body are trained to where it becomes automatic and natural.
Of course, you can drink more water during your meal to feel fullness sooner, but the better way (and better for the digestive juices to not get overly diluted) is to eat a lot of filling and low calorie vegetables at first. Then you can go to your main course and eat until your full. Also, eating with smaller plates and even smaller eating utensils can be helpful. That way you eat smaller portions but can feel that you are eating a lot more especially since you can even go back for a small second and still be eating less than you normally would have with a regular sized plate (of course, you can also just choose to put smaller portions on a large plate too if that works for you).
Also strategically placing just small amounts of butter or small amounts of salad dressings, syrup etc. on your foods is helpful. Your taste buds can only taste so much of these rich dressings etc. at one time anyway- and so 1/2 or even 1/4 of your usual amount can still actually give you the same taste sensation. THINK before you take your portions and don't do things so automatically. "If you do the same things you will get the same results".
On deserts you obviously will want to take even smaller portions with a small fork or spoon. Then really savor every bite. Tell yourself you can go back for seconds- which you may do, but you may also choose not too. Try to never feel like you are really sacrificing. Enjoy the process of really making your body healthy and sensitizing your dulled body signals. Think how happy your body and you will be. More in the weeks to come.
HEALTH & DIET: (Feb. 6, 2006)
I realized today that there are a lot of things that I probably take for granted with my normal health state that may not be normal for others. For example, most people think that one bowel movement per day is normal (I used to believe that too and occasionally even went 2 days or more). However, for the last number of years with all of the vegetables, fruits and grains we eat, 2 bowel movements in the morning have long been my norm (and sometimes an additional one later in the day). This is the way the body was designed to function. Also, I remember a number of years ago, back in my late teens and early twenties when I wasn't that health conscious, I used to always get very tired after meals and other times during the day. Since my late twenties and increasingly through my 30's until now, I seldom ever get tired during the day at all. My energy level is almost constantly at a great level. I haven't had a flue or fever for many years now and it's been several years since I had a real cold (I occasionally start to get a cold, maybe once or twice a year, but it doesn't catch, and at very worst only last a day or two). I hear that many people can't sleep more than 4- 6 hours a night. I always try to get at least 7.5 hours of sleep- and often 8 to 8.5 hours when I have time. Some experts say about 8 and 1/2 hours of sleep a night is ideal (I know when I don't have any deadlines, my body usually sleeps for about 8.5 hours). Like many of you, I can get by on 7 hours for quite a long while and even 6 hours for a few days when necessary- maybe I could even force my body to get used to that, but it's not natural for a healthy person that's sensitive to their bodily signals and needs- and there is probably some damage to the body. Anyway, maybe you can compare yourself to the above to see which areas you might need improvement in. More later.
HEALTH & DIET: (March 6th, 2006)
First, a little anecdote: Because my 14 year old daughter had been talking about wanting to cut down on food and lose a little weight although she really doesn't need to, I recommended that she just cut out deserts until she was fully grown (another 6 months or so- at 15 years?). She already does much better than most teenagers. (This recommendation also has to do with the fact that we've always taught her that the healthier you can eat while your body is being formed during adolescents, the better body/car you will have for the rest of your life).
Anyway, I had forgotten about it and she mentioned that she wanted to buy some Krispy Kreme donuts (a dozen variety pack because it had a couple of the types she wanted). I kind of reluctantly bought it and then started looking forward to trying 1 or 2 of them (we usually end up throwing away about 1/2 of the sweets we buy anyway- sometimes it's just nice to buy some sweets and feel satisfied and then just throw the rest away). However, as we walked to the car, Shanon remembered her apparent commitment on cutting out almost all sweets until 15 and asked me if I would just throw them away. My first reaction was no, we just bought them. Then she said "I'll pay you $10 to just throw them away". I then told her I thought that was good that she now didn't want to eat them and I had a good idea to just give a couple to Shanon's grandparents and I'd eat 2 and then Shanon would only have to pay $5 as the dozen donuts only cost $7.43. However, Shanon insisted I just throw them away as she knew it would bother her knowing everyone was eating them. And she also said she didn't think it would be good to give out sweets to our loved ones anyway. I then said, OK, good idea. We agreed and I threw them away and Shanon paid the $10- so I told her for fun I'd use the extra $2.57 to pay her or someone else in the family not to eat sweets when they were eating more than they really wanted to.
In the above type of situation, most people would think "what a waste" and would certainly eat a few donuts themselves and give the rest to others- which is fine I guess. But it is an equally good or better option to just throw them away if you decide you can do with out--- and why give unnecessary sweets to your loved ones that they would be better off without. I think one of the big contributors to peoples' eating too much is the mentality that they have to eat everything on their plates- many of us can remember how we were scolded when we didn't eat everything on our plates......"think of the starving people in --------- and how much they would love to have that food, don't waste it!" type of ingrained thinking.Things should always be looked at logically and decided by what is MOST important. Although it is usually a good thing not to waste or throw away something you just bought, your health is always MORE important! And money should be used wisely and creatively to better your situation or your health. In this case Shanon decided that her health and her goal was more important than $10.
HEALTH & DIET: (March 23rd, 2006)
I guess I should tell you that although I didn't exercise for over a week and obviously wasn't burning nearly as many calories as I usually do, I didn't gain any body fat (just a little water weight which quickly came off when I exercised). Usually people will feel like they want to eat as much as they did when they were exercising or even if they hold back they feel like they are sacrificing because they're thinking they want to eat as much as they usually do. This is just mistaken thinking. It is not grounded in the reality of your body's natural signals. Your body will naturally NOT crave as much food when you don't exercise. You won't get hungry as much or as often (UNLESS you let your thinking convince you otherwise). The one problem you might encounter, is again, the residuals of eating lots of processed foods and the appetite inducing chemicals. These can make you feel hungry when your not.
Since I seldom eat processed foods, and also keep chemicals out of my body by mostly eating organic certified foods. I don't have those unnatural hunger cravings. And I never think about eating until I actually feel hunger paings...there are plenty of other things to think about and why torture yourself. Just think about and thourally enjoy eating when you're actually eating.
During this past week of no excercise, as always, I just ate when I was hungry and stopped when my body told me enough. I never felt like I was sacrificing. This is very natural for me, but I just realized that my staying the same even with a large change in the amount of calories I was burning is probably not so natural with most people and that this might be insightful to many people who eat more by their thinking then by really listening to their body. I also do not gain weight even when I've been on week-long cruises with all of the food that's available- most people say they gained 3-5 pounds. (However, I must admit that on cruises, with the great and variety of foods they have, I do continue to exercise in the on board gym so I can continue to eat as much as I usually do).
In order to be able to feel and be able to trust your bodies signals, you must first get it sensitized to where it really knows when it's hungry and when it's full. This is done by more and more stopping the thinking of "I want to eat" or because it's noon or I want to/have to eat all of this etc. Instead one must more carefully feel and respond to their bodies signal that it's truly hungry or that it's full (knowing when you're full is the most important which can save you even if you started eating when you weren't really that hungry).You should also make sure that the majority of foods you're eating are not processed or junk foods because that kind of food masks your bodies signals and can actually makes you feel hungrier than you are. Good foods are natural or much closer to the natural state (not processed and the closer to raw and fresh, the better- and should have a lot of nutrition (vitamins, minerals etc. as in vegetables and whole grains etc.) in them that allow your body to function properly and send you the proper signals. These type of foods actually allow your body to burn more calories too. Obviously, you should also try and exercise if you can too- especially building up muscles which will be burning more than average calories for you even while your asleep.
HEALTH & DIET: (April 19th, 2006)
Concerning the importance of taking care of the body: It always amazes me how most people make their body/health a 2nd, 3rd or even lesser priority in their hierarchy of effort and values (surveys show that a full 2/3rds of all American adults now are overweight! and most of those are probably out of shape cardiovascularly etc. too). Yes, health is a value. What people spend their time and effort on is what they value.
Most people claim to value family and health but few actually back up their words with sufficient time and efforts. Most people's real value often seems to be making money and maybe watching TV or other supposedly enjoyable activities. Enjoyable activities are appropriate when we've taken care of our other higher priority values. Making money is certainly important in allowing us to take care of our self and families. However, with honest evaluation, many people would see that making money has become an obsession and the motivation for making it and often making more than is even needed, has gone far beyond just trying to provide for the family.Now, back to the body/health as a lesser priority in most peoples lives... Consider the amount of time and effort most people put into making their dream homes/retirement. Compare this with the time and effort they put into making their dream bodies (at least for their age). Which is more important? having a dream home (often times more expensive than can really be had without a lot of stress) or having a body that is very healthy and in shape? Which do you think most effects a person's happiness and well being? How many wealthy and even super wealthy people are there who have houses/finances far beyond their needs but poor health. How much of ones wealth would a billionaire give to reverse sugar diabetes, chronic arthritis, cancer or other rehabilitating health conditions? (I do know, from a well known lecturer, of a wealthy Japanese business man who totally devoted himself to making money- some questionably, and amassed a huge amount. He was still only in his 50's and on his death bed with cancer when he told this well known lecturer and purported healer that he would give him all of the money and stock certificates he had underneath his bed if he could restore his health. There was over $25,000,000 worth! The lecturer analyzed his condition and said "you have used your superior intellect and spent great effort in amassing an amazing amount of money, unfortunately you haven't used any of this intellect and effort to take care of your health. There is nothing I can do for you now!" As obvious as this is, people continually strive for wealth at the expense of their health. You only get one body/car in this life! Once you've ruined your health you can't trade your body in for a new model. You're stuck with it! and no amount of money is going to replace it. Your health/body is the one area you don't want to gamble on!
It's the one investment you can be sure will pay you great returns and the one investment you know you will be glad you kept investing in (with time, effort and money). No one has ever regretted spending effort on taking care of their health, but many have regretted time and effort spent on other areas and investments.
This in a "NO BRAINER"!!
Your body/health has got to be your number 1 priority every day! The older you get the happier you'll be that you made it your number 1 priority/value.Having read this I hope that some will at least raise their body/health priority up from where it is now.I guarantee you won't regret it. I also guarantee you will regret it if you don't prioritize your health.If you're not doing it, immediately start to eat better and excersise regularly AND don't forget to try and get sufficient sleep and reduce stress where possible. Don't just resolve to do it. Do it! and Do it NOW! "The weak indulge in resolutions while the strong act!"
Have a good day.
HEALTH & DIET: (June 25th, 2006)
After telling people about the dangers of SYNTHETIC vitamins (which also apparently includes increased cancer rates, enlarged arterial walls etc.) I then recommend that everyone try and eat as big a variety of vegetables and fruits as possible in order to get as many vitamins and minerals as they can (also to try and eat mostly organic like we do, to avoid the pesticides etc. that they put on the crops and hormones etc. in milk and meat too). We then tell them to not take any vitamins at all if their only choice is synthetic ones, but if they do take vitamins, they should take the whole food ones. Like I always say, "You only get one body (no trade-ins) in this life so you better take very good care of it!!- AND, what good does it do to have a Million dollar house when you have a 25 cent body". In this life, health has got to be number one or you've really got your priorities messed up!!! That's why, I always eat as much variety and organic food as possible, and excercise regularly- along with usually taking a whole food vitamin/mineral supplement 2 to 3 times a week to make up for the lack of minerals and vitamins in our foods from the depleted soil. Also I should mention that I don't think it is wise to take any supplements other than actual food, every day because there may be a tendency for the body to rely on that supplement and utilize the vitamins, minerals etc. more easily than regular food to where it might become a little lazy when digesting regular food. I don't know this for sure, but I recall reading an article to that effect several years ago and decided to error on the conservative side. For any other types of medications etc. I think it's fairly well proven that if you keep taking it for a while your body will start to depend on it (like high blood pressure medications etc.). Your body can then go to the point of almost no return where you have to take that medication for the rest of your life because the body loses the ability to perform that function that the medication is now doing.
HEALTH & DIET: (July 7th, 2006)
TIP- Always remember that just forcefully suppressing your desires and refraining from overeating and eating bad foods etc. is a difficult and usually losing battle. You must SUBSTITUTE a superior activity for the one you're trying to remove. For example- when your about to indulge in your bad habit, pull out some reading material (magazine, book etc.) that your excited to check out) a game (cards, video, celphone activity), call someone, go for a brisk walk, work on a fun project, accomplish something you've been wanting to do, etc. etc. Just train yourself to first, do something different than the bad habit when the urge first comes- you can even tell yourself that you can still endulge afterwards- then, maybe you will but maybe you won't- and even if you do, it may be less endulgence than you would have.ALSO, remember to compliment yourself and enjoy even small accomplishments as you slowly but surely develop positive habits and ways of thinking (more about this in the next HEALTH & DIET).
Health and Diet tip: (this entry is copied in from June 2008-- this is the last of the Health and Diet tips on this blog-- if I add more I will inform at the beginning of the blog).
HEALTH and DIET: (June 21, 2008)
Over the past few years I've been surprised to have a couple of comments on my skin being relatively smooth and healthy looking for my age. Actually, I haven't been as good as I might have in staying out of the sun- and I've had some pretty good sunburns. However, at least the last several years, I've tried to build up before spending longer times in the sun. So my skin isn't as good as it might have been, but I guess it is better than average.
The thing I believe has really helped (despite the sun exposure) is NOT using any skin care products, including lotion. In fact I rarely even use soap. I just wash well with water (except for washing my hair with a quality shampoo every 2-3 days). Keeping chemicals off the skin is probably the best thing you can do to keep the skin looking young and naturally moisturized etc. So try and avoid lotions and even sunscreen which they're now finding don't seem to help in preventing skin cancer over those who don't use it- probably because of the chemicals in the sunscreen. If you must use soap, it's probably better not to overly scrub because this can mess up the natural balance of helpful skin culture bacteria.
Also, don't become extreme in avoiding the sun completely. You actually do need a little sun exposure for vitamin D and even to help in bone density maintenance. At very least, do as some doctors are now recommending, and get some direct sun on your legs.
HEALTH and DIET (Jan.18, 2010):
The fact that I've even including my little 1 mile walk (above) shows how little I actually even go for a walk or get any exercise besides just what I'm publishing on this blog. It's rather amazing, but the body can maintain a relatively high level from just 2 exercise routines a week and hardly anything else. Though, having said this, I really would like to get out and use my legs more in playing tennis, basketball, skiing etc.
This may not be fully backed up by science (yet?), but the following is my experience and conclusion concerning shorter, more intense training as opposed to endurance type of training: To me, just walking has never really seemed like any exercise at all-- it seems far too low stress to really be doing much to improve the body's fitness (unless you're really in terrible shape). As I'd mentioned, in a previous post last month, I went on a 6 mile plus hike for the first time in about 6 months (having never walked more than 1.5 miles during that time, and usually only once or twice a week), and yet, I was able to easily out do all of the other hikers in speed and ease (admittedly, most of them were older than me, but all were seasoned hikers and a few were younger than me too). The only thing that I eventually felt at all was from the uneven path and rocks etc. that we traversed where my legs weren't quite use to the angles.
But what is important here, is that higher, short intensity workouts will not only increase your muscle strength and speed, it will also make it much easier for you to do long endurance type of walks, jogs etc. (even thought you may never do any long endurance training). In fact, I believe my short, but relatively intense 2 time per week training center exercise and weight training do much more for me in easily accomplishing a long hike (or jog) than actually training by doing long hikes or jogs 2 or 3 times a week.Another example of this is when I trained and only worked on 400 meters and less (seldom ever running more than a 400 meter and usually just running 100 to 200 meters). One day, out of curiosity, I just ran a practice 800 meter by myself and ran and broke my personal best time (and this was during practice without the benefit of the adrenaline and competition that an actual race provides-- I probably could have cut off another 2 or 3 seconds at a track meet).
So just running the shorter, more muscle quickening workouts had actually done more for me than the longer months of training I had done 2 of the training years before when working out for the 800 meter and the mile (and in all 3 of these occasions, I had only worked out a total of about 2 months AND this last time, I was probably spending less overall training time.So, in conclusion, once you get in somewhat reasonable shape, I would suggest that even in preparation for hikes, and longer distance running, you should do a lot more of the short, quick intensity training than the long, slower endurance type. Basically, your legs get used to running at faster speeds and so jogging and longer distance runs seem slow and easy to your legs (which is the reason you don't necessarily have to even practice walk or run the full distance of your eventual goal).
Of course, if you are into some more serious running competition, I would advise you do a little of the distances you'll actually be running, but just put a lot more emphasis on the shorter, quicker, more intense training.
HEALTH & DIET (June 20, 2011)
I just read through my last few years of comments above and realized that I'm even more healthy now then I was in 2006. Interestingly, I've actually gained a few pounds of muscle recently through increasing some of my weights with a couple of additional exercises-- and I still have no fat. So I'm now weighing in at an average of about 169-170 pounds.
When I think back of my health in 2006 at 51 years old, I was definitely in great shape. But now at 56, I actually have even a better body, am just as quick, and maybe a little stronger and more flexible and probably sleep even better.
The slight improvements come from just doing a little more stretching on a daily basis and adding a little more to my exercise routine. Besides the obvious difference in increased weight (like the aprox. 500 pounds I now do on my leg presses), I will try to measure my improvements in actual competition like running and soft ball throw etc.).
I should mention again, there is a positive mentality that's important for maintaining or even improving your body in mid age. I actually believe that I will continue making improvements until I'm 60 years old, after which I will maybe finally admit to having hit the midway mark and beginning of decline. Even if this isn't totally true, it is a powerful mindset and helps one to make it into a "self-fulfilling prophecy".
(November 25, 2016)
Most people look and feel their age. Few people think that 60 is young. Yet there are a growing number of people who feel and look much younger than their age. What are their secrets? At a young age it was obvious to me that we only get one body in this life and that there is nothing more important than keeping that body healthy and in good shape because you live with it 24/7. Let me tell you what I have discovered and lived.
I teach Happiness and "50% of Age Super Health" seminars. Although I'm 61 my friends and 29 year old fiancee tell me there is nothing 60-ish about me when it comes to health. I have the energy, power, and body of a very athletic 30-year-old. I can run a 5 minute 15 second mile and with very little extra training I easily won the 200, 400, and 800 meter races in the 2016 Nevada Senior Games and the Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah. From the age of 26, I committed to make health a top priority in my life. For the past 35 years, rather than getting overweight, out of shape, and feeling old I have basically been able to maintain the same body I had at age 30.
Here are some of my secrets:
First, and of major importance, always think of yourself as younger than your chronological age. I don't allow myself to believe that I'm getting older. I seriously believe that my body is 50% of my actual age (and for over 30 years my body's appearance and performance have seemed to confirm that). The following example shows how young thinking mentality works: There was a study done by a Harvard graduate psychologist who took 2 groups of 75-year-olds and had them live in 2 different small abandoned towns for a few weeks. She told the first group to just live there with no special instructions. She told the 2nd group to live there and to try and believe and act as though they had gone back in time 20 years and were only 55 years old. She even made sure there was only music from 20 years before as well as all the decor and appliances etc. After the 3 week experience she had a group of people judge the age of both groups without knowing anything about their experience. On average, they guessed members of the first group's age to be about 75 years old as expected. But surprisingly, they judged the 2nd group as being more than 5 years younger on average.. From this experiment, we can see that there is a definite mental effect on our age and how we feel and act. I logically concluded that along with thinking they were younger the 2nd 75-year-old group must have begun physically moving more like they did when they were 55 and becoming a lot more active. I also recommend that in thinking of yourself as younger that you should interpret things differently when it comes to your body. For example, when I have soreness or stiffness, I don't think of it as "I'm getting old". Instead, I thinks, I must not be stretching or moving around enough, so of course, I feel stiff. Then I make sure to do more stretching or whatever is necessary to not feel stiff or sore.
Of course, there is also a major physical component to feeling and becoming younger. We must do the obvious things that we've heard for years. Eat healthy food, exercise regularly, maintain our ideal weight, reduce our stress and get enough sleep. In more detail, the following is an article in the online Salt Lake Tribune written about me.
60 IS THE NEW 30 (YOUNG THINKING & 5 WAYS TO A MUCH YOUNGER BODY) Las Vegas, Nev. Dec. 22, 2016
61-year-old Edward Southwick tells you how to start working towards 50% of age super health. Most people look and feel their age. Few people think that 60 is young. Yet there are a growing number of people who feel and look much younger than their age. What are their secrets? Let’s get some hints by learning a little about 61-year-old, Edward Southwick.
Edward, who is also the author of ‘The 10 Habits of Happy People’ also teaches about 50% of age Super Health. He is 61 years old, but there is nothing 60-ish about him: 60 is the new 30 video. He has the energy, power, and body of a very athletic 30-year-old. He runs a 5 minute 15 second mile and easily won the 200, 400, and 800 meter races in the 2016 Nevada Senior Games and the Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah. From the age of 26, he committed to make health a top priority in his life. For the past 35 years, rather than getting overweight, out of shape, and feeling old he has basically been able to maintain the same body he had at age 30.
Edward notes, “At a young age it was obvious to me that we only get one body in this life and that there is nothing more important than keeping that body healthy and in good shape because you live with it 24/7.”
Here are some of his secrets:
First, and of major importance, always think of yourself as younger than your chronological age. Edward doesn’t allow himself to believe that he is getting older. He seriously believes his body to be 50% of his actual age (and for over 30 years his body’s appearance and performance have seemed to confirm that). He gives the following example of how young thinking mentality works: There was a study done by a Harvard graduate psychologist who took 2 groups of 75-year-olds and had them live in 2 different small abandoned towns for a few weeks. She told the first group to just live there with no special instructions. She told the 2nd group to live there and to try and believe and act as though they had gone back in time 20 years and were only 55 years old. She even made sure there was only music from 20 years before as well as all the decor and appliances. After the 3 week experience she had a group of people judge the age of both groups without knowing anything about their experience. On average, they guessed the first group’s age to be about 75 years old as expected. But surprisingly, they judged the 2nd group as being more than 5 years younger. From this experiment, there is a definite mental effect on our age and how we feel and act. Edward logically concluded that the 2nd 75-year-old group must have begun physically moving more like they did when they were 55 and becoming a lot more active. Edward also recommends that in thinking of ourselves as younger that we should interpret things differently when it comes to our body. For example, when he has soreness or stiffness, he doesn’t think of it as “I’m getting old”, he thinks, “I must not be stretching or moving around enough, so of course, I feel stiff”. Then he makes sure to do more stretching or whatever is necessary to not feel stiff or sore. Of course, there is also a major physical component to feeling and becoming younger. We must do the obvious things that we’ve heard for years. Eat healthy food, exercise regularly, maintain our ideal weight, reduce our stress and get enough sleep.
In more detail, we should do the following:
1- Eat a lot more vegetables and fruits than we normally do. We should also eat a large variety and try to eat foods that don’t have a lot of chemicals and pesticides in them. Eating vegetables and fruits with pesticide spray on them could be worse than not eating them at all. So, although it costs a little more it is important to try and eat organic labeled foods as much as possible. Our bodies need a wide variety of vitamins and minerals which come from eating a large variety of vegetables and fruits. Try and eat all the different colors of vegetables (Edward eats a 12-vegetable medley cooked in a slow cooker/crock pot that has everything from broccoli and mushrooms to carrots and zucchini).
2- Increase your overall physical conditioning by doing at least 2 full body exercise routines a week and trying to get in some daily aerobic activity like jogging or bicycling (or at the very least some brisk walking).
3- Try and keep your weight the same as your ideal weight (or at least as low as when you were 20 years old). Edward is 6’1″ and only weighs 165 pounds (5 pounds less than he did when he was 20). Many Americans might think that he is an exception and that it is unrealistic, but Edward notes that most Japanese elderly people weigh less than when they were 20. They also eat a very healthy diet with a large variety and portions of vegetables (and they seldom eat processed foods). So along with becoming a lot younger than our chronological age we can also remain the same weight as our younger selves.
4- Reduce your stress by doing daily meditation and deep breathing exercises as well as really unwinding by doing something you really enjoy every day. You should have something to look forward to at the end of your work day and on the weekends.
5- Get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. Edward notes that he has gone through short periods when he only got 6 hours or less of sleep a night and realizes that very busy people may push that kind of lifestyle. However, if they do, the body will usually pay for the reduced sleep and body replenishment time. This comes out in various forms such as more illnesses, increased stress and even weight gain (and aging more quickly). Edward recommends making enough sleep a priority just like good eating and exercise.
For more tips contact Edward Southwick at www.allabouthappiness.com
The health and happiness coach previously appeared on national TV and radio as well as did seminars all over Japan. Now he works on bringing awareness in America to those who think they must “act and feel their age”.
Distributed by Shenteria Marie ([email protected])
