This Exercise Ages You Faster
Exercise that was once considered the most effective way to look younger, get leaner and more fit…now linked to accelerated aging, inflammation and chronic age-related diseases. (Plus, what you can do instead to slow the aging process down to a crawl — so you can burn off age-related weight..and look and feel YEARS younger!)
According to science, there’s a difference between chronological age and biological age, which means you can be 50 years old and literally have a body of a 40 year old. I’m sure you’ve met someone that not only looks 10 years younger, but has boundless energy and stamina. That being said, I’m sure you’ve seen the exact opposite as well, someone that looks and acts much too OLD for their actual age.
So what’s the deal? Is it genetics? I know it sounds like the most reasonable answer. But genetics have very little to do with how fast or slow you age. Believe it or not, YOU have way more control over the aging process than you think.
Seriously, it’s not science fiction… you CAN slow your aging process, BUT only if you know what to do.
...And I’m not talking about having to take anti-aging pills or hormone supplements. Nope. This is much safer and more effective. It’s something you can do on your own.
There are countless men and women who have cracked the code on aging and have literally slowed down their biological clock to a crawl. And I’ll show you all the effective anti-aging tips and tricks in just a minute, but first let’s look at what happens as you age…
- Your metabolism slows down to a snail’s pace as you age. This makes burning fat and losing weight next to impossible.
- The hormones responsible for all of your youth-like qualities such as healthy skin tone, strong lean muscle, robust energy and insatiable sex drive, start declining more and more each year that goes by. And if you’re not proactive, your youth enhancing hormone levels may drop so low that there is no turning back.
- Aging makes your bones weaker and more brittle by robbing your body of vital minerals that are essential for strong bones. This is why so many elderly people suffer from hip fractures that can lead to even more serious medical complications.
- It’s not just your physical qualities that get negatively affected by aging…your brain suffers as well. Your memory, your ability to solve problems, and your decision making skills all start to decline and worsen each year.
- And here’s the real kicker: After 40, your biological age starts to speed up and age faster than your chronological age! In fact, for every year that passes you can age up to 6 months extra. That means when you turn 42, your body is essentially turning 43…if you keep this up, at 48 your body could be as old as 52!!
- You’ll re-ignite your metabolism, reprogramming your body so you can readily start burning fat right away.
- You’ll reboot your endocrine system, creating a resurgence of youth enhancing hormones so can get infinitely more energy—and replace flab with lean, strong muscle while boosting your sex drive
- You’ll fortify your body by regaining bone density and building a solid foundation.
- Boost your brain power, enhancing memory and improving your cognitive function making you as sharp as a tack
- You’ll dramatically decelerate your body’s aging process. So, your biological age will age slower than your chronological age—making you look and feel younger each year that passes.
everything related to weight-loss and fat-loss. And although cardio can be helpful (if done properly), it does nothing to slow the aging process. In fact, it does the exact opposite!. Doing long frequent cardio sessions will break down your muscles and increase the production of free radicals. These free radicals are nasty little things that damage the cells in your body and accelerate aging.
Don’t worry if you’re concerned about your heart health. There is a much more effective way to improve your cardiovascular health, which I’ll cover in just a minute. And here’s the best part: it takes only 1/3 the time of a conventional cardio workout AND it also triggers your youth enhancing hormones instead of those nasty free radicals that age you faster!
2. A Low-Fat Diet
It’s hard to believe that “low-fat” is still a dietary recommendation because science has proven that fat is not the cause of weight gain or heart disease. In fact, since the introduction of the fat-free diet, the world has gotten more fat and sick than it has ever been before.
Fat is not the enemy. Fat does NOT make you fat. In fact, fat is an absolute must if you want your body to look and feel younger! Why? Because healthy fats are an essential source of good cholesterol, which is KEY to producing the hormones that enhance your youthful qualities. (Not all cholesterol is bad, by the way — good cholesterol is a crucial component of healthy skin tissue, making your skin more supple, glowing, and youthful). If you’re following a low-fat diet, you’re depriving your body of the nutrients it needs to slow aging and keep your youth.
3. Yoga
Yoga has been around for thousands of years and it’s still around after all this time because it’s very effective for things like improving your inner consciousness, mind-body connection and spiritual health. However, it should NOT be considered an effective form of exercise. Sure, some movements are difficult and physically challenging. BUT strictly physiologically speaking, yoga lacks the necessary components to stimulate your body to build lean muscle, burn fat and most importantly… trigger your youth-enhancing hormones to help 
slow aging. Yoga can improve your flexibility and calm your mind, but it will NOT stimulate your “youth” hormones.
What To Do Next
If you want to reverse the aging process, you need to know HOW to trigger your youth-enhancing hormones to slough away old, dead cells while elevating your metabolic process so you can burn away stubborn, flabby fat and replace it with lean, toned muscle.
The answer is metabolic training. Don’t worry, it’s not as technical as it sounds. Let me explain…
Metabolic training involves doing certain types of exercises that involve your entire body, so you can activate as many muscles as you can in a short amount of time. It’s completely different from doing traditional isolated body building exercises (like biceps curls or leg curls) where you’re only using one muscle at a time. This form of exercise takes way too long and doesn’t stimulate enough muscle fibers to increase your fat-burning and youth-enhancing hormones.
Here’s the key: the more muscles you’re able to activate at the same time, the more you’ll be able to trigger your youth-enhancing hormones. This is why using exercises that involve your entire body (upper body and lower body) at the same time is crucial.
That’s not all…there’s a particular way you want perform these exercises, because doing so will trigger your most effective fat burning hormones, so you can burn off your old excess fat that’s been hanging around way too long.
And here’s the best part… you can replace your flabby body parts with lean, toned muscle by simply following these exercise protocols, because not only do they trigger your youth-enhancing hormones and fat-burning hormones—they also boosts your testosterone. Testosterone is your ultimate lean-muscle building—hormone for BOTH men and women. And much like other hormones, your testosterone levels naturally start to decline after the age of 40, which is why it’s so difficult to gain lean muscle and maintain that youthful body tone as you get older.
Turning back the clock is easy when you know HOW to trigger the right hormones in your body. And I’ll show you the specifics behind this easy, insanely effective method on the next page. Soon you’ll be able to trigger your youth enhancing hormones, along with your fat-burning and lean-muscle building hormones so you can defy the aging process and look and feel 10 years younger!
By Shin Ohtake via MAX Workouts
warm up your body faster and is a good practice for avoiding an injury, whether you're working out indoors or out. Get toasty fast with these tricks to making your body feel warmer.
2. TAKE TIME TO REFLECT
The winter not only brings the cold, it also brings shorter days and more morning and evening darkness. 'If you're working out closer to dusk or dawn, reflective gear is a must,' says Nichole Malkiel, holistic health coach and group fitness Instructor at Shape Your Being LLC based in Fairfield, Connecticut. You should also be extra aware of your surroundings and watching for cars and traffic while exercising outdoors, she suggests.
3. LAYERS ARE YOUR FRIEND
'I rely heavily on layers, which are easy to shed if you get too warm,' says Malkiel. But you always want to cover your head, ears, fingers, and toes as they tend to get cold quickly, she adds. Learn how to layer the smart way.
4. WATCH THE WIND CHILL FACTOR
'It's important to take into consideration not only air temperatures but also wind chill factor,' says Malkiel. Although frostbite isn't likely to occur in temperatures above 5 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Mayo Clinic, the risk increases greatly with higher winds or rain. 'If the temperature is hovering around freezing and the wind is over five miles per hour, I bring my classes in,' she says. Find out the other surprising ways your body deals with freezing temps.
5. SLATHER ON THE SUNSCREEN
Yes, even in the winter. Skin is exposed to sun and UV rays during all daylight hours, even when it's cloudy and cold. If you've ever seen a friend post-ski vacation with an awkward sunburn, you know that sun damage doesn't only happen in the summer. Snow is highly reflective, so slather on a sweat-proof sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection, anytime you head outdoors to exercise. Find out other sunscreen mistakes to avoid.
6. WATCH OUT FOR FALLS
Malkiel says that when the ground is icy or snowy, the risks of working out outdoors become greater than the benefits. 'Although we enjoy being outside as much as possible, it's far too easy to get injured on snow or ice,' she says. Since slips and falls are way more common in colder months and especially in poor footwear, make sure to wear quality shoes with good traction for any outdoor workouts, regardless of weather conditions.
7. ADDRESS ASTHMA
'Check with your doctor if you have preexisting conditions such as asthma,' says Malkiel since, according to the AAAAI (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology), both exercise and cold, dry weather can exacerbate or trigger asthma symptoms. That's because the nose usually warms and moistens air for the lungs but, during intense exercise, mouth breathing is more common. As a result cold and dry air has more direct access to the lungs. (These are clear signs you have exercise-induced asthma.)
8. SHAKE OFF THE RAIN
Unless temperatures are too low, working out in the rain is completely doable, with water-resistant gear. 'There is something about the fresh air and being in Washington state where we get a lot of rain—it is the nature of our area,' says Houg. 'We learn to deal with it rather than avoid it. One of our mottos at FIT4MOM is 'We train in the rain and we mean it!'' (Though class is canceled during a thunderstorm.)
By Anne Fritz via 
in shape and, at the start, hustled to keep pace with our teenagers as we hauled ourselves up the steep boulders. But within a couple of hours I was straggling; they leapt past me like giddy mountain goats while I carefully picked my way up the rocks.
Was I disappointed? Actually, no. I felt smart. My 40-something body was telling me how to protect it from injury—and my hips and feet thanked me later. It turns out that our bodies routinely transmit this evolving wisdom, gently steering us away from activities or indulgences we can no longer tolerate to ones that will ensure continued good health.
Here are six other things your body's trying to tell you.
1. When you're dehydrated
Over the course of a lifetime, our kidneys, which transport water to our tissues, gradually lose a bit of their efficiency. Also, nerves that signal thirst gradually decline. The combination means that you may be unaware of the fact that you're not getting adequate hydration.
Listen to your body: Sip throughout the day. While there's no reason to torture yourself with eight 8-ounce glasses if you don't like it, make a habit of consuming enough fluids every day. Not an H2O fan? Try adding herbal tea at each meal.
2. When to go easy on dessert
From early adulthood to late middle age, our metabolic rates fall by an average of 10%. “That's because people tend to become more sedentary as they age,” says Barbara
Bushman, PhD, a professor of exercise physiology at Missouri State University, “and that inactivity reduces muscle mass, in turn lowering metabolism. The metabolic drop is also due to a decline in cellular activity, so even women who maintain a consistent level of fitness find that they need fewer calories to maintain the same weight.”
Listen to your body: Think of the metabolic slowdown as your body's way of getting you to be more mindful of what's on your fork or spoon. Instead of an ice cream sundae, think: healthier fruit parfait.
3. When to hit the hay
“My body can no longer handle being awake until 
test. “The elasticity of tendons, ligaments, and joints decreases,” increasing the potential for injuries, says Bushman. New evidence also links poorer flexibility to heart disease: Japanese researchers found that middle-aged and older people who do poorly on the sit-and-reach test have stiffer arteries than more flexible people.
Listen to your body: Do more activities like yoga and tai chi, which boost both flexibility and balance. And after any workout, take time to stretch, holding each pose for 15 to 20 seconds while breathing deeply.
5. When to drop a grudge
Psychologists have known for some time that people tend to become more forgiving the older they get. Researchers at the City University of Hong Kong have a new explanation for this phenomenon: Our sense of the future becomes more constrained and regulating our emotions becomes more important, so we are motivated to kiss and make up.
Listen to your body: Cultivate a kinder heart. A recent study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that cardiac patients who undergo forgiveness counseling—they learn to work though and overcome hostile feelings, and thus grudges, they hold toward others—have significantly fewer heart symptoms, such as angina, than those who don't get the counseling.
6. When to skip that extra glass of wine
A moderate amount of booze eases stress and anxiety and may protect against heart
disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and stroke. Alas, aging seems to reduce women's ability to tolerate alcohol. Why? The body retains less water, so alcohol becomes more concentrated, and therefore more potent. Drinking even a little more than usual increases the risk of tipsy mishaps, including falls.
Listen to your body: A little vino now and then is a good idea, but stick to no more than one glass at a time, and don't exceed seven servings per week.
By Sarah Mahoney via 
fitness. We like to do what we are good at. It's time to step it up. Do something new. If all you do are lunges and leg press because you think your beast at them then try one of the other hundred ways of working legs.
It's nice to be really good at a few things but you want to be good at as many things as you can. It also gives a challenged to your workouts. Doing something new usually causes you to either drop weight or spend more time mastering...it’s like your starting from scratch! Embrace it, you haven't always been a beast!
Focusing On The Little
Unless you’re competing for your pro-card and taking buckets of steroids you don't need 6 different arm exercises on arm day. I have learned so many weird bodybuilding tricks over the years that it would be confusing to explain them all. One thing I have learned, is if you focus more on the major muscle groups and worry less about how much your wrist twists at the top of your bicep curl then your doing fine.
Stop adding all these filler movements and exercises and talk about different angles and blah blah blah. The average person doesn't need that. Yes, angles play a role in lifting but not as much as you think.
Plan It Out
Where are you going to go? What are you going to be doing between sets? What exercises are you going to do first? Which ones are your compound exercises and which ones are not? How much weight did you do last time? How are you going to change your program up this week to support progression? Most of these questions need to be worked out before you start moving around.
Call me old school but I am getting back into writing everything down so I know where to challenge myself next week and what needs to change for the next month cycle. Sure you can just walk in to a gym and start moving stuff around but you’re not going to get far. So if you’re serious about seeing results, start writing.
Protein Powder
It's not that big of a deal. There are thousands of brands of protein supplements on the market. There is no way I could tell you which ones are the best out of them all. I can say
that getting an organic, grass fed whey would probably be the best but I personally don't do that. Costco sells a giant tub of 100% whey protein that I have been buying for years.
Lately, I have gotten away from drinks and turned more to chewing my protein.... to each his own. Watch the carbs, sugar and any other filler crap that they put in those other powders. If your whey powder tastes like a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato then odds are it’s not the best for you.
Lifting With Your Boys
I have lifted with small groups of guys before and the majority of the time gets spent messing around and getting too much of nothing done. Stick to one partner or none at all (see my next point). The more people you have the less you can get done. 45 minute workouts turn to 1:15 minute workouts.
You may have all the motivation and drive in the world but banking on the rest of the guys your with to have that same drive...don't hold your breath. Stop using the gym as your social hour.
Lift Alone
I am blessed to have a beast partner that pushes me and is always down to try new things. We are seeing results and getting things done. I have had partners in the past that always showed up late or never at all, never really changed much up. I just wasn't there to do that and like anyone else time is precious.
These kinds of partners are not going to help you get results. You’re better off lifting alone and getting more things done. "But I need a spotter" I answer this in my next point.
Lift Till You're Blue In The Face
Do me a favor for a few weeks try not going to ultimate failure and then some with every set. Tone it down some. Do as many reps as you can with perfect form then hang it up. You can do this with any rep range whether it’s a low rep or high.
Do what you can with good form and leave it alone. This protects your central nervous system from being over worked and not being able to help repair your body after your workouts. You will feel better and recover faster for the next lift.
Lift With Your Girl
As long as you two part ways the minute you walk into the door. Odds are she is afraid to do anything heavy and will walk over to a few machines and end up in the stability ball and band area. If you take the time to explain to her the importance of doing heavy weights and compound exercises and she is on board, then let her join you.
My wife is pretty rocking. She will do just about anything I tell her to as long as it’s not going 
to put her life in danger (although sometimes there is always that chance). She is willing to push heavier weights and stay away from the bosu balls. Total respect for you ladies doing work in the gym! :)
Being A Member Of A Globo Gym
Meat market, drama, and clickish tendencies is what I hear the most coming from these places. They are great for the classes and variety of equipment but if you’re like any other social person your workouts could turn into a social hour. I'm not knocking them completely. Total respect for the guys and gals who go into those places and grind out killer workouts and not get mixed up in all the mess!! BUT....The hottest gyms are the little hole in the wall studios you see around town.
Working for Old Dominion University as a trainer for a little while gave me somewhat of a feel for the bigger gym atmosphere. Spending most of my career in small studios has really allowed me to grow a passion for the smaller studio feel. It’s just better. You get the family atmosphere and depending on the owner you can find some pretty odd objects to use in your workout.
Doing Olympic Lifts With Straps
I have heard horror stories of noobs trying to hang clean or full clean weight and actually breaking their wrists because of the weight and lack of proper technique. You can't clean tons of weight and expect your wrists to have the proper range of motion (along with the rest of your arms) as a noob. If your new to the clean then go light and work on your catch and ROM when its at rest (top position).
Catching with your elbows pointing straight out and landing the bar across your upper chest and delts. If your grip is suffering then spend some extra time on your off days working on grip exercises. Check this video out! Start with these and use some chalk until your form and wrist/arm ROM is on point. By then you shouldn't even need straps to do them. Win-Win situation.
Bring The Celly
Leave the phone in your car. In today's day you probably send well over a thousand texts a month...if not more. You don't need to have that thing right on your side the whole time. Facebook, twitter, emails etc. all get sent to our phones which means your probably checking some kind of notification every few minutes. This is time away from your lifts. Whatever it is can wait.
If it's an emergency then let those people know where you are. What happened to just calling the main building the person was in. That's what intercoms are for right? Now, if you’re doing everything I say then you’re probably lifting at a small local studio therefore they can call you there almost directly. :) Don’t worry, I am guilty of this too! I hate it when I catch myself wasting time looking at an email or post. It's all about productivity.
Go after it!
By William Richards via 
We saw this first-hand when we talked with a woman who lost 100 pounds and 10 dress sizes started with walking. Again, we heard this from celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak, whose top weight-loss tip was getting 10K steps each day.
Walking is also part of LISS cardio, which stands for low-intensity sustained state - one of the most effective ways to burn fat! Your improved cardiovascular health will serve as an endurance booster, meaning you will soon be able to take on more challenging workouts, furthering your weight-loss progress.
If you're looking for simple ways to add more steps into your day, we've compiled some hacks for you. Check it out:
1. Walk the block: This tip came from Harley, who tells all of his clients the same thing: "Every morning before you leave your home, walk around the block once." The same thing goes for when you get home at night. "That's twice a day, 
one mile, then you've done 100 extra miles of physical activity a year with one small change."
2. Get coffee somewhere else: Try this out: instead of getting coffee from the office kitchen, try grabbing your daily cup from a coffee shop . . . and not the closest one! Pick the next shop over, the one that's just a bit farther away. Pressed for time? Starbucks offers a preorder feature on the app, and in some cities you can use the Order Ahead app for several coffee shops and cafes. That way, you can use the time you would be spending standing in line - you guessed it - walking!
3. Make it a social activity: When you're making weekend plans with friends, try going for a walk. The fresh air, sunshine, and quiet quality time will be refreshing, and you'll both get some much-needed movement in - especially if you sit at a desk all day for work.
4. Skip the Uber. Wearing comfortable shoes? Avoid traffic and add in some activity by walking to the store, work, or your social activities. Harley recommended walking to happy hour after work with friends to ensure that no one is drinking and driving - and to get those extra steps in.
5. Challenge your friends: Do you have a fitness tracker? Certain trackers like Fitbit have apps that allow you to create a "challenge" between you and a friend, family member, or co-worker. Let the competitive side of you come out, and see who can get the most steps.
6. Take the stairs: It can be so tempting to take the escalator or elevator, but whenever you can, opt for stairs. Like we said, one
positive change begets another, and any extra movement counts.
7. Stand up once an hour: It can be so easy to sit down to watch TV or movies, or be at your desk, and forget to get up at all; you look at the clock and realize, "Whoa, I've been sitting for four hours!" Make it a habit to get up once each hour and move your legs. I like to drink extra water to make sure I have to get up to go to the bathroom; you can also set your fitness tracker to remind you to move hourly! If you're in an office, try walking over to talk to someone instead of emailing or chatting with them. It seems small, but it adds up.
8. Park farther away: Do you drive to work? Park in the back of the parking lot - you'll get extra walking in before and after work. The public transportation version: get off one or two stops early. This can be applied to anything beyond work, including the grocery store or pharmacy, a friend or family member's house, or even your gym.
9. Walk on the treadmill: Got a gym membership? Don't be intimidated by the cardio machines. Walking on the treadmill can actually burn lots of calories. Once you've built a little endurance, try this 20-minute walking treadmill hike for beginners (you won't go over 4 mph, don't worry!).
By Dominique Astorino via