How To Maintain Your Edge

Longevity for Lions

How to Maintain Your Edge as You Age

by Kevin Kearns

Let’s face some facts here. Just like death and taxes, it’s a given that we will all get older. I like to say, however, we are becoming more seasoned, like a good stew or a fine wine. But the facts are that we are getting older every day. A fact of life is that you will inevitably “kick the bucket” to make way for the next generation. Facts are facts, and you can’t dispute them. However, as an exercise scientist, I can say that we can manipulate many variables so we can slow down the aging process. Now, before you go off half cock and say that this is about steroids and HGH, it’s actually not. There are other ways to “play” with the aging card, while we train hard and stay healthy. Or, should I say train smarter, not harder? How do I know? Because I live it every day. As of the summer this year, I, personally, turned 48 years of age! To put that into perspective, my father passed at age 48. Times have changed because people, in general, are more health conscious. To add more to the perspective, I have been working out faithfully for 35 years and have been personally training people since 1987! So, you could say I have some knowledge and flight time under my belt.

Let’s discuss the variables you can manipulate within your workouts. Seven years ago, one of my top clients passed away due to cancer. He made it to 80 years old and could have reached 100, in my opinion. David A. was a great client, mentor, and friend. I started training him when he was 70 years old and stopped when he was 77, due to his disease. The one concept he used to say to me was “it’s all about moderation, Kevin.” What is moderation at age 30 is different from age 40, and so on. At 70 years old, he would train 3 times a week with me, play single’s tennis 2 times a week, and walk 2 times each week, for one hour. He could hit pads for 5 - 3s, after doing a “Burn With Kearns” workout. VARIABLE 1- EVERYTHING IN MODERATION.

The principle is simple. You are not 20 years old anymore. You need to treat your body like a temple and what you put in is what you get out.

VARIABLE 2- LESS IS MORE.

High intensity training has been around for a long time. Training more intensely for a shorter time is a good way to keep up your physical fitness, while you are on the daily “gerbil mill “ of life. The days of putting hours in the gym are over; you need to train smarter.

VARIABLE 3- CHANGE IS GOOD.

Mix it up. The two words I absolutely loathe in fitness are “I usually” and “I always“ follow this workout. How can you expect results? Try something new. I started doing yoga in 2008, due to plantar fasciitis in both my feet. How did that happen? From running 340 concrete stairs, 3 to 4 times a week for one hour. Yoga fixed it and I was able to run on trails within one year. It was the best decision I have ever made for my longevity.

VARIABLE 4 - IT' IS NOT NECESSARY TO KILL IT EVERYDAY.

This is a tough one for us trainers and athletes. We think we all need to crush ourselves during our workouts. The fact that you are working out should be enough. Every time you train, it’s a deposit into your ‘Fitness IRA.’ If you don’t have an hour to

train, train for 30 minutes; it’s better than zero.

VARIABLE 5- TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND NEW.

Joseph Pilates was ahead of his time and could have competed in multiple athletic endeavors. In the ‘70s, American Footballers were taking ballet to help with their balance, agility, and flexibility. What will you try differently today?

VARIABLE 6- YIN YANG; YOU MUST HAVE HARD WITH SOFT.

I like using steel and iron, as well, but I also get a great workout from resistance bands. Try using a band workout for “unloading the muscles,“ after a heavy weight’s day, the next day. We call it our “rubber and steel workout“ (see Feb issue 2015). The reason why those in China are all doing Tai Chi (Big hint here).

VARIABLE 7 - LISTEN TO YOUR JOINTS.

When in doubt, listen to what your body tells you. If running on a hard surface hurts, try trail running or hiking. Like box jumps? Swap out the box for a high quality fitness trampoline like JumpSport, or try them on sand at the beach.

VARIABLE 8 - YOUR DIET

My exercise physiology professor once said, “As you age, you either have to decrease calories and maintain activity or increase activity and maintain calories.” What he was referring to was losing muscle mass as we age. Mix up your foods and eat differently each day. You need to keep your metabolism on its toes, too.

The good news is that you can still build muscle mass at any age and stave off Mother Nature’s attempt to slow you down.

Workout alternates:

Box jumps hard box vs switch to fitness trampoline

Stair running vs switch to trail running

Heavy dumbbell work vs resistance bands