The 4-part movement recipe for staying young forever.
Go with me on this...
My mom (Jo Anne) used to be a hot little number in the 60s/70s/80s.
We were talking this morning and she told me, "Then one day—out of the blue it seemed!— I was old. And now I've been old longer than I was young."
She's turning 80 this year and has politely requested that I stop telling people her age, so sorry about that, Mom.
For the record, she's a young almost-80.
When you’re young—and I’m casting a wide net on this term, let's say 20s through 50s or even 60s—it seems like you’ll be young forever.
But a huge portion of the human experience is being “old.”
What that means varies WILDLY depending on the person.
Some people kick ass until they’re literally 100+.
You think Jane Fonda aged the way she did based on cosmetic surgery alone?
Hell no. She’s strong AF.
Some people are old and infirm in their 50s/60s.
What makes the difference?
Attitude and outlook, certainly.
But also: mental capacity and physical ability.
Of those I just listed, the most significant indicator of your overall mental acuity is your physical strength and coordination.
Which is awesome because you have the final say in those factors.
If you want to stay physically and mentally YOUNG, you have to move physically young.
👉 Backbody Project is built around this as a concept and a practice.
But whether you Backbody or not, you can incorporate our stay-young recipe.
Here’s how:
1. Get some heart-healthy cardio (and don't let it be your primary form of exercise—it's not enough and its returns are literally diminishing).
A little cardio…
2. Practice movement patterns that challenge your coordination. If it feels expected and totally simple, change it up. Do things that take you out of your comfort zone because if you don't, someday walking might be out of your comfort zone.
Challenging patterns…
3. Lift heavy shit (as the cool doctors say), which in my book also includes body-weight exercises. I don't care what all the IG kettlebell coaches say. Many people who lift can't even do a proper push-up. Remember that everyone is selling something so use your intuition here.
Strength, including body weight exercises.
Oh, and if you're not hitting fatigue in an exercise, it's time to level up (more weight or more reps).
4. Now here's the game changing ingredient: Fast-twitch cardio, aka movements that require everything you've got.
Jump squats work!
These are the powerful movements like jump squats, box jumps, sprinting, and certain types of wicked-heavy lifting (that'll be a no thanks from me, but if you like it, that's wonderful!).
These are movements that get you really out of breath and require a recovery time. The good news is that you need much of this. Two 10-minute sessions a week make a world of difference overall. I've talked about the why behind this extensively.
Last thing.
Across cultures and demographics, thigh muscle density is correlative with healthy cognition. (Check this study.)
Also correlated: your walking speed, your grip strength, your ability to stand on one foot, and how quickly/easily you rise out of a chair. (Here's that study.)
Do with that info what you will, but I mention it because a friend just texted me this:
I get in the mindset of not feeling like I’m doing enough? So then I don’t do anything at all? The things the brain tells you…
For me, an all or nothing approach to fitness doesn't work. Trust me, I'm all or nothing with lots of things (like laundry). Sometimes life feels like a balancing act and if I drop a single plate, the whole thing will come crashing down.
BUT
Less can truly be more in playing the longevity game.
Just do something.
Make a commitment to ten minutes a day every damn day. It's certainly not nothing and might be more valuable than exercising in spurts, then burning out. (Been there! Not going back....)
Love,
