How to Stay Forever Fit and Firm - Part 3, A Balanced Diet

I have to be honest and tell you that more than 50 percent of the exercise required to stay fit and firm as you age involves a fork and knife. No amount of exercise can compensate for poor dietary habits. I believe in finding a healthy eating plan that works for you, that you can live with for the long-term.

Fad diets don’t work because they are too restrictive for most people to follow and to incorporate into their daily lives. How many times have you seen someone lose a lot of weight in a short period and here people say, “Have you seen so-and-so, since she’s been on that new diet? She looks so good.” Then you see that person a year or so later, and she is heavier than ever. That’s the typical outcome of a fad diet.

The key to eating healthy over the long-term is balance and moderation in the foods you consume daily. You can eat any food you desire as long as it is in moderation and balanced it with the rest of the foods you consume. For example, I love brownies, so when I have a brownie for dessert I only have one. I also balance the carbohydrates and sugar in the brownie by not having bread with my meal.

The first step to learning balance and moderation in your diet is knowing how to classify foods into their basic source of protein, carbohydrates, and fats as well as how they are used in your body. The second step is mastering portion. Knowing how many calories you consume from each food source and what your serving sizes are will enable you to balance your meals. Eating this way can be easily incorporated into your lifestyle - it’s a plan you can stick with over time.

I Couldn't Do This Own My Own

'I couldn't do this on my own'

How to Stay Forever Fit and Firm - Part 2, An Optimistic State of Mind

I believe an optimistic state of mind is the first and most important step in your journey for a more fit and firmer you. You must rid your mind of all the negative images you have of aging. Your body conforms itself to the mental image you hold of yourself. Envision yourself becoming weak and frail as you age, and this is what you will become. Imagine yourself strong and full of life and this is what you become.

For example, a certain man who I see regularly working out at the gym always complains of the aches and pains of getting old. He is my age but he looks and moves like a man 15 years older. He works out regularly, but his body is conforming to the negative image he has of the aging process.

Your body completely rebuilds itself every 11 months. This means every cell in your body is replaced each year. Whether your body rebuilds itself with strong healthy cells or weak unhealthy cells starts in the way you think about yourself. Think of yourself as strong and healthy and your body will replace old weak cells with strong and healthy cells.

Think about this, medications do not heal your body. They only aid your body in healing itself. Positive and healthy thoughts are more powerful in the healing process than any medication you could ever take. Thus, a fitness program built around a belief in your continued strength and fitness level as you age is core to reaching your health and fitness goals.

Positive thinking not only works in your health and fitness but also in all areas of your life. You tend to draw those things into your life that you think about the most. Ever notice how people who complain a lot always have more to complain about? And on the contrary, people who are thankful always have more to be thankful for? It’s called the Law of Attraction.

The Law of Attraction works like this: You attract things and conditions into your life that you believe to be true. If you believe that you catch a cold every year at a certain time, you will catch a cold every year at that certain date until you change your belief about it. Try this experiment. Think of someone you do not like, a person who just rubs you the wrong way. Now, start wishing all the best for that person. Do this every day and watch how your attitude toward that person changes and how their attitude toward you changes also.

This is how I develop and keep a positive outlook in my life. I start each day with what I call my “coffee time with God.” I spend 15 minutes reading something inspirational, while having my coffee. Then I spend 15 minutes in silent prayer and meditation. In my prayer, I thank God for my life, health, and strength and I ask for His guidance in all my ways. I meditate on all the blessings and the goodness that God brings into my life. I release any animosity I have towards anyone and send him or her blessings. I can’t put into words how wonderful I feel after this 30 minute ritual. I can only recommend that you try this and see the wonders it will bring to your life.

How to stay Forever Fit and Firm

My name is Darvis Simms, and I am a personal trainer. Over the last 17 years , I’ve helped hundreds of people get healthy and stay fit. In this series of posts, I want to help you realize your fitness potential by showing you what I do myself and with my clients. I’m writing these posts based on the things that I have learned and applied in my exercise program over the last 30 years in my quest to stay fit and firm as I age. My methods are not based on scientific theory but rather on results that I have attained for both myself and my clients.

As I mature and my client base matures, I’m beginning to specialize in fitness over age 40. I’m in my fifties so I understand the challenges you face as you fight the aging process. I am stronger, fitter, and I feel better than I did in my twenties. I’m writing this series of posts to show you how to look and feel as good, or even better, in your forties and fifties than you did in your twenties.

People seem to think that once they reach the age of forty, their bodies start to deteriorate , slipping down the slope into old age. They blame their lack of energy, their pudgy appearance, and their aches and pains on “getting old”. Most of these symptoms are however the result of years of negative thinking, lack of exercise, and poor dietary choices. The key to keeping your body fit and firm as you age is making healthy lifestyle choices on a daily basis.

It’s a proven fact that people who make healthy lifestyle choices live longer and have a better quality of life than those who adopt unhealthy habits. So, deciding to incorporate healthy habits into your life is the first step to getting and staying fit and firm with age. The next step is choosing those activities that are the most beneficial in your quest to stay fit and firm.

Those, including myself, who stay fit and firm as the years pass find that a positive state of mind, and a proper mix of strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and balanced nutrition is fundamental to getting and staying healthy as you mature. People, such as Jack LaLanne and Al Beckles are examples of the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.

Jack LaLann, who recently passed away, was a living icon to the benefits of healthy thinking, eating, and exercise. Over the years he performed amazing feats of strength and conditioning on his birthdays as he got older. Jack was in great shape, and worked outs two hours each day, devoting one and a half hours to strength training well into his nineties. This is a true testament to the value of strength training as you age.

Al Beckles is a legend in the bodybuilding world. At the age of 55, Al placed second in the Mr. Olympia competition. The Mr. Olympia Competition is the premier bodybuilding event which thousands of competitors from across the world dream of winning each year. Al Beckles competed well into his sixties because his physique was still phenomenal and better than competitors more than half his age.

While I don’t place myself in the same class with Jack LaLanne and Al Beckles I can tell you the value that healthy lifestyle habits have in my life. As mentioned , I am in my fifties and I keep my body fat at 10 percent or less. My fitness program consists of four strength training sessions each week followed by 20 minutes of cardio. I can chest press 100 pound dumbbells for 10 repetitions and leg press more than 1000 pounds, neither of which I could do in my twenties.

I’m writing this weekly series of posts called Forever Fit and Firm with the hope of changing your concept of aging. You can be healthy, strong, firm, and fit regardless age, and I’m going to show you how.