The Fountain of Youth

Is Fitness Wasted on the Young

One of the hardest parts of a fitness lifestyle is looking into the mirror without being able to see any improvement. Granted, this is not as bad as seeing ten or so extra pounds around the middle. But it is not as good as seeing a significant reward for the incredible effort which a fitness lifestyle requires. At least that is how it is for most for the first six months of getting fit

Seeing no immediate improvement is very common for those over thirty. That is true even if these people are doing everything right. By contrast, this does not seem to be the case with high school aged people. With them, night and day differences can be seen after a mere summer of daily weight lifting, proper diet and intelligent supplementation. But these may all go away by Christmas due to a lack of sustained effort. Nevertheless the differences do initially appear and are noticeable by everyone.

Seeing these improvements occur but then seeing them quickly fade away often leads older adults to cynically say that fitness is wasted on the young. Perhaps they will even say that if only the young folks would have kept at it they would have had something to be proud of when they got to college. The assumption is that if the adults would have seen such gains so quickly they would have kept with it--something which all too often does not happen.

If that is true, and perhaps it is, one begins to wonder over what enables the younger people to attain relatively spectacular goals in short short periods of time. In other words, one asks why younger people fare so much better in the short run? If only their success could be duplicated.

Most likely true is that the biological growth factors are simply stronger in those who are younger. That is the common assumption, at any rate. Possibly this why so many older persons wish to be young again, as they so often seem to say. That is certainly understandable.

With older persons, diet, supplementation and exercise- the known catalysts for biological change- seem to always take forever. Often times they result only in depressing plateaus which account for the March drop out phenomenon following New Year's Day kick -off. That, the health club owners know all too well. Of course, the demands on middle aged persons are greater, making sustained discipline far more challenging. But it seems most likely that the greatest factor is the lack of apparent improvement. This is what stares back at us as we look sadly in the mirror.

The danger in too much contemplation of this state of affairs is to believe that real weight loss or lasting fitness is completely dependent upon age, meaning that it is therefore not worth the effort for the average adult. Nothing could be further the from the truth. Adults can benefit as well as teenagers. It is just that the changes will not almost never occur as quickly. Therefore what is really needed is an acceptance of the fact that changes will take much longer. That is to say, those over thirtty should not expect to see sharp differences in less than six months.

For further thought on refusing to give up on optimal healthiness order my book "Think and Grow Fit."

Posted by mark clemens at 8/27/2010 9:31 AM | Add Comment

Think and Grow Fit a Reader's Digest approach

Think and Grow Fit --

The No-Hype Guide to Getting Fit and Staying that Way Forever

Chapter 1

What if your new diet, exercise, and supplement routine actually worked? What if you could start to see changes? Would you actually stay with it, always optimistic of where it might take you?

People today are often called Health Nuts for thinking, feeling and acting this way. Their critics are the Normal Majority who are too sensible to to be concerned with things that only a high schooler (so they feel) would take seriously.

Do think of yourself as a health conscious person instead of a health nut. Don't go near those who make you feel one down for being this way.

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Chapter 2

What if you are afraid to start really taking care of yourself physically? What if you think you may be too old? How about too out of shape? Or worse, what if you think your friends will stop thinking that you are worthy of their respect?

Most of us today do not do anything major without first consulting with our MD. But, what does he or she really think about our desire to be 20 years younger as well as meeting all of the standards of normal healthiness?

Do take modern medicine seriously. Don't let it keep you from being all that you can be.

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Chapter 3

If being fit is being youthful, do you have the courage to turn back the clock? Or, are you more content with growing old gracefully, many times called acting your age?

Most of us are taught from early on that we begin to die the day after we are born. That makes us co-operate with nature when we start to slow down. Hardly anyone ever says anything about growing new cells or increasing in physical ability.

Do refuse to age right on schedule. Don't think that being your age is your only option.

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Chapter 4

What is the USA like when it comes to fitness? What are you like? Do you believe that being in great physical condition is only for people under the age of thirty (just shy of thirty-something?)

Most people believe that the lucky people hit their athletic peak in high school or early college, if they participate in atletics at all. Then they become fat or fall apart soon after they are done competing (hang it up.)

Do act like a high school athlete by working out, supplementing and eating right. Don't ever stop.

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Chapter 5

Why are we so concerned about turning over a new leaf, starting with resolutions the first of the year? Shouldn't we care more about following through on what we started?

Health clubs go through increased enrollments right after New Year's Day. The owners generally find that they return almost to where they started by mid-February. Turning to an intelligent use of performance enhancers along with a resolve to stay with it will correct this problem entirely.

Do get some green tea capsules or something like them to go along with your low fat low carb diet and well thought through workout routine. Don't think that a return to your morning 32 oz of Caribou with syrup, red meat, potato chips and relaxation is better for you in the long run just because evryone else is doing it.

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Chapter 6

Is your husaband, wife or best friend on your side when you talk about a health conscious life-style? Or, are they hoping that you will soon outgrow your high school-like interest?

We all need people to support us in what we do, especially when it's hard to do it. Often times those closest to us are really against these aspirations, whatever they may say.

Do get your spouse or best friend wholly on board with your plans. Don't expect much of yourself until you've been successful in this area.

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Chapter 7

Have you heard of Jack Lalanne? Did your mother watch him during the sixties? Have you Googled him recently?

Jack is ninety-five. He is an extra-ordinary athlete for any age, still doing a two hour a day workout. His energy levels are spectacular which he attributes to juicing raw vegetables along with working out and eating right.

Do learn from Jack. Don't ever stop doing the things that he still does or think that he is spectacular only because of his genes.

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Chapter 8

Do you call yourself a health nut to make your friends like you? Do they call you a health nut in the hope of changing you back to the way that they still are?

Being a health cnscious person in the USA is something that invites jokes and ridicule. With the startling rise in obesity and the many other serious health conditions which can be avoided by being fit, this makes no sense whatsoever.

Do risk being called a health nut. Find others who are like minded so that the absurd criticisms from others are never powerful.

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Chapter 9

What do you have for breakfast or when you go for a break at work? Would you give the same to your pet?

Jack Lalanee once said that we would never give Barney the beagle a bowl filled with coffee, a donut, a Big Mac and a cigarette. Yet we do this to ourselves.

Do treat yourself at least as well as you treat your pets. Don't be afraid to explore organic food stores and supplement shops.

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Chapter 10

Are your old friends supportive of your health conscious lifestyle? Can you really be yourself around them without them making fun of you?

Dollar burgers, Mountain Dew, Big Macs are all apart of our American lifestyle. Everyone is expected to like these and share in the fun of enjoying them with others.

Do find a support group if you cannot leave your old friends with their mediocre demands. Don't let your life-long friends shorten your life.

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Chapter 11

Do you just want to be OK, or is this not good enough for you? What are your health aspirations?

So much of American healthiness is being disease free, neither obese nor anorexic and chemical free, and passing the check up tests. For many of us this is not enough.

Do decide to be all that you can be athletically-- as fit as you would like. Don't settle for easy answers or quick cures when you really want far more.

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Chapter 12

Do believe in physical trasformations without surgery? Do think that good fashioned hardwork will ever make them come about?

Consistent hard work and discipline not only cause good things to happen but even become enjoyable over time.

Do stick at your new routine. Don't stop doing it any more than you would ever stop brushing your teeth.

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Chapter 13

Are all of your friends convinced that taking it easy is the essence of the American good life? Are any of them energetic enough to join you at a health club?

Rest and relaxation are seen by most to be a cure-all for every discomfort. It's also proof that we as a nation are better off than others elsewhere.

Do dare to be different in the interests of maximizing your healthiness. Don't confuse your American identity with a sedentary lifestyle filled with big drug-company cure-alls.

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Chapter 14

Do you believe in weight training or is this only for high schoolers?

Weight training along with cardiovascular activities such as cycling have been shown to positively alter cell structure in as little as six months regardless of age.

Do pump iron even you are 70. Don't neglect these activities just to keep your children happy or fit into the ideal grandparent pictures of your favorite magazines.

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Chapter 15

Do you believe that the greater part of your fitness is under your control? Or do you think there is nothing that you can do to affect positive change in your body?

Every adult is expected to act his or her age and grow old gracefully, which means becoming more passive by the year. But another possibility is to work at getting oneself on cruise control every morning.

Do learn how to stride through your life whatever your age. Don't be afraid of cruising all day at 70 mph in a car designed to do 120.

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Chapter 16

Do you know how much you can handle when it comes to exercise, food or supplemets? Is this the same as what you are doing? Are you the one who is setting the parameters?

By perusing the internet, reading and thinking, we can all devise a healthy life style which will do the things we want. The trial and error method with a daily log and weeekend reflection will get us all comfortable with what we should be doing for ourselves.

Do think for yourself when it comes to your optimal healthiness. Don't forget that you are the one who makes the final decisions with regard to your fitness destiny.

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Chapter 17

How much reading do you do about health and fitness? With all of the information on the internet and in the health food stores, do you read any of it? To which periodicals do you subscribe?

One of the most common assertions when it comes to heath is I didn't know. That can be in regard to diets, supplements and workout routines as opposed to self-defeating habits which lead to obesity, stroke and heart disease.

Do educate yourself. Don't rely only on your doctor or the TV commercials for the large drug manufacturers.

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Chapter 18

Do you still have the time and courage to be brutally honest with yourself, knowing that you may find out some things that you will need to keep private?

People do not do the things that they should because of deep resitances to do so. Most often these are unpleasant and humiliating, though later they become easily understandable.

Do understand why you do not do the things you should. Don't turn up the radio to keep from confronting your deepest motives.

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Chapter 19

Do you believe in prolonging your life by acting your age? Does this mean starting to cut back and slow down soon after high school?

Jack Lalanee has irrefutably proven that the body gets better with continued work and discpline. More are joining his ranks today.

Do better today at diet supplementation and working out than you you did yeterday. Don't give it up for the normal American life of ease.

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Chapter 20

Are you motivated to never miss a workout or overdo your eating for the first ninety days? Do you have a plan for continuing beyond the difficult days when that seems impossible?

Proper diet supplementation and exercise take time to work. But they do give rise to enegertic feelings, increased healthiness, and greater vibrancy if continued over a long enough period of time. After a two year period they become easy, and in fact, fun.

Do resolve to make it past the ninetieth day. Don't ever stop any more than you would ever stop brushing your teeth.

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Chapter 21

Do you idolize the people on the Extreme Makeover show? Would you like to be one of the participants?

Liposuction, plastic surgey and bone adjustment do require surgical procedures. Some of us can afford them. But, continual training and daily adjustments of attitudes are needed to maintain the gain.

Do strive to live like a champion never losing sight of what you want to achieve. Don't give up your dreams because they sound impossible to you and all of your friends and family.

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Chapter 22

Are you ready to start? What will it take to get everything more important in the background?

Half-hearted effort only asks for injury and failure. One must decide to go for the gold today and never turn back. Everyone knows this but few actually do it.

Do get going now. Don't stop for anyone ... not even yourself.

THINK and GROW FIT

Posted by mark clemens at 8/27/2010 9:08 AM | Add Comment

Its neither too late nor too early

Most people intuitively accept that diet supplementation and exercise are necessary ingredients for a healthy lifestyle. Yet they have trouble living by this. They cannot find the money for the supplements. They claim that healthy food is tasteless and they are not sure if exercise is right for them. This is true of many people regardless of their age.

Yet, different factors seem to be behind these complaints. Perhaps they are dependent upon age or station in life. For instance in younger people the whole idea of a fitness lifestyle is simply not socially acceptable. In their words it is not cool, meaning that it is not something which their friends would approve of. Rather, eating junk food, staying involved in video games, to say nothing of smoking or abusing substances is somehow more appropriate and uplifting. Bewilderingly, this can even be counter to the examples of their parents, who may be heavily involved in a fitness lifestyle.

For those who are in their forties, things are a little different. A few people at their work may be into healthy living, but this is not enough to persuade the greater part of their co-workers to follow suit. Most often those in question are heavily involved with the pursuit of their careers, possibly traveling in excess of forty five minutes to and from their offices. In addition, they may take work home with them to gain an advantage on the next day. To them, their problem is over not having enough time to work out. Yet they too are concerned with appearances. Fitting in is of utmost importance. Therefore, they will find it difficult to eat healthily, stay away from excess caffeine or refuse to fast foods with their co-workers on the lunch hour. To do so would make them feel strange or socially inappropriate to say nothing of being looked at oddly.

For people in their fifties and sixties, things are entirely different. With them there is little or no social difficulty but, rather a more personal one. There is the fear of starting a workout routine which is perceived by the media as being only for young people. Further there is the need to change eating habits that are now deeply ingrained. Giving up red meat, excess carbohydrates and fat foods may seem far too austere for those heading into a retirement, which is supposed to be easy and fun. Moreover, the whole idea of supplements is absurd to them, having been taught from early on that three balanced meals is all that s ever needed.

Whatever the reasons for not being into a fitness lifestyle, none need to be ultimately persuasive or permanent. In fact, none should be. allowed to be. One should simply ignore the pressures against being into a fitness lifestyle,thereby asserting oneself by simply being into it. And that should be started as soon as possible, whether one is sixteen or sixty. It is the same for everyone.

For further thought on the benefits of a fitness lifestyle order my book Think and grow Fit.

Posted by mark clemens at 8/20/2010 7:11 AM | Add Comment

Why do we never do what we should

Why is it that WE all know what to do, but never seem to stay at it?

VISIT my site OFTEN for proof that we can get better with age along with what you can do to make that happen.

What have you got to lose other than 20 pounds off your middle along with 20 years off of your bio-logical age?!

So...click on this link NOW.

Posted by mark clemens at 8/19/2010 10:11 AM | Add Comment

Fitness Basics

What do we all know? But, what do we all need?

1.)A gentle push toward vitamins. If you are not on them, you should be. My wife and I have been on them twenty five years. I personally have been on them for much longer. Yet the best thing for you to do is to find out which ones you really need. A natropath's urine or blood test with their basic recommendations are the best for the person starting out. Daily workouts on a grocery store food diet are not enouygh for muscle repair and energy production.

2.)An insistence that you get a health club membership and use it. Indoors daily training is best. Anytime Fitness is a good place fo reasonable. There are 1300 locations nationwide. Indoors training is best so that you don't miss just because of a little unpleasant weather. But there's always Ballys and others that may be closer to where you live.

3.)A firm stand on a diet of whole foods, which is not grocery store food. You should consider getting a co-op membership. This will enable you to get preservative free foods, ones which really are good for you. Too, you need a cook book so that this becomes a fun thing. For people who have never done it, eating healthily seems like a chore. It need not be. But you have trouble doing this on your own get into a program like Weight Watchers.

That's it. That's all there is, friends. Do these things everyday for the rest of your life in the same way as you brush your teeth and you will see a whole different you in the mirror six moths from now, maybe sooner. But please do not go it alone. JOIN OUR SUPPORT GROUP!

One very last thing : read my book "Think and Grow Fit" at least five times. It was meant to be read in one sitting, but we all read at different speeds. It took me ten years to write, but it is somewhat my success over the last 45 years. It just may change you at a very deep level. If so, it will make you a winner of the losing game.Think and Grow Fit a rational persons guide to getting fit and staying that way forever.

LOSE THE WEIGHT TURN BACK THE CLOCK

http://www.foreverfitness.info

http://blog.foreverfitness.info YOU ARE HERE

Author of "Think and Grow Fit" a rational person's guide to getting fit and staying that way forever

ORDER TODAY

Posted by mark clemens at 8/14/2010 6:33 AM | Add Comment

Why be into fitness at all

From the sound of current statistics, almost no one seems to be into a fitness lifestyle. Indeed the obesity figures rise by the month. Home fitness equipment goes back from the garage to the resale stores. People still complain about the yo-yo effect of diets. Fitness club owners see no relief from the empty floors of March following the New Years resolutions of January.

Yet there are a few people who still seem to stick at it. Why is this so? And what are they doing?

Without a grad school study to answer these questions, one can only make some guesses. It is assumed that persons into fitness are supplementing, eating properly and daily doing their workouts. Almost everyone who cares about their health believes that all of these together are necessary. Moreover, most everyone who is into fitness would never think of only one without the two others.

If that is true why are these people doing them when so few of their friends, relatives and neighbors are not? The answer should be that they know a fitness lifestyle right, that is in anyone's best interests. But is this the case? With the medical establishment's almost universal insistence on rest and cutting back on exercse from thirties on, to the media's glorification of grocery store eating, to the absurdly endless criticism of the vitamin industry (largely by people who look like they should be on them), it is really a wonder that anyone is into fitness at all. Surely those who are must feel strange.

Nevertheless, at least a handful of people do try to keep trying to do the right thing. Sometimes it is because they have been scared with imminent diabetes or heart trouble by a physician. Other times it is because of the notion that twenty less pounds will give them a better edge in the dating world.

Yet, are either of these reasons good enough to insure a life long commitment to a healthy lifestyle? That is, are they enough to incur the same type of consistence and regularity that is associated with oral hygiene, namely the daily brushing of one's teeth?

Perhaps they are for a few. But most likely they are not for most. In both of these instances, the need to live healthily goes away as soon as the goal has been attained. That is, the hard work of dieting supplementing and working out becomes too much once one is out of the doctor's danger zone or once one has established an on-going relationship with a new intimate conquest. Then one finds him or herself back to the same old life of ease and American normality--the very thing which caused the excess pounds to appear in the first place.

It seems then that a better reason for making the initial sacrifices is necessary. That is one which makes a person stay at a fitness lifestyle simply because it is more life-enhancing than continuing on in the same old mediocre and self-defeating ways. Surely everyone believes that life is more fun with dazzling teeth, so why should not something be similar for fat free healthy physique or figure?

In short then, one should simply be doing the right things for him or herself. There should be no other reason. That is, one ought not to be doing them because a doctor scared them. or to ensnare a potential boy or girlfriend. No one brushes their teeth to keep free from scurvy anymore. Nor does anyone wake up one day to buy their first tube of toothpaste in hopes of snagging a rich or sexy one. We all brush our teeth because its makes us feel good, meaning attractive and healthy. The same should be true for daily proper supplementation, exercise and diet. That is only reasonable, is it not?

For more thought about living in a fit and healthy manner order my book order my book "Think and Grow Fit."

Posted by mark clemens at 8/13/2010 5:46 AM | Add Comment

Back Cover of Think and Grow Fit

Synopsis

"Think and Grow Fit

" (a reasonable person's guide to getting fit and staying that way forever) argues that you really only need two things if you want to stay fit forever. First is a good friend or spouse, who doesn't call you Health Nut for wanting that. Second is a fitness lifestyle that is as regular and commonplace as the daily brushing of your teeth. Everyone knows they need these, but too few really act on it. This book offers some reasons why and some suggestions of how to more effectively do what we all know that we should.

Autobiography

I live in Charlotte, NC and can be seen every morning around five at the Anytime Fitness in a nearby suburb. I'm concerned with fitness for baby boomers, largely because I am one. But, others can benefit as well. I was obese 45 years ago, took 15 to win my one and only athletic trophy, and am currently able do more athletically than when on the swim team in high school. I am living proof that you can get better with age. Jack Lalanne with his two hour workouts at 95 is even more so. The same can be true for you, which is exactly what I hope.

Order your copy today

Posted by mark clemens at 8/12/2010 10:46 AM | Add Comment

Trade your Rut for a Groove

We are all creatures of habit. That is, we do the same things over and over again generally with the same intensity and regularity. Most often, the things that we do over and over are bad for us.

An example of a wrong habit is resting after a hard days work and an evening meal, never exercising either before work or on the lunch hour. This is typical of many Americans. Doing this on a daily basis makes us gain weight and lose muscle tone.

The reason we do this is much the same for all of us. Our jobs are very difficult, emotionally though not physically. They are generally stressful and often times tedious, making us think that what we need is physical rest to recover from them. Of course, we really need a five to ten mile run for maximum healthiness. But it does not feel this way. Therefore, we never even try doing anything differently.

In other words, we stay stuck in a rut. This is a metaphorical way of saying that we keep doing same self-defeating things over and over again, like spinning our wheels when in a ditch. That is, we cannot get out of sitting all day only to return home and anesthetize ourselves with food, most often of the high carb and fat variety. After this we forget our lives in front of the television or computer.

An advanced degree in fitness is not required to understand that living like this will result in unwanted physical changes within under a year. Continuing to not do the right things such as daily running or swimming accompanied by a natural foods diet with the right supplements will almost surely result in eventual obesity. That is even true of those who have a higher metabolism.

What is needed is a conversion of the after work sit-down time to one of exercise. That means replacing our old habits with new ones, filling the same period of time for an entirely different activity. Doing so can be referred to as developing a groove, which is far easier to do than is commonly believed.

Being creatures of habit, we have only to become accustomed to a new way of being. It is hard to do this at first but it becomes easier with each new effort Typically a complete change, experienced as positive anticipation, occurs in just under six months., What most people do not realize is that this new way of being really does get easier with time, even easier than the old sedenatary way of living. Not knowing this is the chief reason that so many just do not do what they know they should.

For a discussion of the necessary attitudes to make and maintain this transition, order my book "Think and Grow Fit."

Posted by mark clemens at 8/6/2010 9:30 AM | Add Comment

Concentrate on your workouts not the mirror

Possibly the hardest part of a fitness lifestyle is that the benefits seem to take forever. That is, results do not come overnight especially if one is over forty. Possibly they did come more quickly when of high school age, but those apparent miracles seem to be a phenomenon of the past.

It is the same for body builders as it is for weight reducers. When we were younger, it was easier to make differences occur. Possibly a mere summer of hard work could make the fall entirely different. But as we age, the same types of transformations seem to take a much longer period of time.

This makes the fad diet industry and the miracle supplement people ecstatic. They can sell their product with the slogan when diet and exercise are not enough our formula will make the difference. Granted, there are good diets out there as there are some fine weight loss and body building formulas. But the truth still remains that use of them seldom causes overnight differences in anyone.

The good news in the midst of this sad state of affairs is that regular exercise along with proper diet and effective supplementation, possibly even with the latest miracle capsule will pay off in time. That is the secret to making an athletic lifestyle work. All that is really needed is staying at every aspect of it long enough, perhaps for at least six months. That means never missing a day of consistent dedicated training.

Most people do not do this. They are erratic over far too short of a period of time. Moreover, the statistics for fitness club owners show that the new members who started with their January First resolutions are almost always gone by March. Nearly always this because of discouragement, having seen no results whatsoever. And that may even be with the addition of today's latest wonder supplement such as nitric oxide for the body builders or dexatrim for the weight reducers.

The best way to avoid this all too common occurrence is to invest all of one's one's energy into improving at a program as opposed to frenetically looking for changes in the mirror. That will enable one to become encouraged by the ability to do more--something which will truly result in physical changes over a long period of time.

Therefore, if you are a cyclist, really get into cycling. Be the best cyclist that you can be. If you are runner, concentrate on running,. If a swimmer, work hard on your stroke, etc .In other words, be all about being the best that you can be in your sport or physical activity.

Of course, one should continue to diet and supplement just like the champions all do,. Even trying out the latest wonder capsule. is a good idea. But one should never waste energy looking in the mirror for some reward to justify the hard work. Not getting this soon enough will cause one to quit far more quickly than will an injury or anything other.

Therefore put off that critical search in the mirror for improvements for at least six months.That is the way, or at least a very good way, for the over forty fitness person to ultimately win as a waistline-loser or a deltoid-gainer.

For further thought on making a fitness lifestyle as regular as the brushing of your teeth order my book "Think and Grow Fit."

Posted by mark clemens at 7/29/2010 6:26 AM | Add Comment

Take off weight Take off years

Why is it that WE all know what to do, but never seem to stay at it?

ORDER : THINK AND GROW FIT to find out why and how to change;
http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000139551

VISIT my site OFTEN for proof that we can get better with age;
http://www.foreverfitness.info

SUBSCRIBE to my blog for FREE ongoing fitness tips and tricks.
http://blog.foreverfitness.info

What have you got to lose other than 20 pounds off your middle along with 20 years off of your bio-logical age?!

So...click on one or all of these links NOW.