Watching The Years Pass

…As we serve others

In my life journey, I love to speak with peers about what they are up to? This is how I learn, gain wisdom, and make the journey that much easier. I do this in my business and personal life. With this in mind, I have always sought out or embraced coaching and:

· Support groups,

· collaboration.

· mentoring

· …And mastermind groups

A favorite free support group I am in is called the Serving Circle. I attend their ZOOM meeting every Tuesday from 7–8:30 PM (EST). It’s usually attended by about 25 great heart-felt people, all looking to make a difference in the world and become more prosperous in body, mind, and spirit.

Through the group I met Ken J. Caputo, and through him his partner Stephanie.

They are speakers, leaders, and facilitators. I’m grateful for all the success I have had in my life and continue to have. Stephanie’s and Ken’s ideas educate, motivate, and inspire me regularly.

Here is their vision…

Momentum Learning Systems is the culmination of over thirty years of growing and developing community-based business practices. Our core business began decades ago through the operation of a martial arts school centered around empowerment, education, and community activism.​

As we further expanded our efforts to positively impact the world around us, we found that the core philosophy of placing the people at the center of everything we do began to express itself in a variety of interesting ways. We found that we were able to customize our work to fit a variety of businesses, organizations, and groups. From building a common language that would deepen a feeling of connection between team members, to building fun and engaging courses and workshops, our process has helped bring a deeper sense of community and purpose to those we have worked with.

If your group or organization is committed to bringing value to the world and is always on the lookout for ways to inspire your people to greater heights, we are here for you. If you find your organization has attracted people who thrive in an environment that allows them to do their best work, be their best selves, and live their best lives, feel free to reach out to us.

Together, let’s move the world a few degrees to the positive one person, one project, and one organization at a time. Together let’s make some ripples :)

Ken and Stephanie recently sent out a newsletter where they spoke

Of all their friends who have waved goodbye to age 35 — whether recently or some time ago.

…things certainly do change, don’t they?

Their newsletter continued

The years start to pile up, and what used to be so effortless now feels at times like crawling through mud that is sucking at your energy, will, and motivation with every step forwards.

I think one of the challenges we face as we age is learning to be ok with doing what we can, and letting the little wins naturally accumulate over time. It’s so easy to just stop. When we do, it gets more and more challenging to start back up again. I vividly remember trying to come back from a nasty injury in my forties. It really sucked. It was such a long, frustrating slog, without any guarantee of getting back what I’d lost.

I’ve been thinking this week about some of the things that have been helpful for me to pay attention to on my personal quest to stay healthy and performing at my best. These are the little wins I try to stack as best I can. Over time they can really add up. Maybe some of these will be helpful to you. Most of them you probably already know. If that is the case, consider this confirmation :)

Here’s a list of six things I’ve found helpful. Feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments of the Vitality space of the (free) Life Spiral Community. I firmly believe that there is no one way or fool proof method to live your best life. What works for me won’t necessarily work for you. That’s ok. We can all learn from each other.

Just be careful who you are listening to. There is a LOT of bad information out there. Talk to qualified professionals in whom you trust before making any lifestyle changes that could cause you harm. Disclaimer out of the way. Here we go…

Six Ways to Balance, Maintain, and Develop your Vitality:

1. Balance exercise and recovery

The research continues to pile up that one of the best drugs we can take is regular moderate to vigorous exercise. What you do and how much you do is up to you. For me it’s a lot of walking, running, and cycling. As we get older, recovery becomes crucial. Overdoing it and then not giving yourself added time to recover leads to an increased potential for injury, illness, or permanent damage.

Technology can really help with this now. There are a ton of options out there to help you get a clear picture of how well you are recovering from your exercise sessions. I think this is super important to consider if you have been mostly sedentary and are looking to change that. Overdoing it can be just as harmful as not doing enough.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that the margin of error gets a lot smaller. Exercising hard needs to be secondary to exercising smart. There are so many resources now to help you learn to do this. Be careful, take your time, and learn how to measure your body’s response to regular exercise.

2. Prioritize Sleep

This can be so challenging. It seems like sleep always ends up being sacrificed to everything else. When we feel like we don’t have enough time for everything, sleep is often the thing we cut short. Quality and quantity of sleep are absolutely crucial to living a healthy life and performing at your best.

One of the best investments I’ve made in the past decade was getting a sleep tracker. I had absolutely no idea how well I was sleeping, how much sleep my body actually required, and whether I was incurring sleep debt. I was both shocked by how much room there was for improvement, and also how much better I felt once I started making quality sleep a priority.

3. Resistance Training

Research is also piling up about the massive benefits of resistance training two to three times per week. It helps reduce the risk of everything from heart disease, to osteoporosis, to cognitive decline. It helps you maintain both strength and stability. You don’t need a gym, and you don’t need to lift super heavy weights. Personally, I don’t even go to a gym anymore. I use adjustable dumbbells, resistance bands, a pull-up bar and lots of body weight exercises.

4. Mindful Nutrition

Everyone has an opinion on this. There are lots of good answers for how to eat healthy. Unfortunately they won’t all work the same for everyone. You’ll have to do some experimenting and take some time to figure out how your eating and nutritional choices are impacting your life. I’ve chosen to base my choices regarding how and what I eat on my blood, vital statistics, body composition, and performance.

I’ve found that I need to pay attention to getting enough healthy fats and protein. When I do that, my muscle to body fat ratio stays in the range that works best for me. I can eat whole grain bread in moderation and I handle it fine. However, too many chips and I run into trouble pretty quick. A variety of vegetables are super important for me. Be honest with yourself and be sure to test and track adding and removing things from your diet until you find what works best for you.

All I can say is that it’s a really good idea to pay attention to what you eat and how it impacts you, both short and long term. Personally, I’m careful and also willing to thoroughly enjoy pizza and a beer on occasion.

Oh, regarding alcohol: I’ve noticed that the impact it has on performance has gotten progressively more dramatic. A couple drinks and my resting heart rate goes up and sleep quality goes down for a day or two. I remember running a really fast 10K while hung over when I was in my twenties. Those days are definitely long gone!

5. Breath-work

Take a few minutes each day for some slow, deep, diaphragmatic breathing. Give your nervous system a chance to slow down and catch its breath. Whether it’s through meditation, yoga, prayer, or while you’re standing in the shower…it doesn’t matter. Just make a little time for yourself to breathe.

6. Tracking and Trendlines

Even if you feel that you are pretty in tune with your body and mind, I firmly believe it is extremely beneficial to have a way to record hard data. Your resting heart rate can tell you a lot about how you are doing if you record it regularly. Same thing for blood pressure, heart rate variability, and body composition (through an impedance scale).

I use a Whoop band for performance and the Chronometer app to keep an eye on nutrition and caloric intake. There are a ton of options out there though. The Oura Ring is really cool, Fitbit is good, and there are all kinds of apps that will let you manually record data that will help you dial in your health and performance over time.

That’s it for now. One way or another, the mud will get deeper. Age will take its toll. I’ve found that the things on this list help balance the impact of the years. I’ve had to give some things up that I used to really enjoy. I’ve also had to get smarter and more strategic about how I prioritize what will keep me healthy and happy. Overall, they have felt like worthwhile trade-offs.

All week I’ve been thinking about your stories and your challenges. We all get stuck in the mud sometimes. We are all joined by our struggles and successes. May we all find joy in the little daily wins. My plan is to keep taking it one step at a time.

How about you?

Be well my aging friends :)

Ken J. Caputo — “A Man Who Loves to Play in the Mud”

Authors: Stephanie Anne Roy, and Ken J. Caputo are the founders and directors of The Momentum Learning Center Learn more about them here.