The Little-Known Secret to Staying Fit After 50

Everyone knows the importance of exercise, good nutrition and sufficient sleep/rest to stay in shape as we age. Few, however, know the little-known, but critically important real secret to staying fit after age 50. This missing link, which keeps so many from robust well being in the second half of life, is belief. Just about everyone age 50 and better would love to look younger, have the energy of decades gone by, and be able to move and perform as they did in their youth. The major deterrent to their taking the steps that would bring these worthwhile desires into fruition is their strong belief that this is just not going to happen. They either believe it is impossible to greatly improve the shape they are in or that, although it's probably possible, it's definitely not worth the effort it would obviously entail. rnLet's take a general look at the power of belief before we deal with the issue of getting fitter after 50. Think about all the gadgets, gizmos, furniture, clothing, knickknacks and polly whacks that have taken up residence in your home. Every one of these items, from the dishwasher to the latest-styled shoes to the most recent electronic advancement to the knick-knacks on your shelves, was at one time merely an idea in someone's head. Every one of this multitude of objects that now resides in your home would still be just a mental construct if it weren't for our friend, Belief. Someone believed that he (or she, which is, of course, understood) could take his idea, his desire, and make it a reality. That belief is what caused him to take action and persevere until the thought was a manifested thing. Let's take TV, for example. Back in the 1920s, some men had the ridiculous idea (ridiculous for the time period) that they could send pictures wirelessly through the air, from coast to coast, no less. How crazy was that? Because Vladmir Kosma Zworykin at Westinghouse and Philo Taylor Farnsworth, a farm-boy/inventor from Utah and others believed that television was possible, we now enjoy what was, just a hundred years ago, unimaginable. Or, how about Percy Spencer, who in 1945 invented the microwave oven for the Raytheon Company? If he hadn't believed in the ridiculous concept (ridiculous to most at the time) of cooking with microwaves, we wouldn't have this modern convenience. What about the many computerized devices we now rely on to assist and entertain us? Back in the 1950s the first computers were the size of warehouses and small homes. Because some forward thinkers believed they could shrink these monstrosities down to units that could fit on our desks and into the palm of our hand even, we have reaped rewards that were incomprehensible just a few short years ago. All these modern marvels that make life easier and more enjoyable for so many of us would still be just far-fetched ideas, if not for those who believed they could actually become a reality. It's the same with us and our fitness and well being after age 50. We can allow the desires/ideas we have of getting in far better shape to stay in the purely mental realm or we can act on these desires to look, feel and perform at levels heretofore thought to be the exclusive domain of the young. If you truly believe, you'll take the necessary steps. If you need help in believing that you can reclaim the energy levels you had decades ago and the general youthfulness you desire, just look at what some masters athletes are achieving in the world of cycling, running, swimming ... while in their sixties, seventies, eighties and beyond (see the book, Fitter After 50 or Age Blasters). These virtually ageless athletes are enjoying athletic achievements that our grandparents back in the 1950s and 1960s couldn't even conceive of, never mind attempt. They are able to run 26.2-mile marathons, cycle hundreds of miles and even compete well in 140.6-mile Ironman triathlon races because they believe they can. The only thing that is actually really stopping you from staying fit after 50, or getting fitter after 50 than you were before the big 50, is BELIEF. Believe it and you can achieve it.