Is it possible to age well?
Yes! With a combination of strength training and improved nutrition, anything is possible!
I’ve been an athlete most all of my life, played college football and completed multiple biathlon & triathlons. I’ve standup Paddleboard raced 26-miles around the island of Manhattan 4x and have outrigger canoe raced 41-miles from one Hawaiian island to another. Deep cold water wreck diving to 240ft, great white shark cage adventures and skydiving have also provided adventure. But strength and fitness training have always been my passion! Back in 1997’ I entered and competed in my first and only body building show. Losing 40lbs in 12 weeks without cardio taught me about the power of nutrition and what the human body can do when in a caloric deficit. Although 6% body fat was attainable, sustaining and maintaining this look long term was not healthy or realistic. Today I coach lifestyle for long term success!
My adult life 40-50 yrs young (see below) I wasn’t mastering my food intake in fact there was never any rhyme or reason as to when I ate, what I ate or how much I ate. Carb loading was a pre-post workout race day ritual as was supplementing with whey protein shakes, sports drinks, protein bars, and Gu. My energy, sleep, mood, and blood sugar were way off, as were my gut and digestion. Looking back my body was stressed given the volume of races and training I was doing. To some I may have looked healthy and strong at 238lbs but my body composition was off and I wasn’t feeling or performing at my best!
During the fall of 2012 I ripped my distal biceps tendon completely off my radius. Three months of recovery and three months of rehab gave me time to think about my future, which is when I moved my personal training business to NYC. That winter I started researching sports athletes and nutrition, which is when I came across a very well known distance athlete (Mark Sisson) Mark had tapped into Ancestral Health and Nutritional Science, for he too had experienced poor digestion, blood sugar issues, energy crashes, chronic fatigue and joint pain. This was a huge ah ha moment for me, which prompted me to make significant changes to my dietary intake and fitness programming. Over the next five (5) years I used my own body as the guinea pig diving head first into three (3) very different meal plans, all of which provided a much healthier way of living:
Keto
January 2013 - January 2015 I started KETO! I lost thirty (35) pounds of unnecessary body fat with very little effort. In just three (3) months I significantly improved my digestion, energy, mood, sleep and mindset as well as my daily performance. My chronic joint pain and mental fatigued had faded away and quickly realized managing blood sugar was a huge key to my success as was understanding the balance of healthy fats and protein while sharply reducing carb intake. This plan taught me not to fear healthy fats and how to become a true fat burner. Having mastered this plan for two (2) years I felt it was time to move on!
Primal / Paleo
January 2015 January 2106 I transitioned to a Primal/Paleo food intake for a year which simply means nutritious Whole Foods with a much different balance of calories. I admit I missed some veggies and adding back a healthy mix of complex carbs to match my protein intake along with a smaller blend of healthy fats filled me out again. My body composition remained excellent and feeding on a wider variety of foods helped to satiate and fuel me in a much different way throughout my day. Still refined sugar and grain free brought me from 203lbs on Keto to 208lbs years end 2015. I enjoyed a full year of primal living which is why I became a certified ancestral health coach. Coaching clients gives me the opportunity to improve lifestyle which in turn improves quality of life. No diets, no counting calories, but instead balanced healthy eating and intermittent fasting!
Carnivore
January 2016 - January 2018 I went full blown Carnivore for a year. Wow was this an amazing experience! All the healthy regenerative farmed meats, lamb, pork, chicken, eggs, tuna, salmon, sardines, anchovies, branzino, mackerel, berries, nuts and shell fish I could eat. A much more intuitive style of eating, it amazed me how efficient my digestive system became. It obliterated anything I ingested and my muscle tissue was firm & dense. If you’re looking to get lean, improve shape and blood work, lose body fat and get your testosterone and libido back on track this ones for you! I operated at 205lbs for much of the year, slept great, had lots of energy and trained well to. Didn’t do much pooping nor did I need much toilet paper as there wasn’t much to clean up. Amazing!!!
The last year I paddle raced around the island of Manhattan I did it 30lbs lighter than the year before using my body fat as fuel! No longer a carb/sugar burner, no more following the herd, no more standard American diet, no more processed food, no more sports performance (sugar) drinks, carb loading or Gu. Just good old H2O. You might ask how I performed?! I took an hour off my time from the year before, how’s that for a fat burning performance!
My very LAST distance event was a 551-mile six (6) day bike race from San Fransisco to Los Angeles. As much as I enjoyed the competition of standup, outrigger canoe and bike racing the truth is it helped accelerate my bodies aging, contributed to chronic joint pain and fatigue which also took precious muscle off my body! I weighed 195lbs during this event!
As a result I now train 3 days a week, while focusing more on rest, recovery and food intake. I weigh 210lbs and mix my training up with various forms of exercise like: pushups & pull-ups, barbell squats, trap bar deadlifts and full body kettle bell strength training routines. I’ve strengthened my cardio engine using low impact equipment (Concept2 rower, Skierg and Airdyne bike) doing :20, :30 and :60 second quick hit efforts. These machines are easy on the joints, work lots of muscle, can be used at any age. I also fast intermittently 2-3 days a week and have found the food plan that works best for me. Life is good!
In 2022, I was asked to do an article for bodybuilding.com where I share my approach to fitness, lifestyle and, most importantly, how to age well.
After losing those 35lbs, my weight has remained in that ideal spot for the past ten (10) years. I never look at the scale or count calories. I just eat proper food. The body takes care of the rest through hormonal regulation of hunger, satiety, energy storage and expenditure. It’s effortless!
Having gotten sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, not looking, feeling or performing at my best pushed me to take action and through that action can share that diets don’t work, lifestyle changes do and there is a meal plan for everyone as no one plan fits all!
At the young age of 60 I feel as though I’m in great mental and physical shape. I feel strong, am comfortable in my skin and have became an expert on reading blood reports along the way and work hand-in-hand with client doctors. My testosterone is 700 + which supports healthy muscle and metabolic health, and through strength training and improved nutrition understand the secrets to good health, longevity and overall well being.
Dressed to impress 365 days of the year!
November 2022
Today I work with adults who are willing to invest in their health. Adults that have the patience and willingness to learn, apply themselves and teamwork with me. Adults who can hold themselves accountable and enjoy the journey along the way!!
I’m a health coach that not only restores health, I help restore life!
