While we may not realize it, we’ve got a fight on our hands. And I mean right now, at this very moment.
And this is one fight where we really don’t want to be throwing in the towel. The problem is we’re up against an invisible opponent who’s as determined as she is patient.
So the sooner we get prepared, the better. Here’s what we’re talking about.
Sometime in our 30s, mother nature starts putting a slow stranglehold on our cojones. Sure, it may start out as a gentle cupping at first, but her grip is firm and relentless.
The upshot is testosterone levels begin to slide by around 1% per year or so 1. Now that may not sound like such a big deal, but keep in mind that testosterone punches well above its weight.
As far as we’re concerned, it’s the dragon slayer of hormones and it’s responsible for making guys guys. Testosterone is the reason why we have stronger muscles, facial hair and prefer things like skydiving and motocross to embroidery and basket weaving.
And low levels can lead to all kinds of evil stuff such as the loss of muscle mass and strength, decreased libido, decreased bone mass, fatigue, insomnia and depression. Which all sounds pretty grim.
But it doesn’t end there.
Research indicates that once we head towards our mid-40s, strength levels decline by around 10-15% per decade 2. So at 65 years-old – which, let’s face it, no longer seems as far off as it once did – we could be down by both testosterone and strength by a whopping 30% or more.
And if we hit the current average U.S. lifespan of 80 years-old, our strength levels may have dropped by more than 50%. Which explains why old folks have so much trouble performing even the most basic physical tasks.
Now here’s an easy way to get an idea of what that would be like. Imagine everything in the world suddenly doubling in weight right now while your current strength remains the same.
Suddenly life became a whole lot harder, right? Getting out of bed or off the toilet takes almost superhuman effort when you weigh 400 lbs instead of the 200 you did until a moment ago.
Shopping for groceries becomes a major headache when what was a 20-lb sack now feels more like 40. And let’s not forget how much harder it now is just to walk around the supermarket in the first place.
Physical strength is such a fundamental part of everyday function and quality of life, and losing it just plain sucks. But there’s more to this than strength alone. The obesity epidemic is spiraling out of control and around one third of U.S. men are now classified as obese 3. On top of that, the rates of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and cancer are just skyrocketing 4.
And we’re kind of stuck in the middle. Every day we’re hammered with information, but we’re not really sure how we should be using it, or if it’s even useful to begin with.
Especially when so much of that information seems to be conflicting. On Monday we read that drinking a glass of wine can be part of a healthful diet, but a few days later there’s a news report linking alcohol consumption to obesity and cancer. No wonder we’re confused.
And here’s the worst part. Some folks even claim that they simply don’t know how to lose weight any more! And who can blame them? It’s all just been made out to be so damn complex.
We keep hearing about things like GM foods, gluten, BPA, additives and high-fructose corn syrup. And it isn’t showing any sign of letting up. The list of things we should fear or avoid is growing every day.
It’s like the Salem witch trials only with food. But the reality is while all that stuff may be interesting to researchers and journalists, most of it isn’t particularly relevant to folks like us. Their desperation to report something sexy and new means fundamental principles end up getting pushed aside in favor of minor details. And you’ve probably noticed that the more minor the detail, the bigger a headline it tends to get.
It’s sensationalism on steroids. So if we’re going to make some real progress, we should start seeing that stuff for what it really is. We need to stop majoring in the minors and instead concentrate our efforts on where we get the biggest return. Minimum effort for maximum results.
Think of it this way. If you want to improve your car’s fuel consumption, you go a little easier on the gas pedal and drive a little slower. Simple enough, right?
Maybe you didn’t think about how thousands of other factors like engine oil grade, tire tread depth, air temperature and even listening to the radio can all affect fuel consumption. You probably didn’t even care.
After all, you instinctively knew that those weren’t worth spending a whole bunch of time focusing on. Driving slower and less aggressively would do more to improve gas mileage than all those other things combined.
Now that doesn’t mean all those other factors don’t matter. Right now, engineers and scientists are toiling away and spending millions on research to eek out tiny performance improvements in every area imaginable.
But to us they’re just minor details that easily get lost in the background noise of the real world. Theoretical improvements don’t automatically translate to measurable real-world results.
Unfortunately, the health and fitness industry is largely about the minor details and making simple things complex. That’s the reason why most folks don’t get anything like the results they want and deserve.
That’s where this book comes in. Identifying what’s fundamental and filtering out the stuff that isn’t is what it’s all about.
It’s about providing surefire strategies that obey universal principles which work for every single person, every single time. In fact, every time someone gets in shape it’s because they’ve applied these principles whether they realized it or not.
And here’s the best part.
Once you understand the basic principles and begin putting them into action, incredible things start to happen. Results that were previously hit and miss are now predictable and reliable.
Before long it almost becomes a game – you can get all the results you want, anytime you want if you know the right buttons to push. This book shows you exactly where those buttons are.
The bottom line is that pretty much every one of us can be stronger, leaner, look better, feel better and be just plain more awesome at 50 than we were at 20. And it really isn’t that hard.
So let’s get to it.