The Quest for the Fountain of Youth
I'm on a quest for the fountain of youth that some people seem to have found it but are keeping its location secret so I am talking to those most likely in the know.
I start with Jack from Jarvis, age 65 but you'ld never know it. He has the build and energy of someone half his age. To celebrate his 65^th birthday, he squatted 315 pounds and plans on entering his first powerlifting contest soon. When I asked him his secret, he laughed and replied, “Eat good food. Train hard.”
Next up, Heather, age 41 from Hamilton, who looks no more than 28. She had been active in her younger days but stopped with a new family. The weight crept up until four years ago was 35 pounds overweight. She hired a trainer, changed her eating habits and placed second at a fitness competition last year. She is now preparing for her first bodybuilding competition. When asked for the secret, all I got was “stay focused”.
Inspiring, but I am no closer to the location of the elixir of life.
It must be a secret known only within the celebrity subculture. Sylvester Stallone will know. When I grill him on his incredible fitness and muscular development at 60, he says, “to build a bicep you go up and you go down, it's been that way since the dawn of time”. No doubt he works hard in the gym, but that won't keep him lean; he must follow some crazy diet or something. His response, “Diets are incredibly dangerous. No one can maintain them. You have to get back to eating real food.”
Odd, still no mention of the secret fountain of youth.
If anyone would know, it's got to be Madonna! It's hard to believe 50 is just around the corner. I track her down running after a workout. we have to talk on the run as she's late for a yoga class. She admits that she wouldn't still be going strong if she wasn't seriously devoted to her healthy habits. She is a self-admitted cross-training junkie who mixes cardiovascular, strength and flexibility exercises. So she has not only built and maintained a sexy, sleek frame but also minimized her risk of heart disease and cancer and preserved her bone density.
My research is done and I”m disappointedly left with no fountain of youth.
Wait! There is a fountain of youth that each of us has access to. What all these people have in common is a regimen of exercise, healthy food, staying active and enjoying all that life has to offer, (fame-induced wealth goes a long way too). How we look and feel depends on what we do /with /our bodies and put /in /our bodies. The fountain of youth exists within.
Maybe you don't have time to run, lift and stretch in one day like Madonna but over the course of a week, you've got the foundation of a good plan. Stay focused, eat well and exercise often to unlock the mysteries of your fountain of youth within.
By Krista Schaus & husband, Pete Koning, CPT
DE Coaching Team
Krista Schaus PICP CPT
Ontario CANADA
krista@definingedge.ca
Kate Kline PICP CFT
Arizona USA
kate@definingedge.ca
DE Client Services
Upcoming Events:
Where you can find the Defining Edge team or athletes
- Janary 2010 - Strength & Beauty "Next Level" (Milton, ON)
- January 2010 - Ontario Powerlifting Provincials (St. Catharines, ON)
- March 2010 - Arnold Amateur Bodybuilding Championship (Columbus, OH)
- April 2010 - Canadian Powerlifting Nationals (Quebec City, QU)
- April 2010 - CFBB Canadian Natural Physique Championships (Laval, QU)