5 things you need to do to stay young

321go • September 26, 2023

Every day we are getting older and there’s nothing we can do about that.  What we can do though is do things to help keep our body operating at an optimal level.  These are the 5 things you need to do to stay young.

 

1)Sleep 7-9 hours per night

-As we know, sleep plays a big role in the body’s general ability to recover physiologically from daily activities.  For those looking to reduce skin wrinkles, getting adequate sleep actually helps your skin’s collagen repair to keep the tight look that everyone looks for!

 

2)Strength Training 2-3 times per week minimum

-Every decade after the age of 30 you are expected to lose 3-8% of your muscle mass and more than that after the age of 60.  Individuals that have a low skeletal muscle mass index have an increased risk to falls, injuries, and cognitive decline!  Strength training can prevent the decline of muscle mass which is why it’s important to strength train on a regular basis!

 

3)Consume 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables every day

-This is the daily minimum recommended intake for fruits and vegetables.  Essential vitamins and minerals are in them that help improve your immunity, reduce risk of cancer and other diseases, improve digestion, and more!  It’s even better if you can “eat the rainbow ” by mixing the colors of the fruits and vegetables you consume to intake more variety of phytonutrients that all have different health benefits.

 

4)Consume high protein source with every meal

-Protein has a lot of functions in the body that are an integral part of muscle repair, hormone production, enzymes, and appetite control.  All things that are important help maintain optimal physiological functions!

 

5)Stay busy

-The saying goes, “If you don’t use it, you lose it”.  Whether it’s with physical activity to keep your body strong or reading to keep your mind sharp,  Make sure you are doing something every day to ensure that you are maintaining your body for the years to come!  Humans are not meant to sit for long periods of time with nothing to do!

So follow these 5 things if you truly want to keep your body young and resilient for the years to come!

As always, if you want any support or have questions related to fitness, I’m here to help!

Coach Evan

recent posts

Making the Most with Minimal Equipment

By Evan Amell • April 22, 2025
I recently worked with Redfin to provide them with some insight on making the most of minimal equipment when doing home workouts for a blog post they put together titled 9 Home Workout Ideas to Stay Active and Fit at Home . See below for the excerpt featuring quotes and recommendations for me on how you can best utilize whatever equipment you have at home to keep working towards your fitness goals!

If you don’t have time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness.

By Evan Amell • March 12, 2025
Now you probably read the title and thought “that is a pretty dark way to look at this”. However, the unfortunate reality is that there is truth to it. People way too often kick the can down the road. Year after year after year after year. Until one day it finally catches up with them. They find out that they have elevated blood sugar. They find out they have osteopenia that could lead to osteoporosis. They find out their triglyceride and cholesterol levels are concerning. They take a fall and fracture a bone. You get the story. They have a bad wake up call. People take their health for granted until it starts to go. Remember the times that you lose electricity because of a storm or accident? Almost makes you feel helpless since everything runs on electricity. The difference with that versus the scenarios I gave you above is that all those issues are preventable with healthy lifestyle choices. The key is being proactive. It doesn’t mean you need to take on a regimen like a professional athlete. You are too busy for that. However, you can do things today that will put you at a SIGNIFICANTLY LESS risk to developing chronic disease and aside from that, improving your quality life. We talk about investing financially for your future but think of eating healthy and moving daily as your investment in your health so you can THRIVE in retirement. Traveling. Playing with your grandkids. Not paying huge medical bills because of unhealthy decisions. Maintaining your independence. All very important things but require time and effort in order to reach those milestones in your later years. So don’t wait until it's too late. Strength training 2-3x/week, walking daily, and eating mostly whole foods will have a profound effect on your health in ways you wouldn’t think possible.

Don't Focus on Just Calories for Weightloss

February 11, 2025
The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and deleteI preach this all the time about how we need to shift our focus from just looking for the amount of calories in the foods that we are deciding to eat to evaluating the nutrient profile and the amount of ingredients instead. Now, it's not inherently a bad idea to know how many calories you are consuming when you are trying to lose weight HOWEVER, when you look at the foods that are very nutrient dense and don't have many ingredients, usually those foods naturally have a lot less calories than the ultra processed foods you see in the grocery store(chips, cereals, etc.) with a few exceptions like olive oil(120 calories per tablespoon). It's not even just about the calories though. You want your body to function optimally right? You want energy. You want to maintain muscle mass. You don't want to suffer from indigestion. You want a strong immune system. You want to optimize the way your body burns body fat. The fact of the matter is that whole foods naturally will help with all of these because in order for your body to be in the best possible place, it needs the resources to do so. It needs a certain amount of macronutrients and micronutrients in order to function the way that it needs to so you can feel your best! This is what whole foods eating does! So long story short, focus on the QUALITY of the calories. Not just the calories. Consume single ingredient foods that are high in nutrients and you will not just see changes on the weight scale, but you will also feel better!