Club Blog

by: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

Been to your doctor lately?  If so, you may have noticed that in addition to taking your blood pressure, listening to your heart and weighing you, he/she may also have asked you a question that surprised you.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a new report this week that showed that only one-third of adults who have seen a doctor in the past year have been asked this surprisingly important question—one that can improve your health more than medicines.

In fact, if you have diabetes, it’s more likely that you’ve been asked this question than if you have cardiovascular disease, arthritis, cancer or hypertension.  And if you are obese or overweight, you’re twice as likely to have this question popped on you than if you are healthy.

What’s the question? What is it that your doctor is now getting on board with and discussing with you that he/she has not done in the past?
It’s simple—“Are you getting enough exercise?”  That’s right, more and more physicians are discussing exercise during examinations.

Over the past 10 years, physicians have been increasingly more aware of the value of exercise for many illnesses and as a preventative.  “Medical fitness” has become a thriving and growing area of medical practices, with some physicians having financial ties to fitness centers and gyms attached to their practices or hospitals.  Still, far less than half of US adults do not receive any advice on exercise from their doctors.

The “exercise is medicine” campaign has helped bring exercise to the patient – doctor discussion.  Only problem is that exercise is NOT medicine.  It can help reduce dependence on medicine, can replace the need for medicine, and can push off the need for medicine.  But exercise is exercise and while regular exercise and physical activity can lower the risk of chronic illness conditions, it trumps the need for medicine in many.

The value of physicians bringing up any discussion of exercise lies in the fact that people pay attention to what their doctors advise, as they should.  But additional research also demonstrates that overweight doctors are more likely to prescribe medicine than discuss exercise or weight loss choices.  With 67% of adults obese or overweight, that’s simply unacceptable.

Patients require a very personalize exercise program, so simply making a recommendation for exercise is not enough. And many physicians are not truly expert in exercise program planning. And more may not really know how to bring up a discussion of the value of exercise, especially if they, themselves, don’t exercise.  But with 250,000 deaths attributed to a sedentary lifestyle just last year, and likely many more, physicians, more and more, will be including a discussion of the value of getting regular physical activity in patient visits.  The World Health Organization estimates that physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death globally, leading to 3.3 million deaths annually.

My advice is that when your physician recommends that you exercise, ask your fitness professional which exercise is right for you.
Side effects may vary, but will include reduced blood pressure, increased energy, decrease in weight, improvement in sleep and concentration, and reduction in depression and anxiety.  Other side effects may include improved grades for children, reduced symptoms of ADHD, and enhanced feelings of happiness.

by: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

Obesity is not just a problem of adulthood. Yes, nearly 70% of adults are either overweight or obese.  But, sadly, approximately one out of three children between the ages 2-19 are also overweight or obese.

When I wrote my master’s thesis on obesity at Hahnemann Medical College way back in the 70’s obesity in childhood was not nearly the epidemic it is today.  The rates of obesity and overweight in childhood continue to escalate.  It’s an easy disease to diagnose but a very difficult one to successfully treat.

What is overweight and what is obese?  A body mass index of 30 or more is considered obese.  A BMI equal to or more than 25 is considered overweight.

Obesity is caused by a combination of over nutrition, inactivity and genetic predisposition.  80% of children who were overweight at age 10-15 were obese adults at age 25, according to one recent study. Another study found that 25% of obese adults were overweight as children. The latter study also found that if overweight begins before age 8, obesity in adulthood is likely to be more severe.

If you have a child who is overweight or obese, you know the pain he or she suffers. I believe it takes a family to help a family get healthy. You know that overweight and obese children are teased, discriminated against and suffer with feelings of isolation and depression.  And you also know the medical illnesses this disease brings your children:  cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes, as well as anorexia and bulimia.  Teaching healthy living skills to your children may not be easy, but it’s just about the most important thing you can do. Before you modify your children’s lifestyle choices, you may well need to modify your own.

Here’s a game plan for you to follow:

1. Identify specific choices and behaviors in your child’s lifestyle that lead to their overweight or obesity.  Inactivity? Improper Nutrition?
2. Set “SMART” goals—specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.  For example, “My child will watch TV or be sedentary and play with digital games no more than two hours a day, seven days a week.”
3. Insure your home promotes healthier choices when it comes to diet by limiting high caloric “junk-type” foods and instead, having more fruits, veggies and greater supervision over portion control.
4. Food should never be used as a reward nor withheld punitively.
5. Verbally praise healthy choices, and avoid criticism, especially derogatory name-calling.  Encourage your child to be his/her best, not THE best.  Nagging, coercive techniques and mealtime battles never work.
6. Parents should be positive role models for physical activity that is fun and engaging.  Exercise and play WITH your children.
7. All children 2 years and older should be involved with moderately intense physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes each day, and ideally for 60 minutes each day.  PE in school does not provide enough activity and the activity it does provide does not provide for developing healthy levels of fitness in children.

by: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

There is no doubt that on the world’s fitness stage, “TD” is among the elite of the elite.  When he agreed to appear on my Saturday morning show on KOGO, “Your Personal Best,” I was ecstatic.  My heart rate soared like I just finished a cardio session at the club.

But when I read his “personal picks” for daily supplements in his terrific book, “The Impact Body Plan” and discovered that I was 7 for 7 on his list, I had to share “our” recommendations with you. The market is flooded with supplements, every fitness magazine and blog has suggestions, and in the end you need to find what works for you.  This list is only a great place to start.

Nutritional science and biochemistry have grown far beyond the simpler concept of nutritional supplementation through vitamin and minerals alone. Here is TD’s (and mine) top 7 to consider, with your physician’s approval of course.

1. Multi-vitamins.  Liquid multi-vitamins are best, with men thinking twice about adding iron and women being certain to do so (unless otherwise instructed by your health professional).  Suggested: First Choice liquid multi-vitamin.

2. Green drinks.  Want a full assortment of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, polyphenols and probiotics, with a nice energy boost?  The recommended one below is packed with 64 ingredients that support nutrition, digestion, circulation and immunity.  Suggested:  Green Vibrance version 10.3 (honestly, version 10.3).

3. Ground flaxseed.  Seeds, seeds and more seeds.  Especially when they can decrease risk of grisly diseases like cancer, stroke, heart disease and diabetes.  Buy the ground seeds or grind them yourself.  I put them on nearly everything, including in my protein shake, so I can get about 3 or so tablespoons daily.  Suggested: Barlean’s 100% Organic Forti-Flax (San Diego company!)

4. Vitamin D.  Want to build stronger bones, protect against infections, keep a lid on weight and feel happier? This one is it.  Your doctor can tell you what level you need. Suggested: Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega with D or simply Costco’s Kirkland D3, about 1,000-2,000 international units (again, depending on what your doctor tells you).

5. Green tea. When you are ready to sit back and relax while fighting off free radicals and get some anti-aging going on, drink some green tea.  Not only will your metabolism ramp up, research says your skin glow! Just don’t add any sugar, artificial poison, er, sweeteners or Jack Daniels.  Suggested:  Pure Inventions Green Tea Extract.

6. Protein Powder.  OK. Ready for some clarity?  Whey protein isolate is the top of the heap.  After that, eat slower absorbing egg protein. The former is suggested before and after working out.  While I suggest Proto-Whey, TD likes EAS Whey Protein Isolate or Jay Robb’s Whey Protein Powder Isolate.

Fish Oils. Sure eating nuts, fish, and flaxseed can offer you great doses of fish oils.  Omega-3 fatty acids with 4 grams total of EPA and DHA are recommended

by: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

Sure exercise is correlated with positive self-image, improved physiological health and fitness, enhanced physical appearance, improved emotional and cognitive health, better social relations, and lower morbidity and mortality rates. But a recent set of facts from Men’s Health magazine’s website caught my attention. It’s all about adding years to your expiration date, which you must admit, is one of the key reasons we are all exercise enthusiasts. These five simple steps, according to the website, can add up to 22 more years of life when followed carefully.

1. Salad over soup. That’s right, just one cup of raw veggies a day can add 2 years to your life. Better be raw though to be sure you are getting all of the antioxidants in the vegetables. Cooking, it seems, saps up to 30% of those good-for-you antioxidants. Avocados, walnuts, green veggies, water, berries, green tea, red wine, beans, melons and chocolate all have been known as “anti-aging” foods as well to include in your diet.

2. Shrink your BMI. That’ll put 3 years on your lease on life. But keep that BMI of yours between 25-36 and you’ll be cutting short your life by 3 years due to the potential of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and colon cancer.

3. Go nuts 5 days a week. That is, munch a bunch of nuts, about 2 ounces, 5 days a week. Those hard-shelled fruits of some plants having an indehiscent seed can give you another 3 years.

4. Add healthy, close, friends. Remember, your ever-increasing network of REAL LIFE close riends need to be in good health—it’s contagious. Social connections improve your health. And this can mean adding 7+ years to your life. Laugh and hug as much as possible.

5. Aging isn’t so bad. Think like that and you’ll add another 7 ½ years to your life. At least that’s what Yale University found in a study of positive thinking among older post-retirement adults. Smile more, keep on working, and volunteer! Always having purpose is critical to long life. Always look on the bright side, and rid yourself of any fear.

When it comes to longevity, America isn’t doing so great. Here are some comparative statistics to consider:

•  Spain: 79.08 years in 2002, 81.07 years in 2010
•  Australia: 80 years in 2002, 81.72 years in 2010
•  Italy: 79.25 years in 2002, 80.33 years in 2010
•  France: 79.05 years in 2002, 81.09 years in 2010
•  Germany: 77.78 years in 2002, 79.41 years in 2010
•  UK: 77.99 years in 2002, 79.92 years in 2010
•  USA: 77.4 years in 2002, 78.24 years in 2010

Want to push those numbers up here in America? Reduce stress by not even seeing life’s events as stressful in the first place. After all, whether you are hard on yourself or easy on yourself, the outcome, eventually, will be the same.

by: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

No matter how many magazine articles and internet sites you read or TV and radio interviews you listen to, getting into shape for the new year always comes down to the same pointers. It makes me wonder why there are literally thousands of self-help books, hundreds of thousands of magazine articles and tens of millions of Internet sites that say the same thing over and over again. Do we really need to read the same thoughts year after year, be told the same tips every December, continuously be reminded of the value of a commitment to a healthy lifestyle? Seems so.

Therefore, not to be left behind in this silly redundancy, here are six tips I’ve boiled it all down to:
1. Be clear about your fitness/health goals, visualize them, write them down and share them with others. Be sure your goals are very small and specific, clearly measurable, easily attainable, very realistic for you and then put a time frame around your goals.

2. Find a personal or group fitness trainer who is certified to help you get your new year off on the right path. I suggest the ACE (American Council on Exercise) certification, but there are others that are also considered highly professional.

3. Re-start your nutrition and eating style if need be. This includes using the Harvard School of Public Health’s “Nutrition Source” (www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource) guidelines. Ask a friend to help you scour your home for food that’s not on the Harvard diagram and toss it. After all, it’s a new year!

4. Think of “activity and movement” more than “exercise” if you are just getting going. Whatever you do, as long as you enjoy it and are active and moving at least 30 minutes steadily five days a week, that’s a great start! Scheduling it together with friends, having fun, crank up your iPod with your favorite tunes, working with a trainer, are all ways you will insure you’ll still be at it long after Valentine’s Day.

5. Be sure you relish your results with real rewards. From a great dinner now and then, to sharp new workout clothes you feel good in, to bragging rights at work about your latest walk, hike, swim, bike-ride, cardio routine, Les Mills or Zumba class, weight training or new friends you’ve met through fitness, you deserve it!

6. Keep thinking accurately about your health, fitness and wellbeing. The link is always what you think. When you begin hearing yourself go negative, “why bother?” or hear words that sound like you are starting to convince yourself to skip an activity, it’s time to counter those irrational thoughts with the following:
A. What evidence do I have that what I’m thinking is accurate?
B. What’s a more accurate and positive way to think about it?
C. What would I tell a friend who shared the same thoughts with me and was starting to avoid healthy activity she/he committed to?
D. Why aren’t I as compassionate with myself?

So there you have it. My boiled down version of what millions of pages of Internet sites, newspapers, magazines, and media interviews will tell you. I’ve saved you hours and hours of reading and gathering information. Use that time for yourself in healthier ways.

It’s your life, a new year, so why not start it off the best way you can? But remember, it’s not where you begin that matters, it’s how you finish. Next year at this time, as we face 2013 in twelve months, imagine being in the best shape you’ve ever been in regardless of your age! You can do it. After all, you are only six steps away.

Happy New Year!

by: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

In .28 seconds I found 64,800,000 tips—honestly—on Google on how to “survive” the holidays.  Sixty-four MILLION tips on how to “survive” the holidays! What in the world has happened to us? Have we gone mad? C’mon now. We need more than sixty-four MILLION tips on how to “survive” the holidays? When did the media create this insanity?

Focus on friends not food, make time for fitness, get plenty of sleep, serve others, create a “to-do” list, don’t compare, get plenty of vitamin D3, drop your expectations, forget Norman Rockwell, don’t dread it, be honest with yourself, avoid the pressures of family get togethers, set manageable daily goals, don’t drink too much, avoid the “shoulds,” don’t pressure yourself, yada, yada, yada.  Do we really need to be told this stuff year after year, in sixty-four million different ways?

The message from the media is that the holidays are draining, emotionally depleting, exhausting, stressing, anxiety producing, and downright unhealthy.  Are they working for the drug companies or something?  Well, pharmaceutical companies DO advertise in the media, so maybe there is that connection.  Even the American Psychological Association gives tips such as identifying your stressors that are triggers.  What stressors? Does the APA really believe there are stress monsters waiting to pounce on unsuspecting, innocent, minding-their-own business holiday “survivors”?  Utter nonsense.

Fortunately, there are 268,000,000 hits on Google for the “joy” of the holidays.  Whew. For a moment, I thought I was abnormal since I enjoy the holidays, find nothing at all stressful in the beauty of the season, the decorations, the celebrations, the excitement, the music and the general feeling in the air.

So what’s with these stressed-out, nervous, angry, grief-filled, depressed, over-eating and under-exercising “survivors”?  What are they surviving?

Here’s the secret.  They are surviving their own thoughts, the thoughts they ingest from media “commercialization,” and nonsensical, irrational and inaccurate thoughts and self created beliefs they focus on about how “tragic and difficult” a time this season of the year is.  It’s none of that, unless you believe it. Then you can make the holidays anything you want. You can even believe Martians will fly out from under a treadmill in the gym.  Why you’d want to believe that though, I wouldn’t hazard a guess.  Same when it comes to erroneously thinking the worst will happen, filling your mind with totally inaccurate thoughts about how horrid of a person you are, giving the worst case meaning to events in your life surrounding the holidays and feeling sorry for yourself that “everyone else” is having a better holiday than you.  Here’s yet another tip—don’t believe everything you —- think!

Want a joy-filled, fun, peaceful and loving experience over the next month or so?  Understand that your mood and the events around you are not at all, in any way, connected.  You can create any positive mood you want, regardless of your actual life-situation. Any mood you want, REGARDLESS of your actual life situation.

Thoughts are just thoughts. You create them, you control them, and you can change them. And get this—you can do all that without an “illness” requiring a “diagnosis” and signing up for tranquilizers, anti-depressants or mood stabilizers—that have little evidence really matters anyway for mild to moderate normal upsets.

If you are reading this, you are probably a member of one of San Diego’s finest health clubs, the Sporting Club of San Diego and the La Jolla Sports Club. That means you already have at your disposal the longest-lasting, most effective method for helping yourself create happiness, joy and positivity—exercise.  It will help you clear your mind from that negative, erroneous thinking you slip into with the encouragement of the media who wants you to believe the holidays are so “stressful.”

With moderate to intense exercise, you reset your thinking, your mood, your biochemistry, your brain cells, and your health.  Stress is not something we “get” nor is it inherent in any event—it is created when we think about life events in specific ways that may anticipate “awful, horrible, terrible, catastrophic” outcomes that we absolutistically demand must not occur, or see—view—life events through a lens that defines situations as unusually negative and harsh. Again, don’t believe everything you — think.  Exercising can help you catch your breath, take a moment to reset your irrational thinking, challenge what evidence you have for such nasty thoughts, and identify alternative ways for thinking about a holiday gift, a party, a get together, an invitation, or whatever you were troubling yourself with.

The holidays are days.  Filled with activities, events, situations, people, or not.  Think of them in a way that leaves you happy, or believe the media and suffer—you can’t do both.  Thankfully, that’s the choice most of us have—we just need to be reminded of it.

Keep up your workouts and, truly, happy holidays ahead!

By: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

You’ve been attending the gym faithfully for quite a long while, working out alone, with your buddies, and even hired a trainer.  Four, five or more days a week, you give it your all, pushing, pulling, jumping, throwing, lifting, jogging—there isn’t a piece of equipment you don’t use.

Then one day, for no obvious reason, you decide, “Nah, don’t feel like working out today.”  Then another day, and then another.  Perhaps you question the worth of all the exercise you’ve been doing. You feel fatigue, have muscle soreness, perhaps experience leg cramps and just feel restless, and can’t relax or unwind.  You begin thinking you are just exhausted –physically, emotionally and mentally.  That perfectionistic, hard-driving, competitive side of you that always has great intentions and unrealistic expectations for working out give way to self-doubt, self-damning thoughts and just too many “bad days.”

Those are some of the symptoms of burnout. It’s a term that goes back to 1976 when it was first coined, and since then there has been lots written about it and our understanding of how to prevent it and deal with it has grown.  The key is to listen to your own heart, mind and body because in the end, that quiet voice inside of you knows the right things to do—it’s the “noise” of your own irrational thinking, “experts” and demands that prevents you from doing what you know will help.

Here are six tips that I know will help recharge you and reset your direction back to health:

1.    Begin your day with a relaxing meditation in which you “see” yourself in a positive and enjoyable exercise routine.
2.    Switch from a  “must” do to a “prefer” to do mindset.  Get “rule-free” even from your own self-imposed “rules” and that includes being less demanding about working out “perfectly.”
3.    Give yourself permission to say “no” to time demands—you need to heal.
4.    “Slow down—you’re moving too fast,” as the song goes. It’s time to take a real break from working out, and when you return, be sure to change up your exercise program.  Been solo? Go group ex.  Don’t forget to reprogram your iPod with some new music too. Don’t be afraid to switch up workout partners or trainers.
5.    Create a mindset that’s about what can go RIGHT and what’s NOT wrong and create more time for yourself and your personal enjoyment.  Ask for help and remind yourself that burning out is NO disgrace—it happens to the best of us, literally—those who have given their all so consistently they become mentally and physically exhausted.
6.    Add PERMA to your life:
•    Positive Emotions
•    Engaged in enjoyable activities
•    Create enjoyable Relationships
•    Find Meaning in what you do
•    Take pride in your Accomplishments

This covers touches on every approach that’s been shown to help overcome burnout.  The club has staff who are ready to talk with you about how to restore your happiness, health and wellbeing, and get past this common malady.  You’ll return to “you” and be back in the club with a healthier mindset and a healthier body.

by: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

All year long you attended the gym faithfully, worked out with your favorite trainer, found increased enjoyment in the Les Mills group exercise classes, didn’t miss a spin class for anything, sipped your BCAAs during your workouts and recovered with a protein shake afterwards.  You’ve been eating well all year long.  Then it hits!

“Holidayorexia.”  You’ve starved yourself to fit into your zombie or vixen Halloween costume, November 1st comes and whoosh, the holiday season eating and drinking fest begins.  Parties, buffets, late night drinking, office snacking and less and less time to exercise are all upon you.  So is the weight gain.  While it’s really not as much as people fear, the problem is many don’t lose the yearly weight they do on.

Waist-hip ratios, body mass index, body fat percentage—no matter how you measure, unless you go into this season completely equipped to deal with the all too typical holiday weight gain, it will happen.  But, it is not inevitable and here are three tools that will prevent the weight gain dread.

1. Increase your activity
First of all, start wearing a pedometer and keep wearing it daily through January 1st.  It will help you keep focused and be mindful of finding ways to move more throughout the day.  Park further away from your destination, always take the stairs, walk, jog, or run to where you are headed.  Use the airport, shopping mall or pit stops on your holiday driving trip to do a ten-minute high intensity interval jog.  It’s very important to schedule time with your trainer, workout buddies, and group exercise classes NOW.  Commit to working out on any day you have a party, no matter how formal or informal.

2. Party healthy and eat wisely
OK, this is not going to be easy, but you can do it.  More protein, fruit and less refined carbs are part of the answer.  Remember this:  you can eat everything you want on the buffet table, OR you can stay thin, fit and healthy.  You just can’t do both. That means don’t linger at the buffet, take the smaller plate, don’t even go down the chips aisle at the grocery store, and continue driving past your favorite cupcake and dessert shop.  Pile your plate with veggies, lean meats, and salad.  Sure have a “cheat” once in awhile.  Always be a “dessert splitter”—“Want to split this cupcake?…it looks delicious but I only am going to enjoy a small piece of it.” Then savor the treat as slowly and mindfully as you can.

3. THINk fit.
Ahhh, the most important piece of the puzzle. It’s all about how you think.  One of my favorite sayings fits: “If you think you can, or think you cannot, you are right.” What you tell yourself about what you “just must have” or what you think you “should be able to eat” or what you imagine “doesn’t really matter” is your reality.  It’s also your weight and health.  Remember, you can eat everything you want on the buffet table, OR you can stay thin, fit and healthy.  You just can’t do both. It’s what you believe.  People carry so many sabotaging thoughts about eating, weight management, and holiday party food.  Here’s a sampling: “Watching what I eat should be easy.” “It’s not okay to waste food.” “If I get hungry, the hunger will get worse and worse unless I eat something.” “There is nothing I can do to make my cravings go away.” “It’s okay to eat this food because I’m stressed, everyone else is eating it, it’s just a little piece and I’ll make up for it later.”  “I’ve already blown it so it doesn’t matter what else I eat.”  Se how completely erroneous, illogical, irrational and unreasonable these thoughts are?  Question what evidence you truly have for the veracity of your thoughts.  There is none.  They are just thoughts.  So, create a food plan before you attend any gathering, stick to it no matter what unhelpful thoughts your create, and arm yourself ahead of time with written rational response counters to each irrational thought that you can anticipate will pop up—pull out the written card, read it to yourself and enjoy the veggies.

That’s my plan to insure you stay trim, fit and healthy during the next two months of holiday festivities, building on all of the great fitness you created for yourself during the past year.

by: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

Maybe it’s the ugly tiny bugs that set up shop in my intestines over the past eight days that have kept me home ill (and unable to workout!) that got me wondering about this topic. Then again, it could be that I just landed on a 2008 book on the topic that I found when I was searching around my home for something to read.

Dan Buettner, author of “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest” has some interesting observations from his research on four “blue zones” where people live longer than anywhere else on the planet:  Sardinia, Italy, Loma Linda, California, Okinawa Japan and Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica.  I called an old high school friend who moved to this latter area, Costa Rica, and he confirmed what I read.

His quality of life as always demonstrated one of my favorite quotes, “It’s not the years in your life it’s the life in your years.”  Per capita, Costa Rica spends far less on health care than we do here in the United States, 15% of what we do on health care.  Yet, Costa Ricans claim that people live longer there than anywhere on earth.

Here are the nine things Buettner found in common in each of the blue zones.

1. Daily activity
2. A mission in life that gives meaning to life
3. Eliminate the fast lane:  slow it all down
4. Eat to only 80% full
5. Less protein, fewer processed foods, more veggies and fruits
6. Red wine in moderation (two glasses/day for men, one/day for women)
7. Healthy social relationship
8. Spiritual or religious involvement
9. Family is a priority

We don’t live in these blue zones, but perhaps we can create our own.  Our gym can be an oasis of activity, meaning in finding health, slowing down, eating well, healthy social relationships and more.

The aging process and adding health are not the mystery they once were.  Exercise adds to body and brain health.  Let’s take advantage of every program the gym offers us!  For more information, check out www.bluezones.com

by: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

We aren’t alone. There are 78 million of us, and 10.5 million of us belong to health clubs and gyms all over the United States. Baby Boomers. Those born between 1946 and 1964. Already the fastest growing segment of America’s population, we are also the “boomingest” growth factor in gyms across the country, with a nearly 400% membership growth rate over the past decade.

We surely aren’t ready for a quiet at-home retirement. Maybe our grandparents were. Not, not us. We’re too busy looking for ways to defer and compress those age-related disabilities into as few years as possible, as late in our lives as possible, while doing what we can to increase our healthy life-years. Among the most often-cited solutions to this quest are being physically fit, exercising and staying active. The amount of data demonstrating the effect of exercise on slowing the aging process is staggering.

We enjoy kinder, gentler workouts, low-impact exercise, and want to insure that whatever we do diminishes the risk of injury. But gerokinesiologists tell us that we also ought to incorporate more moderate to vigorous posture, strength, endurance, flexibility, agility and balance training into our workouts in order to promote negligible senescence (preventing the normal biological changes caused by aging) – depending on our fitness level and ability to do so.

The American Council on Exercise, ACE, suggests that moderate-intensity endurance exercises at a minimum of 30 minutes five days each week such as low-impact aerobics, walking, cardio equipment, and swimming are primary exercise modes for most older adults. Weight training that initially incorporates low resistance and high reps is also essential at a minimum of at least twice each week to maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance. Balance training such as walking backwards and sideways, heel and toe walking, standing from a sitting or squatting position, are also valuable. Flexibility exercises at least twice each week are also recommended.

We lose 30% of their muscle strength between the ages of 50 and 70 years. Normally, adults who are sedentary beyond age 50 can expect muscle loss of up to 0.4 pounds a year. This reduction in muscle strength leads to impairment in carrying out daily activities, the ADLs, “activities of daily living.” Using free weights, exercise machines, or elastic bands to strengthen muscles sure help, but only doing so in a way that makes sense for our fitness levels and what experts know about the “stability/mobility?movement?load?performance” sequence that applies to posture, strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance training.

In addition to the fitness boom among boomers, anti-aging supplements are becoming big business. DHEA, HGH, melatonin, testosterone, estrogen, resveratrol, and the longevity cocktail (more stuff than I have room to include but B, C, D, E, K vitamins, magnesium, flax and fish oils, L-glutathione, coenzyme Q10, ALA are among the ingredients) are flying off the shelves of health and vitamin shops into the hands of the 55+ crowd.

Therapeutic levels of vitamin and mineral supplements, nootropic drugs for preserving and enhancing oxygen supply and neural functioning in the brain, clean living lifestyle (exercise, no smoking, moderate alcohol), avoiding toxins and radiation (good luck), healthy nutrition, intense physical activity, a sense of accomplishment, positive emotions, healthy relationships—these all go in the direction of adding life to our years and years to our lives.

The gym may well be the central address for increasing our healthy life-years before the doctor and the pharmacy.