When you’re young, you can get by with just your youthful looks if you’re somewhat attractive and not grossly overweight. That is not to say that if you are not blessed with good looks or if you’re packing a few extra pounds you cannot attract a partner because many people do. Confidence is the key in most cases.
Once you reach your late 30s and 40s, when weight control and health issues become more of a concern, fitness begins to be a factor in how sexy a person is. Once you are over 50, fitness becomes a deciding factor in how sexy a person is.
I was a fairly good-looking young man, which probably helped me get a lot of dates. But now that I’m well into my second half of life, my youthful appearance has fated so that doesn’t work as well. However, I have been vigilant in staying up with my fitness. I have found that being fit at my age is a highly attractive quality for women. It also makes me the alpha male among a group of men even if some of them were super jocks when they were in high school or college. Although I was a pretty good athlete, I was no jock. Now I am, relatively speaking, when it comes to working out and staying fit.
I should mention here that good looks alone do not guarantee that you’ll get lucky or that you’ll be able to secure a relationship. It only makes meeting people easier. When you’re over 40 and especially over 50, the pendulum shifts from good looks to fitness being the attraction magnet.
I discovered a simple technique to get myself to exercise regularly that I’ll share with you next. First, let me tell you about my workout history and my current routine.
I started my journey toward getting fit by joining a health club. My motivation to do this came after a painful breakup. Like most people, I was sporadic in going to the gym. And eventually, I found a way to be too busy to go. After I passed 40, I started getting serious. I got an employee at the health club to give me instructions on how to use the equipment properly and I started reading books and watching documentaries on fitness and nutrition.
After about seven years of going to the gym consistently three days a week, I decided to build my own inexpensive home gym. At first, I didn’t work out as regularly, but soon I was back on track. I found that having a home gym saved me a huge amount of time. I also liked not having to wait to use equipment, touch other people’s sweat, and listen to music that wasn’t inspiring to me.
Here’s my current workout routine.
- Powerwalk or swim 6-7 days a week depending on the season.
- 1-3 miles, 40-50 laps.
- Resistance workout with free weights 3 days a week.
- 23 exercises, 12-24 repetitions, 420 total.
- Abdominal workout 3 days a week (on alternate days).
- 9 exercises, 25-50 repetitions, 350 total.
Here’s how I get myself to workout.
- I maintain a “no excuses” attitude. No matter what my rationalizing subconscious mind brings up for not working out or getting up early, I just say to myself, “No excuses!” This forces me to do it anyway.
- I know from experience that once I get started, and especially once I’m done, I’ll feel great. This comes from not only the psychological lift of completing something you know is good for you, but also from the endorphins your body rewards you with after vigorous exercise. 🙂
- To motivate myself while I’m exercising, I picture the body I want. If I need a little extra motivation, I picture the body I do “not” want. If I need a jolt of inspiration, I picture myself being rolling into an operating room for a quadruple heart bypass.
I just completed my first major physical in more than 25 years! I did a lot of parting in my younger years, so I was very concerned about it. When you’re over 50 that means lab work (blood and urine), chest x-ray, and a colonoscopy (they put you to sleep so no worries). Everything came out normal and above average. I have not been taking any medications and the tests showed that I do not need to start.
I credit these good test results to exercise, a vegan diet, and a low-stress lifestyle. If I still had a high-pressure corporate job, I suspect that my test results would have been quite different.
If you are out of shape today, I hope this article inspires you to become a fitness enthusiast. The benefits of getting fit and making fitness a part of your lifestyle are immense! The more you get into it the more you realize this.