I made a recent comment in an ROK article that I thought could be more fully fleshed out in a separate post. The subject is one that concerns all of us: how to continue to look your best as you get older. The following points are my own opinions and observations about what things have helped me look and feel younger than my years. As I see it, “looking your best” has three general categories: physical best, mental best, and emotional best. I will examine each of these categories in some detail.
Physical Best
Your “physical best” is protecting and preserving your body so that you can be viewed as looking (by general consent) younger than your age. In short, you’ve got to take care of yourself. Some things that I’ve found to be important in this vein are:
You need to focus particular attention on your skin. Sun can age your skin remarkably quickly. Even if you have never had problems with your skin in the past, bad things can just erupt out of nowhere. The most important skin care tip I can pass on is to wear sunscreen or sunblock of some sort. There are two general categories of sunscreens or sunblocks: chemical and mineral. The mineral sunscreens have zinc or titanium oxides in them, and work by reflecting the sun’s rays from you. Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing the sun’s rays and dissipating them as heat.
I never paid any of this much mind until after my last trip to Brazil a couple months ago, when I noticed I was developing pigmentation discoloration on my forehead. I never wore sunscreen diligently there in all my years of traveling. A trip to the dermatologist followed, and I learned many things I didn’t know. So, profit from my mistakes. Use sunscreen. I’m told that the protection level should be at least 50 in the summer, and 35 in winter.
Schedule a comprehensive physical examination once per year to give yourself a thorough “review”. This is a pain in the ass, but it really is necessary. A decent doctor can catch things that can be solved in the early stages, and this can save you tons of money and stress in the long run.
You need to eat right and avoid garbage. It is very easy to slide in bad food habits, especially when you are single. But you need to be disciplined. There are tons of books and other materials out there about nutrition, and I have nothing new to offer in terms of any diet recommendations, except that you should eat a wide variety of foods. I don’t think any other advice makes as much sense. Make a special emphasis on variety: fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, grains, nuts, dairy products, etc. You just can’t go wrong with variety. I don’t believe in food fads. You should avoid processed foods and junk foods whenever possible. Don’t eat out often, and learn to cook well for yourself. It’s an essential skill.
Some guys swear by supplements. I don’t. The only supplements I take are a mens’ multivitamin, and fish oil capsules. Does the fish oil do any good? I have no idea. But I think so. I don’t mess with any other supplements. I suspect most of them are a waste of money and put undue stresses on the internal organs. And if you’re eating a truly balanced diet, you’ll get all of what you need from that.
You need to exercise. And I mean vigorously and regularly, as if it really is part of your life. When you pass 40, the focus should be on gaining and preserving muscle, since it will keep you looking good, protect you from injury, and keep your testosterone levels up. So, weightlifting should be a main focus. But don’t ignore other elements of fitness. You should also incorporate some vigorous swimming, running, or other endurance-related training into your regimen. And don’t forget flexibility. You would be surprised how freak accidents can happen by just walking around. The worse hamstring injury I got was just from walking around Tokyo about a year and a half ago. All I was doing was walking. Yoga is also great for flexibility. The problem is that it is also boring as hell. I don’t do it, but would suggest it if you want to mix things up a bit.
Do not go without sex for long periods of time. The male animal needs intimacy, and lack of such intimacy with females can produce neuroses, anxieties, complexes, and all sorts of depression problems. So, get out there and make it happen one way or another. The chase will do wonders for your morale, too.
Mental Best
Regarding you mental best, the key thing here is keeping your mind active and intensely focused. Don’t believe all that bullshit about it being “harder to learn as you get older.” It’s actually easier in many ways, because you know how to learn more efficiently than you used to. Take up hobbies or activities that exercise other parts of your brain: learn a new musical instrument, learn to paint, learn to sculpt clay, stone, or wood, learn a new language. Anything. The idea is that you need to keep yourself intense and focused. I am a very intense and driven person, so this type of thing is necessary for me as a way of channeling off surplus energy.
Another way to keep yourself sharp is by being around and interacting with stimulating, interesting, or intelligent people. Avoid deadbeats, flat-liners, dunces, and sluggards. They will only bring you down. This applies equally to men and women. Hanging around the wrong sort of people can really drag a man down. So, pick carefully the people you spend your time with. Time is precious.
Emotional Best
You’ve just got to nurture your spirit and morale as you get older. Once you’ve seen the same old story play out over and over again like you’ve seen it in your 20s and 30s, it is very easy to get cynical and jaded about everything. Sometimes I get that line from an old Digital Underground song repeating in my head as I walk around a new foreign city: “all around the world, the same song”. It really feels like that, all too often. I suppose some of this is natural.
When you’re a single man and living in the West, you are going to be subjected to severe stresses from society and the media. You need to be aware of this. There is such a volume of stupefying trash out there in the media and on people’s lips that it becomes difficult to escape the steady drum-beat of conformist brainwashing. If Goebbels himself could come back today to modern America, he would be truly impressed at the advanced state of propaganda, groupthink, and mind control that has successfully been able to distract people from what really matters.
Travel frequently. You can all-too-easily become trapped in a rut. Nothing shatters the illusions like travel. I can’t stress this enough. My friend Maverick Traveler (who is extremely well-traveled) has structured his life around travel, and to a more modest extent so have I. To me, it is a critical part of my sanity (or insanity). To range across space and time, make languages your passports and companions.
Shut off or disconnect the television. Basic cable is fine, but anything more than that is a waste of money and a real downer. Listen to foreign newscasts on the internet, in the target language(s) you’re studying.
Avoid overly negative people. You know who these people are in your life. You have the “sad sack” types, the people who hobble around looking pathetic and looking like life has crushed them. They’re the ones at the gym, in the locker room, with a distended belly, whining about their gall bladder operation or how their aunt is dying of lymphoma. Bottom line: nobody cares, and flatliner negativism has a way of becoming a substitute for action. Then you have the “I’m gonna” types. These are the guys who are always just about to do something great, but never do for one reason or another. They resent anyone better or happier than they are. Say hello, and keep moving. I love to bitch about bullshit as much as anyone, but at the end of the day I know how to roll up my sleeves and keep going. Venting is fine, and performs a necessary function of releasing stress. But just don’t let it slide into bottomless darkness.
Then you have the “angry” types, who are convinced that the entire world is conspiring against them, whether it’s the UN, the “Illuminati”, Gozer The Destroyer, or whatever. They use whatever fixation they have as an excuse not to try to improve themselves. Then there are the “vampire” types, those men and women who just drain you emotionally for one reason or another. They might be old friends from school whom you no longer have anything in common with. Or they might be that wife, girlfriend, or fuck buddy you just can’t get rid of. Or they may be one of those 100 useless “friends” on Facebook. Fire their asses. Or powercheck their asses into the proverbial boards of the hockey rink. You’ll feel better. Literally.
We all have a bit of these tendencies, but you need to keep this stuff under control or it will consume you.
You should embrace some sort of world-view that protects you from depression, negativism, and other bad thoughts. Everyone is different in this regard. I know people who have widely varied belief systems (e.g., mystical theurgy, religion, atheism, philosophy, etc), but who all share the commonality of sincerity. It doesn’t really matter what you believe in, as long as you sincerely believe it and it helps you deal with the stresses, agonies, and trials of life.
Because, believe me, bad things will happen to you. No one escapes this aspect of Fate. And if you don’t have the maturity or seasoning of a comprehensive belief system, you may find it difficult to cope. As Gavan Daws relates in his classic wartime study Prisoners of the Japanese, the inmates of Japanese POW camps in the Pacific who best survived were those who had a strong belief system.
Finally, be aware of your time. Every great man valued his time above all else. I recently read how Charlemagne, the greatest of medieval kings, would hear cases and diplomatic issues as he dressed in the morning. And beware of “non-game changers”: spinning your wheels on pointless nonsense for little real value gained. I saw a hilarious cartoon in the New Yorker Magazine a while ago about this. It was entitled (of course) Non Game Changers. You can find it easily on Google. It listed a series of activities that appear important, but are not (rearranging the living room, switching to organic milk, reading “Ulysses”, getting on Facebook, getting off Facebook).
To make real changes in your life, they have to be real game-changers. Don’t waste time on sideshows, distractions, or stupidities. Big, bold changes are often better than the incremental bullshit you’ve been doing up till now. Shock your system and shock your mind, and force yourself to adapt.
Don’t isolate yourself. People need interaction constantly. Many neuroses and complexes could be nipped in the bud if people had others to keep them in check. Everyone needs a smack upside the head every now and then to keep himself grounded. When you’re alone, you have only yourself to talk to, and after a while the walls start closing in on you. People with active, intense minds need to be aware of this more than others.
And finally, have a sense of humor. Keep laughing, no matter what. Because you’re on this roller-coaster ride whether you like it or not, and you might as well stick around to see what happens.
Read More: The Secret To Approaching Older Women As A Young Man
“When you’re a single man and living in the West, you are going to be subjected to severe stresses from society and the media. ”
Not really.
It’s only stressful if you care what “they” think of you. But I realized long ago that I just don’t want them to like or agree with me, because I don’t like them or agree with them.
Good article though.
“When you’re a single man and living in the West, you are going to be subjected to severe stresses from society and the media. ”
Not really.
It’s only stressful if you care what “they” think of you. But I realized long ago that I just don’t want them to like or agree with me, because I don’t like them or agree with them.
Good article though.
Until a false accusation comes your way then you gotta care. But yes, not giving a shit about others opinion is key to removing such stresses.
There will be stressful situations. But when those situations happen, it helps to not have other stresses get in the way of a solution.
Stress overload is a control mechanism that us used against us, in my opinion. It keeps men from thinking clearly.
When I relax and start to meditate, I notice this stress in my shoulders and chest and it is not easy to get rid of. And I don’t consider this a stressful life. I wonder how much stress is being carried by other men and they don’t realize it.
No, it isn’t just about ‘caring whatthey think about you’. Advertising is about making you feel unhappy with what you have, hence everyne is chasing money and status. Even if you make yourself immune to these forces, if you remain vigilant against it, you still have to exert immense energy in doing so. ‘Not caring’ isn’t a passive stance.
Quintus, a lot of good points made all worth following. And there indeed is a connection to looking good and having ones mental faculties in a healthy disposition. You also mention nutrition, yoga and physical fitness, and I would like to add in is acupuncture. I’m a believer in acupuncture as first means to treat any ailment. Sometimes acupuncture alone won’t be enough, but it can make western medicine work more effectively and faster. This, plus as preventive medicine; to maintain overall good health. It’s an art as well as a science. The key to getting good treatment is to go to someone who has been practicing for a good number of years. My impression is that native Chinese doctors do a better job because their study of medicine is done in mandarin language, and in my opinion they have the best understanding of this science.
As someone who lives in China I can assure you that the “medical professionals” here are little more than witch doctors. Especially the acupuncturists, because their practice is non-falsifiable. How can you verify it worked? You can’t. If it didn’t work, it’s because you didn’t sleep on a rock-hard bed, or you had too much wind in your face, or you sat in a puddle. No, seriously. Western doctors will even tell you go to to a witch doctor, I mean acupuncturist, whenever they have no idea what to do with you.
My experienes with acupuncture doctors have been excellent, both in the USA and in Europe. If an acupuncturist has had a practice for many years and / or comes highly recommended is always good. Yes there are ineffective ones out there, but acupunture is real. Western doctors see holistic medicine and acupuncture as a threat to their profession. A western doctor would prefer to keep their patient coming back and try other methods because it is profitable.
Video games are great for fighting off mental decline.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10881103
A lot of guys cut them out in an attempt to self-improve, but cutting them out completely is a bad idea (unless of you’re addicted).
I alternate between reading and playing an hour of video games most days before bed.
Hey, whatever works.
Video Games don’t make you stupid, no. But they are glorious time sucks. An entire weekend goes by and you have no idea what happened. Thats pretty dangerous for an entrprising young man. Get your ass OUT OF THE HOUSE and do something! Take a language class. Take a kayaking course or scubadiving. Do the actual things your “avatar” on the screen is doing! Why play Tomb Raider, when you can book a flight to the Domincan Republic (or Haiti) and do all the things that chick on your screen is doing? Leave the video games for the elderly and pimpled teens. YOU get your Alpha ass out there!!
That comment is a thing of beauty….
Definitely watch the sun exposure. In the southwest it will fry you. If you are pale skinned the damage will show up as red splotches all over your neck. It also damages your eyes so invest in the best sunglasses you can afford.
Learn to dress like an adult male. It makes a big difference in how people (especially women) treat you. Clean, polished shoes, quality slacks, matching belt. A couple good resources for this are “How to Date Young Women for Men Over 35” by R.Don Steele and “Color for Men” by Kate Jackson, as well as “Dress for Success” by John Malloy. Even if you are the farming/ranching type you need to look good, and you will see a lot of these guys cleanly attired in the clothes that fit their lifestyle.
R.Don Steele’s book really has a lot of good info on attitude and personal grooming for older men.
Also, 5 sunburns in your lifetime doubles your risk of skin cancer. Another reason to wear sunblock.
So it’s 6% instead of 3. Whoa.
Putting aside your sarcasm…When saw that statistic I was pretty damn surprised. I have a lot of friends who have got that many burns in one summer.
Suit Up!
An alternate to wearing sunscreen all the time is sun-protective clothing. In the past few years, I’ve taken to wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sleeves for my arms, and a neck gaiter for my neck. All of this is to block the sun when I’m out. I just stuff these in my backpack when I’m indoors.
I hate having to put sunblock on the time, so physical barrier options are what I invest in.
Wearing layers of protective clothing –
While mountain hiking: sure.
While walking around town: not so much.
Looking like a dopey tourist is a good way to kill off the possibility of approaching and gaming a good-looking woman who crosses your path mid-day.
Spend the extra 5 minutes to apply sunblock!
FYI, the hat is a fedora.
Don’t forget your fanny pack and your sandals with socks, lolz.
Nah, the fanny pack is outdated. Instead, I have the ginormous backpack!
This one should go in the established ROK canon. The best antidote to the silly articles that pop up way too often on this site is a good QC or Wycked entry. Agreed with every word, even when I’ve been caught engaging in negative behavior myself.
The best way to think of things is as the brain being a biological computer. You need to program it in the best way possible.
“The brain is just a computer made out of meat”.
I read that somewhere once.
Mostly good tips here, but if you’re taking multivitamins, you’re something of a sucker for the (unregulated, and actually quite dangerous) supplements industry:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/opinion/sunday/dont-take-your-vitamins.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Comes from people who claim grains are good for you.
Sun is bad.
You don’t need Vitamin D
Meat is bad for you
Statins are good for you
Curing cancer by extra high doses of Vit C is criminal
Prozac and other pills are the only cure for depression
Margarine is better than butter
Soy is good for men
Raising free pasture animals is bad for earth
Etc…
How you dress is probably the fourth important area…dressing with class is the key, and not attempting to dress younger than you are.
Absolutely. I couldn’t agree more. It’s not easy to fit everything into a piece like this, but I would say you are spot-on. Nothing looks better than a guy who can dress with style.
There are a few easy ways a guy can do this. One way, perfectly legitimate, is to imitate another guy he knows has mastered the art. In the beginning stages, before you have nurtured your own style, you have to have some guide. Find a celebrity or other figure you think has “broken the code” and use him as a guide. Anther way is to make it a hobby. Read fashion magazines, visit men’s clothing stores and talk to knowledgeable people there, and immerse yourself in it.
Manny De La Cruz and Eli Dion over at wellbuiltstyle.com are an excellent resource for anyone looking to explore the finer points of self-improvement through style and fitness. The information they provide is accommodating to all levels- from beginner to elite – and they happen to be hitting upon the two areas of immediate interest to me in my own push for self-improvement. “Gentlemen, here’s to staying fit and looking sharp!”
Thanks for the plug!
or visit italy, especially milan or florence, and observe their casual and almost effortless elegance. and if you can’t fly there in person, spend an hour studying google images of street fashion in those cities.
another great article quintus. thank you.
I totally agree with you on Italian style. I feel their style is what matches my overall vibe. It suits me.
Some other guys, usually from northern European ancestry, might do better with a British or Scandinavian look.
One more great piece by Mr. Quintus.
I specially agree with the traveling aspect. For me it has been my own and only anti-depressive and an eye opener as I tend to often dwell deep into thoughts and dreams. When I started traveling frequently I though that maybe this wasn’t a good thing because I was starting to feel like I was drifting away from general society and common interests. Sometime later I realized it was just the opposite. This is specially true when traveling alone or with few friends of quality where you tend to mix better with the local community and culture.
This brings me to the next subject which is good company. I totally agree that spending your time with people of worth is another critical thing to aim for. However, these days these people are harder and harder to find.
I dont think you should aim to look younger, you should just look good for your age. And please dont dye your hair, if you have any left 🙂
I dye my hair, and I am regularly mistaken for being in my mid 30’s. I just turned 49. When people find out my age, they say they’re surprised, then they bring it up again 5 minutes later, and then express their surprise again after another few minutes. I’ve had the three time expression of surprise numerous times. I stopped dyeing my hair for several years, and looked like shit. I started dyeing again when I took the red pill about a year and a half ago.
The key is to choose a reasonable color. It’s easy to recognize guys with an unnaturally dark hair color, but if you pick a good color, dye your eyebrows, and keep a good close shave, it will make a tremendous difference.
Of course, you also need to lift weights, lose any excess weight, and wear stylish clothes that fit well.
Well there is no hard fast rules to all this. But in Thailand, Dominican you get these old guys dying their hair and it looks ridiculous, like who are you trying to fool with that?
Another guy I met in Krakow, was bald, tanned though, looked really good, trim, fit and he was 60! could not believe it.
I got some grey on the temples, but never have done this. To each his own.
Eh, my hair is going gray and white. I’m not dyeing it. I’ll shave it all off first.
On the subject of fish oil, you may find this interesting: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/14/is-krill-oil-48-times-better-than-fish-oil.aspx
Grains are garbage dude, head on over to anthonycolpo.com refined bread is actually better than wholegrain as the refining process removed much of the bad shit.
Source from peer-reviewed journal, please?
Sensible advice. What it really boils down to is: eat right, lift weights, have sex, socialise, and maintain a positive attitude.
Good article, but :
“When you pass 40, the focus should be on gaining muscle”
— Poppycock. At 40+ the focus should be maintaining general fitness and a good energy level. Leave muscle-gain to the lunkheads in their 20s and 30s.
I’d ask “Do you even lift”, but we already know the answer.
I’d ask “are you a lunkhead”, but…
At 40+, aim to be trim and fit and maintain a good energy level through a regular exercise regime and reasonable diet… At that age, why the hell would you care about muscle-gain? Seriously fool…
banger:
I’ve always thought that balance was a good thing, so your point is well taken.
However, I think you may be missing out if you dismiss weightlifting completely. The benefits are just too good to ignore.
1. Large muscles protect you from injury.
2. You look better.
3. Lifting weights raises testosterone and improves your goal-seeking behavior, promotes a sense of well-being, and your sexual libido.
4. Large muscles protect your bones, ligaments, and overall skeletal structure from undue stress.
I’m not saying you should only do lifting. I’m just saying you should make it a big part of your routine.
Quintus:
I wasn’t dismissing weightlifting, I do it 3x a week. I do it for benefits #2 and #3 (as well as for fitness and energy-level).
But at 44, I’m not trying to ‘build mass’ like a kid in his 20s. Just maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle…
Yoga is NOT boring! Not when you have younger women bending over in downward doggie while wearing tight leggings and sleeveless tops.
yea… but then you get this awkward boner that pretty much everyone will notice…
Get familiar with Apple Cider Vinegar, Zinc and Hydrogen Peroxide.
and Baking Soda, for your prostate.
Elmer how does one take baking soda for prostate? Mix with water and drink it?
Rather boron and iodine. For better libido and hormonal balance too.
http://tinyurl.com/Boron-References
http://tinyurl.com/iodine-references
With boron I got my morning erections back. Iodine for detox and thyroid. I was sceptical, but I believe rather in natural remedies not in orthodox medicine and big pharma drugs. Both, boron and iodine, are very chip and helped me a lot.
Give us some details on what can be done with these things, and how you do it.
ACV seems to be an overall tonic for well-being from what I’ve read, a lot of people recommend it for digestive/skin issues and for washing your hair.
Zinc is important for keeping estrogen in check, maintaining an appropriate testosterone/estrogen balance.
Hydrogen peroxide I’m not sure, I know people use it for whitening teeth (although I think there are better things for this) and some use it in foot soaks.
Baking soda is great for washing your hair, brushing your teeth, using it as a deodorant, etc. I’m not sure what uncle elmer has in mind.
Anyways, thanks for another great article QC.
Brilliant article. I constantly remind myself to be discipline and live life on my own terms. Nothing else matters.
Thanks for this. It helped me realize I’m not doing so bad at 37.
“Do not go without sex for long periods of time. The male animal needs intimacy, and lack of such intimacy with females can produce neuroses, anxieties, complexes, and all sorts of depression problems.”
No shit Sherlock!
Don’t underestimate what vitamin C can do for your skin. It converts to collagen, which is a stringy, tough protein that supports your skin and avoids wrinkles and sagging. And you really need supplements to get enough. Food only provides the bare minimum. Check out “vitamin C; collagen; skin” on your fave search engine.
To the guys in their twenties, work out like you mean it, get plenty of sleep, do not marry or reproduce and contain your drug and alcohol use. When you are 35 everyone will think you are 27. When you are 42 your sex partner( s) will be 18-24. The investment is worth it, it is ok to be 40 just do not look it .
yes. i’ll soon be 43 and i’m in the best shape of my life, constantly being told i look much younger. my joints and back can’t handle heavy weight training, so i do the beachbody workouts, like P90X and insanity. also, i went vegan this year, which is helping tremendously with keeing the fat off. nothing you can do about getting older, but you can do everything about not looking it or feeling it.
i just wanted to add that if yoga seems boring, you’re doing it wrong. try something intense like P90X yoga that builds muscle and endurance, not just flexibility.
Nice to get some old guy considerations discussed. Looking younger is important for pick-up once you get past 40. Feeling good too. If you have a comprehensive red-pill belief system, does that mean narcissism should be your default practice? I am experimenting with that. I think it has become neccessary and will become essential. I know everyone knows about the Dark Triad, but I think the art of it will be brightest before the dawn. I think there is room to develop Game and red-pill lifestyle in that direction for lots of us.
Wear baseball caps and floppy hats as often as possible to keep the sun off your face. Whether you are dark skinned black or a freckled ginger-head, keep the sun off your face! No, it won’t facilitate baldness, and if your growing bald you should be shaving your head anyway (honestly, whats more beta than a combover, or some aging wanna-be rasta with spaghetti strands of dreadlocks). So it’s baseball caps, especially for those of us who frequent countries along the equator or the Mediterranean.
Mental Best: Keep up your language skills in the foreign tongue you are learning in ANY way possible. Pick up a newspaper in that language and try to get through it, even if you only understand 25% to 35% of it! The mere effort is great for your brain. Frequent the ethnic enclaves in your city that speak the language you are learning and chat up store clerks, waitresses, busboys, elderly in parks, and of course, chicks! Use it or lose it!
This is an excellent article Quintus. At 33, i’ve experimented extensively with various methods of maximising the cards I was dealt at birth, and honestly couldn’t disagree with anything you’ve written.
There are a lot of things we are unable to directly change, but control of ourselves, balance and our perception assist greatly.
If you can turn the weakness into a strength, and not think about it at all, you’re well ahead of the game.
I generally agree with the statement…”Big, bold changes are often better than the incremental bullshit you’ve been doing up till now. Shock your system and shock your mind, and force yourself to adapt.” However, getting to your ‘physical best’ may require smaller, incremental steps. I am 46 and certain realities hold true.
I have seen too many dudes my age screw up their bodies when they tackle a new fitness regime and go ‘balls out’ in the first 45 days. The older you get, the longer your recovery takes. I have been on a 12 month path to not only integrate exercise into my life regularly, but re-shape my body. I was always generally fit, but never in great shape. Having a longer term goal allows you to keep track of your progress and not let small setbacks like tendinitis in the shoulder or a strained forearm keep you from achieving your goal.
I know I am old compared to a lot of guys here. I just look at it that my path to my ‘physical best’ is a 60 degree line vs. 90 degree one.
I generally agree with the statement…”Big, bold changes are often better than the incremental bullshit you’ve been doing up till now. Shock your system and shock your mind, and force yourself to adapt.” However, getting to your ‘physical best’ may require smaller, incremental steps. I am 46 and certain realities hold true.
I have seen too many dudes my age screw up their bodies when they tackle a new fitness regime and go ‘balls out’ in the first 45 days. The older you get, the longer your recovery takes. I have been on a 12 month path to not only integrate exercise into my life regularly, but re-shape my body. I was always generally fit, but never in great shape. Having a longer term goal allows you to keep track of your progress and not let small setbacks like tendinitis in the shoulder or a strained forearm keep you from achieving your goal.
I know I am old compared to a lot of guys here. I just look at it that my path to my ‘physical best’ is a 60 degree line vs. 90 degree one.
Fast for 24hrs. Once a week or once a month. Its good for you, your internal system and skin as well. Its not easy, so try to do it with someone else or a group, giving each other moral support throughout the day, and then, end the fast together, communally (organize a light brunch). Whether for spiritually purposes or just physical, fasting has been an awesome component of my life.
The Non-Game Changers part alone would need another post. It’s especially the small things that are easy to mistake for “important” and “necessary” when they’re absolutely not. They can suck a lot of time.
My trick is to ask myself “is this helping me in reaching my goals?” If the answer is no, I don’t do it.
Head-conversation:
“I want to tidy up my dildo collection.”
“Will this help you reach your goals?”
“No, but it would be neater… and…”
“Doesn’t matter. Don’t do it.”
“But….”
“No.”
Good idea. Maybe we should start a thread at the Forum on “Non-Game Changers” (!). My initial suggestions of non-game changers:
1. Reading any of those “For Dummies” series books.
2. Buying a hybrid car.
3. Going “gluten-free”.
4. Using any Rosetta Stone product to learn a language.
5. Visiting any part of Canada.
6. Calling up an ex-GF for a boredom fuck.
7. Reading Beowulf.
8. Shaving your head. (Shave your pubes instead).
9. Learning palm-reading.
10. Listening to NPR.
11. Doing any volunteer work.
12. Using the word “brah”.
13. Memorizing a poem.
14. Trying to use monster.com to get a job.
15. Taking a webinar on anything
16. Having a pet bird.
Thank you for this. Something I needed to hear.
best post
Women don’t care that a man looks older, just don’t get a gut, an older guy can look much sexier than a young boy. It adds an air of experience and wisdom. Unfairly it doesn’t seem to be the same for women so enjoy it. It is only detrimental if the man seems insecure about growing older.
I like the article, good tips. About sun damage though… Staying in full tropical mid day sun even with SPF 50 is probably not a good idea. There are a lot of different things we don’t know about sun damage, basically we know it ages your skin, and sun cream might or might not protect it, some or all. Different wavelengths and shit. And it might have damaging properties of it’s own. Learn from natives of tropical countries and try to stay out of mid day sun most of the time, ie. 10am-2pm. Build a gradual tan if you’re pale. Never ever get a sun burn. Use a sun hat and a shirt if you need to be out at mid day in the tropics, and stay in the shade whenever possible. Always hydrate your skin properly before you go in the sun, and afterwards if it’s even a little dehydrated.
Getting a slight tan is natural process proven to be healthy, a medium tan probably won’t age you too much, and a light tan might benefit your overall skin health. It’s sunburn, overtanning and tanning uhealthy skin that’s lost its ability to absorb sun properly (damaged or dehydrated for example) that will age you prematurely. No need to wear sun cream if there’s not too much sun about, getting a bit of sun everyday is just good. Oh yeah, and don’t believe in “waterproof” sunblock, you need to reapply it often if you swim or sunbathe.
Yeah..!! I do my workout regularly to keep my skin and health fresh and healthy but I never forget to use my skin brightening cream..!!