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LenDentonThrive Letter #33…Updated!

Welcome to the LenDentonThrive Letter! My mission is to help 50+ Guys Get Lighter and Leaner, Get Stronger, and Live Longer. We do that by building our ThriveLife!

This edition is Part 4 of my 6-part series to help you build your own custom-tuned ThriveLife in 2024. Here’s where we’ve been so far:

• In Part 1, I explained what the ThriveLife is, and why you need your own personal ThriveLife.

• In Part 2, I laid the foundation for your ThriveLife with ThriveLife Principles 1 & 2.

• In Part 3, I showed you how to fuel your ThriveLife by Eating Smarter, which is ThriveLife Principle #3.

In today’s edition, I’ll share how doing the right exercise can help you get lighter and leaner faster.

Let’s dive right in!

ThriveLife Principle #4 is Move Smarter!

In Part 3 of this series, I showed you how to use science to put food to work for you instead of against you. I call that Eat Smarter. Move Smarter is the science-based companion to Eat Smarter. Together, they compound the effects of each other to help you lose weight quickly while working smarter, not harder!

Exercise is an important part of the ThriveLife journey, especially in the early stages where there’s excess weight and body fat that needs to be worked off.

There is a lot of controversy around exercise when it comes to the issue of weight loss and becoming fit. Most of the articles you see online or in men’s health magazines are focused on muscle gain and getting ripped. And exercise advice is almost exclusively focused on weightlifting to help you attain those big muscle gains. 

Weightlifting has its benefits. Beyond the obvious aesthetic values, building muscle mass is a good thing for your overall health and fitness. It’s also a key hallmark of healthy aging because men begin to lose muscle mass in their 30s.

However, weight lifting isn’t the most effective way to lose weight and body fat. It’s actually the slow way to lose weight.

The fast way to lose weight and body fat is through cardio exercise. But not just any cardio will do the job. The science-backed cardio exercise I recommend is Zone-2 cardio in a fasting state.

I’ll explain what that means:

Zone 2 - There are 5 recognized cardio zones (see Figure 1 below). Zone 2 is the point that your heart rate is 65-75% of your maximum heart rate. (See Note 1 for a simple max heart rate calculation.) For me, Zone 2 means a heart rate range of 100-116 beats per minute. This is a brisk walking pace for me.

Fasting State - means before having any food, or before consuming any calories. For most guys, this will mean morning time before having breakfast.

So, what’s so special about Zone 2 fasting cardio? It’s related to the way that our bodies store and use energy.

At lower intensity levels (Zones 1 & 2), the body draws its energy mostly from its stored fat. As intensity and energy demand increase (Zones 3, 4 & 5), the body shifts its energy sources from fat to carbs and protein. As our bodies convert protein to glucose, we begin to lose muscle mass. This cardio-induced muscle loss is a primary reason why weight-lifters often advise against extensive cardio exercise.

Figure 1 - Cardio Zones

Surprisingly, Zone 2 fasting cardio is the best fat-burning exercise available for three reasons:

1. Zone 2 cardio is powered by stored fat (which you are trying to get rid of) and it burns more fat than other exercises. Even if a Zone 3 or Zone 4 exercise like High-Intesity Interval Training (HIIT) burns more calories, the bulk of those Zone 3 calories would be coming from protein and carbohydrates and not fat.

2. Because of its lower intensity, you’re able to do more Zone 2 exercises for longer than more intense exercises from Zone 3, 4, or 5. Again, the longer you’re doing Zone 2, the more fat you burn.

3. It’s easy and accessible. Almost everyone can do Zone 2 fasting cardio without training, expensive equipment, or memberships. All you need is a comfy pair of shoes.

I’ve written more on the benefits of Zone 2 cardio here.

Getting Lighter and Leaner Faster

The initial phase of the ThriveLife journey is called Getting Lighter and Leaner. The goal of this phase is to help 50+ Guys quickly lose weight and body fat. The benefits of initially focusing on weight and fat loss include improving overall cardiovascular health and reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes. (Heart disease is the #1 cause of death for American Over-50 Guys!)

The ThriveLife approach delivers on both diet and exercise simultaneously to achieve rapid and effective weight and fat loss.

First, the Eat Smarter nutrition plan is designed to help you create a fat-reducing diet that you enjoy. Eating Smarter helps you avoid fat by putting food to work for you instead of working against you. (You can refer back to Part 3 for more resources regarding Eating Smarter.)

And, second, Move Smarter (based on Zone 2 fasting cardio) is the fastest and most effective way to burn off your excess body fat.

Personal Note: This is the exact approach I took when I began my ThriveLife journey 10 years ago. It helped me lose 70 pounds in about 7 months. (Your mileage may vary!)

In Closing

Eat Smarter and Move Smarter is a powerful, science-backed combo to help you get lighter and leaner faster. When we combine effective fat-burning exercises like Zone 2 fasting cardio with our Eat Smarter nutrition plan, we can accelerate both weight and fat loss. This will put you in the fast lane to your own ThriveLife.

The ThriveLife is a better system for attaining your health and fitness goals. If you’re an Over-50 Guy who is looking to lose 20 or more pounds, then developing better daily practices based on the ThriveLife Principles will help you to build your sustainable, healthy lifestyle that I call the ThriveLife.

Our unique, personalized versions of the ThriveLife are built on these ThriveLife Principles:

• Principle 1 - Take Action

• Principle 2 - Measure What Matters

• Principle 3 - Eat Smarter

• Principle 4 - Move Smarter

In this series, we’re building a step-by-step blueprint for your ThriveLife in 2024. Next week, we’ll discuss the individual building blocks of your ThriveLife - smart daily practices.

Thanks for your time and attention. Happy holidays! See you next Saturday.

Thrive & Prosper,

Len

Notes

1. For a quick calculation of your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. Here’s an example calculation using my age: 220-65=155. My max heart rate is 155 beats per minute.

I write this newsletter hoping to make a positive impact on the lives of Over-50 Guys and and their families. If you found this information useful, please consider subscribing to receive new editions each week.

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