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LenDentonThrive Letter #44

Welcome to the LenDentonThrive Letter!

My mission is to help Guys over 50 to build thriving, healthy lifestyles. I call it the ThriveLife!

Investing For A Long Life

I write this newsletter to share knowledge about the ThriveLife and its ability to build and improve health, fitness, and longevity for Over-50 Guys. In this edition of the Letter, I want to talk about longevity and how you can invest for a long life.

Chances are, if you’re an Over-50 Guy, you’re already making plans to make sure that your financial resources last you for your entire life. But, I’m not talking about your money. I’m talking about your LIFE!

You are your best asset, right?

So, what kind of investments are you making to strengthen and extend your life? Today, I’ll share 5 ways you can invest in a longer and healthier life.

But first, we should look at what we’re up against.

Don’t Be Normal

America is currently undergoing a health crisis. I call it the American Fitness Paradox. We have more health and fitness resources than ever before. There’s a health club or gym in practically every strip mall. The U.S. health and fitness market was estimated at $30 billion in 2022.

Yet, this is what normal looks like in America today:

• Two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese.

• Chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes are rising¹ .

• Americans are the most medicated people in the world.

• U.S. ranked 40th globally in life expectancy.

• U.S. men’s life expectancy is declining for the first time since 1900.

So, what’s causing all of this? Here are three likely suspects:

• We’re less active than our grandfathers were. We are doing less physical labor and less physical activity than men did in the 60s.

• We’re consuming more calories (24% more per day since the 1960s² ). Restaurant portion sizes have grown by 1/3 since 2000.

• Our Standard American Diet is loaded with highly processed foods and hidden sweeteners. We’re trading convenience for health.

To be normal in America today suggests that we’ll be fatter, sicker, and die younger. If this is normal, who wants to be normal?

Let’s Be Different

Albert Einstein once famously said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

If we’re doing what everybody else is doing, we’re going to get the same results that everyone else is getting. If we want to look and feel different, with different (and better) health outcomes, then we need to be different.

But, when most Over-50 Guys think of what it means to be different from a health and fitness perspective, their minds tend to go to thoughts like:

• Restrictive dieting (low-fat, low-calorie, Keto, etc.)

• Grueling workouts (heavy weight lifting, flipping truck tires, running 10ks, etc.)

For the majority of Over-50 Guys, the start-up curve is too much of a climb. They either decide to pass on the idea entirely, or they give it a try and quit because it’s too much. (Most New Year’s resolution gym memberships are over by the end of February.)

What we need is a different way to be different.

A Smarter, Not Harder Way

For Over-50 Guys, I believe that the best way for them to invest their resources for long-term health and fitness isn’t restrictive diets or grueling workouts. I believe that the best approach is to create a lifestyle built on sustainable daily practices that you can do every day for the rest of your life.

Instead of following a “no pain, no gain” ethos, it’s a “smarter, not harder” way to achieve lasting health and fitness.

With that in mind, I’ll share 5 smart ways to invest for your own long and healthy life. And you can do this in 30 minutes a day.

(Note: I’ve written extensively about each of these ways elsewhere. So, for the sake of brevity, I’ll share a quick summary here and provide references to more info in footnotes.)

Here are my 5 smart ways to invest for a long and healthy life:

1. Get Your Check-ups - As we age, the risk of chronic diseases rises. The best defense against a life-shortening disease sneaking up on us is to get regular annual check-ups. Early detection and treatment is the key to beating disease and living long and healthy lives.

2. Start Eating Smarter - the antidote to the Standard American Diet is to Eat Smarter. Put food to work for you, instead of it constantly working against you. Not through dieting, but by fine-tuning our daily food choices to eliminate 6 bad fat-producing foods³ .

3. Start Moving Smarter - motion is medicine, so start moving. 30 minutes of Zone-2 cardio daily is the most effective fat-burning exercise you can do. For most guys, this is a brisk walk.⁴  

4. Weigh-in Every Day - daily weigh-ins help you keep track of your progress. But more importantly, it focuses your mind on the importance of your goal. This puts powerful neuroscience to work for you.

5. Get More Sleep - sleep is the “wonder drug” of longevity. Over-50 Guys need 7-9 hours of quality sleep daily.⁵  

In Closing

In 1860, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “Health is the first wealth.” It’s still true today.

As a society, we are on the verge of new longevity science that has the potential to dramatically extend the healthspans of humans. But, we are also members of the fattest, sickest, most medicated generation in American history.

You are your best asset, and also one of the most valuable assets your family has. So, invest in your own longevity with these 5 small daily practices.

Smarter… not harder.

To your long life, Brother!

See you next week!

Notes

1. Cardiovascular disease and diabetes are both diet-related diseases. More than 60% of American adults have 1 or more diet-related diseases. (USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025)

2. The Surprising Number Of Calories The Average American Eats Every Day

   Read More: https://www.healthdigest.com/244223/the-surprising-number-of-calories-the-average-american-eats-every-day/

    https://www.healthdigest.com/244223/the-surprising-number-of-calories-the-average-american-eats-every-day/?utm_source=lendentonthrive.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=lendentonthrive-letter-19

3. Eating Sad - https://lendentonthrive.beehiiv.com/p/lendentonthrive-letter-19

4. The Wisdom of Taking a Walk - https://lendentonthrive.beehiiv.com/p/lendentonthrive-letter-22

5. The Sleep Edition - https://lendentonthrive.beehiiv.com/p/lendentonthrive-letter-9

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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