Reading time: approx: 10 minutes

LenDentonThrive Letter #7

Living the Healthiest Version of You

Happy Saturday! I’m Len Denton, and I’m glad you’re here!

This week, I’ll be talking about something that I’ve been looking forward to sharing with you. It’s about fitness, lifestyle, and living the healthiest version of you. I call it the ThriveLife!

But first, here’s a quick overview of this week’s edition of the LenDentonThrive Letter:

• The Big Idea - This week, we’re talking about the ThriveLife… what it is … and how to get your own.

• Tip of the Week - This week, I’ll share the three simple things I do every day to support my ThriveLife.

• What I’m Eating - a quick look at a typical ThriveAge-compatible meal or snack. (Warning - this might contain some non-professional food photos!)

• What I’m reading - I’ll share two useful news items that you can benefit from!

I’m really glad that you’re here! We have a lot to cover in ten minutes or less, so let’s get started!

1. The Big Idea - The ThriveLife - The Healthiest Version of You!

If you are a regular reader of this newsletter, then you know that my fitness journey started in my doctor’s office about 10 years ago. It was there that he told me that I was a poster child for a heart attack or stroke! (You can read the entire story here.)

That was the beginning of a radical change in my mindset and my lifestyle. At 55 years old, I was 70 pounds overweight and my cholesterol was through the roof. My doctor’s words hit me like a ton of bricks!

Maybe that was because my dad and my little brother had both died from heart attacks…in their 30s!

I didn’t realize it at the time, but that visit with my doctor was one of those moments in my life that pointed me in a completely new direction. And now, ten years later, I’m healthier and fitter than I’ve been in the last 30 years!

Motivated by the poster child conversation, I found a combination of tools that helped me to lose those 70 pounds in 7 months without resorting to crazy diets or killer workouts. It was a great experience then and continues to be now as well.

Perhaps I should have told this story years ago when I experienced my initial success. But, I wasn’t ready.

• I wasn’t ready to put myself out there as some kind of expert - because I’m not!

• I wasn’t sure that anybody would listen - and, maybe they won’t.

• Maybe I was concerned about the criticism I might receive - but, I’m not anymore!

I decided that I need to share this story with others, right out in the open, for two reasons. First, there’s accountability. Sharing my story will hold me accountable to stay on the path to my ThriveLife. And second, I believe that there are millions of other Over-50 Guys, just like me, who need their own version of the ThriveLife.

So, in truth, I’m doing this for myself. And, I’m doing this for you other million Over-50 Guys.

The What, How, and Why of the ThriveLife

What It Is - The ThriveLife is the lifestyle of getting healthy and fit and doing it in a way that is not overbearing or overwhelming. It’s more of an enjoyable journey than a destination. Its a journey with no endpoint.

I think of the ThriveLife as a way of living where you look good and you feel good. You have more energy and confidence than before. And, people are going to notice. They’ll be saying good things about you, like: “Hey, you look like a million bucks! What are you doing?” (That actually happened to me! It might happen to you, too.)

When I talk about the ThriveLife, I often refer to “my ThriveLife” or “your ThriveLife.” That’s because the ThriveLife is more of a framework than an exact prescription. It comes in all sizes and colors to fit your specific needs and preferences.

To give you a more specific understanding of the ThriveLife, I’ll describe my ThriveLife in terms of eight components:

1.  Medical health - any medical conditions or diagnoses are being well-managed by you and your physician. In my case, I keep a close watch on my cardiovascular health (for obvious reasons).

2. Healthy weight - a healthy body weight is the foundation of fitness. This is my first indicator of “Right-Track/Wrong-Track” in my daily ThriveLife.

3. Enjoyable exercise - emphasis on enjoyable. Exercise is key to becoming fit and healthy for now and in the future. The more you like it, the more you’ll do. My enjoyable daily exercise is power walking.

4. Good food - food is both fuel and medicine for the ThriveLife. Good, healthy food choices are key to a long and healthy life. And, there is no starving oneself in my version of the ThriveLife.

5. Strength - Being strong is a key aspect of fitness. But, strong doesn’t necessarily mean bulk.

6. Energy - being vigorous and having vitality gives you an aura of health and fitness.

7. Purpose - my version of the ThriveLife includes a purpose that drives my daily activities. My purpose includes helping mine, and those around me, to thrive!

8. Community - we all need community to thrive. That community might be found in friends, colleagues, church, or your fishing buddies. Community matters more than most guys realize. Don’t overlook it as you think about your ThriveLife.

What It Isn’t - The ThriveLife is not about developing a beach body, washboard abs, or getting “jacked” in the gym. You don’t have to be a bodybuilder, a tri-athlete, or a marathoner. It’s cool if you are into those things. Just consider those to be your hobbies. It’s not an essential part of the ThriveLife.

The How - If the ThriveLife is our goal, how do we get there? When I began my journey, there was no ThriveLife and all I was doing was trying to find a way to lose some weight.

Over time, I found an approach that helped me to lose weight quickly and become more fit as time went on. That process evolved into four very simple rules that I was able to apply to my life. These rules reinforced each other and amplified the effects that each had on my fitness efforts. Those four simple rules are:

• Simple Rule #1: Take Charge - You are the owner of your health and fitness. Take charge and become the CEO of your own ThriveLife!

• Simple Rule #2: Boost Your FoodIQ - we can eat smarter when we learn to make food work for us instead of against us.

• Simple Rule #3: Remain in Motion - Movement is medicine and the key to becoming fit and healthy.

• Simple Rule #4: Measure What Matters - what gets measured, improves. And what doesn’t get measured, doesn’t improve.

Best of all, these rules were not drastic changes in my life, but rather gentle corrections that allowed me to make the progress I urgently needed. There was no need for crazy, restrictive diets or killer workouts.

Over time, that process became ThriveAge. I’ve written extensively about the four simple rules in earlier editions of the newsletter. You can find that info here.

So, the what is your ThriveLife.

And, the how is ThriveAge.

The Why - is your underlying motivation or rationale for embarking on the journey to your ThriveLife. And, that is up to you!

For me, my Why was immediately clear in my doctor’s office. I thought of my family and the prospect of them possibly facing the future without me. I immediately knew that I had to change my course. Unknowingly, my ThriveLife journey started there, in my doctor’s office.

So, what comes to your mind when you think about your Why?

The Bonus - I didn’t realize this when I started, but our ThriveLives come with a bonus.

When we build our frameworks to live the ThriveLife, we are also building the framework that’s essential to a long and healthy life. We get the benefits of a healthy life now. And, we are setting the stage for maintaining that health into the future. Your ThriveLife becomes a bridge to longevity!

So, living the ThriveLife now could add many healthy years to your life in the future. What a deal!

Summary

The What is the ThriveLife, a lifestyle designed to help you to live the healthiest version of You!

The How is ThriveAge and its four simple rules. It’s a framework that allows you to build a health and fitness routine that totally fits you and the foods and exercises that you prefer. (And, all without crazy diets or killer workouts!)

The Why is up to you. Do it for you. Do it for your family. You get to choose.

The Bonus is that the ThriveLife is a great way to live now, and a bridge to a longer, healthier life in the future.

I’m ten years into the journey, and I am excited about my ThriveLife. And, I’m just as excited about the prospect of helping you and a million other Over-50 Guys to begin the journey to their own, custom-built ThriveLife!

If you want to thrive and prosper, both now and in the future, join me on the journey to your own ThriveLife!

Want to Go Deeper?

Do you want to dive deeper into ThriveAge and what it can do in your life? If that sounds like a smart move for you, then consider subscribing to the LenDentonThrive Letter. It’s totally free!

As a bonus, new subscribers will receive a free .pdf version of Chapter 1 of my upcoming new book, The ThriveAge Way (The Over-50 Way To Lose Weight, Get Fit & Stay Fit For Life).

ThriveAge is the roadmap to your custom-built ThriveLife!

2. Tip of the Week: My Three Daily ThriveLife Goals

This week, I’m sharing three simple things that I do every day to support my ThriveLife.

#1. My Weigh-in Ritual - I weigh in every day, the same way, first thing in the morning. My weigh-in is my primary Right-Track/Wrong-Track indicator.

#2. I Eat Smarter - My goal is to maintain a healthy diet by following the FoodIQ Yellow-20 guidelines (80% Green Zone - 20% Yellow Zone - 0% Red Zone). That computes to a Food Quotient of 260 or higher. (Learn more about FoodIQ here.)

#3. My Daily Steps - My daily goal is to do 30 minutes of brisk power walking, with a target of 12,000 steps.

These three simple daily actions help me to keep my ThriveLife on course. Your goals will vary based on how you design your ThriveLife.

3. What I’m Eating

ThriveAge is a food-first approach to health and fitness. I call it '“fitness for food lovers!” So, each week I’ll give you a quick insight into one of my typical meals or snacks. No crazy diets, just real food.

This week’s entry is Oatmeal Bites, one of my favorite ThriveAge snacks.

Here’s the break-down:

The recipe includes 1-minute oats, almonds, olive oil, sugar-free maple syrup, flax seeds, and egg whites. It makes a batch of about 16 pieces.

This is a total of about 400 calories. But, more important to ThriveAgers, this is a 1 Green, 1 Yellow, and 0 Reds snack with a Food Quotient of 200. It’s a tasty and crunchy snack that fits well into your overall FoodIQ day.

Enjoy without guilt!

4. What I’m Reading

Here are two news items that I hope you’ll find useful:

1. Great news!! Alzheimer’s Disease is preventable?? It’s possible that every man over the age of 50 has had a concern about Alzheimer’s Disease. Now, an interesting study out of the UK says that while Alzheimer’s is incurable, it is also preventable. Download the .pdf to learn the 8 steps to prevent this devastating disease. Get the report here.

2. Food is fuel. This short article describes key foods to maintain a healthy heart. Read it here.

I’m Writing A Book!

I’m a busy Over-50 Guy who has spent the past ten years building a practice of personal health and fitness that relies on real food and smart exercise instead of crazy diets and killer workouts. This process, called ThriveAge, helped me to lose 70 pounds and keep it off for going on ten years. Now, I want to share what I have learned with other Over-50 Guys. So, I wrote the book!

In The ThriveAge Way (The Over-50 Way To Lose Weight, Get Fit & Stay Fit For Life), I share everything I’ve learned about the principles and practices necessary to create and sustain a healthy lifestyle. I call it my ThriveLife.

New subscribers to the LenDentonThrive Letter will receive Chapter 1 of my new book for free. To get your free copy of Chapter 1, just subscribe to the LenDentonThrive Letter.

Upcoming Topics

Here’s a quick look at some of the topics I’m working on for upcoming editions of the newsletter.

• Ten Things I Would Tell My 50-Year-Old Self

• Develop a Longevity Mindset to Add Years to Your Life

Please let me know if there’s a topic you’d like to see in future editions.

Thanks for your time and attention. Have a great weekend. See you next Saturday!

Thrive & Prosper,

Len

Hey, Before You Go…

Did someone forward you this copy of the LenDentonThrive Letter?

Tell them that I appreciate them!

You can get your own free copy by subscribing today. And, I’ll throw in Chapter 1 of my upcoming new book as a bonus.

Thanks for visiting!

See you next Saturday.