J Halpenny - How to be healthy

How to be Healthy

Living Vibrantly in your 50s, 60s, and Beyond!

There arent too many men in their fifties still doing what I do in the health and fitness industry. I run a small personal training and health coaching business and have recruited dozens of trainers over the years. I also spend spend a lot of time in and out of big and small fitness facilities observing trends and finding refuge for my own workouts. Through it all I rarely see personal trainers beyond 30 years of age.

I could go on and on about why that is or might be, but it occurred to me that having spent the past 30 years indeed, most of my working life in this industry I really ought to write down some of the timeless tips, techniques, and traps Ive seen over the years!

Before deciding on the more findable title this book is now called, I referred to it as Forty Fifty Something Fitness Feng Shui Fitness. Because what Ill show you in this book is how to improve your energy levels, look better, feel better, and attack each day with the enthusiasm of a puppy dog with a healthy lifestyle and sustainable exercise regimen.

Why believe me? Well, for one, Im probably very much like you. While Ive read and learned nearly everything published about exercise and fitness over the past 30 years, I struggle the same struggles, and shoulder the same burdens that you might. I went to college and worked 2 jobs to pay for tuition. I worked in the technology industry as a software developer, software sales engineer, and sales representative for about 20 years. I married my current and first wife of twenty three years at age 26 and have fathered two boys. And thats what makes me a lot like you: while I am indeed expert in getting and staying fit;it has never been never been and still is not my full time job to do so.

When I got started in this business I already had a busy, demanding career, a family to take care of, cars to fix, a house to paint, and a lawn to mow. Our kids were active with soccer, football, hockey, and gymnastics. Then, there were diapers, cooking, shopping, cleaning, and laundry. Today, as a small business owner I manage human resources, payroll, financing, bookkeeping, and daily operations just like every other small business owner. My favorite unnamed quote is that ... the best part of being a small business owner is that you can work whichever 70 hours of the workweek you like! And its very true: running a business, small or large is a LOT of work.

Im lucky in that regard though, because while it is a lot of work, its also very rewarding work to see people enrich their lives and enhance their lifestyles with exercise!

I dont mention these things to toot my own horn - thats not my intent. I do so because one of the most frequent excuses I hear from the clients we work with day to day is that they just dont have time to exercise. Which, quite honestly, iscomplete nonsense. Because if I can maintain a demanding career, parent two children, remain in a marriage, run a small business, and still make time to exercise you can too!

In fact, Ive written this book for the exact and sole purpose of showing you how. Whats more, if youre as beleaguered as Ive been over the years, and find it difficult to fit exercise into your life, you really cannot afford not to exercise regularly!

On the other hand, if youre independently wealthy with unlimited time on your hands to exercise when and where you like, this book is NOT for you. If youre in your 20s or 30s or 40s and want to get better at competitive weekend recreational sports, this book is NOT for you. If youre in an income category where you can justify hiring and working with a personal trainer 4 or 5 times each week, this book is NOT for you.

Who this book is for is 50 and 60 somethings who grind the daily grind, havent had a lot of experience or success with fitness programs, but still want to live life to its fullest and look and feel fantastic in the best years of their lives!

But even thats not the only reason why you would want to bother reading this book. Another, and perhaps even more significant reason is because I know you! Well, maybe not personally, but in the 30 years Ive spent in this industry helping friends and family initially, and then with my personal training business, Ive met someone just like you! Oh, everyones a little different, I know, but I havent seen a new challenge, body type, ailment, injury, or excuse from anyone in the past 15 years. The human body is amazingly predictable, and Ive helped someone just like you become active, fit, and look and feel fantastic in their 50s, 60s, and beyond!

In fact, Ive helped quite literally THOUSANDS of individuals with exercise over the past 30 years.

Finally, you can believe and trust me on this topic because I know what its like to wake up at 49 years old. I know what its like to endure a new workout and feel pain and strain. I know what its like to pick up a few extra pounds while on vacation with the family. And I know what its like to see your metabolism drop year after year after year. I also know what its like to battle weight gain, something Ive had to do my entire life.

You see, unlike a lot of athletes and trainers, I am not naturally gifted with good genetics. My father had the 1st of his 3 heart attacks when he was 30 years old. Even today, his weight still fluctuates from obese to morbidly obese from year to year. Of my 4 siblings, 2 are overweight or obese. My family simply hasnt been dealt great genetics for health or fitness.

At just 58 tall today, I was the short, fat kid in 3rd grade. Being fat is one thing, but being short and fat was difficult to accept. So, at an early age, I used exercise to control my weight, 1st as a swimmer, later as a wrestler, and then in high school, as a body builder.

I competed and had great success with bodybuilding and physique throughout for the first 15 years of my professional career. Steroid use was quite common in the 80s and 90s. I even had a judge at the 82 Teenage Nationals tell me directly that it was quite fortunate that Id qualified for the contest without any steroidal supplements - the competition was just too good for a natural contestant. I liked bodybuilding and enjoyed limited success, but I liked my liver and spleen better, and managed to avoid the doping trap. I also really had a lot of fun with it! I read quite literally everything I could get my hand on around physiology, gaining muscle, metabolism, nutrition, and weight loss. And I continue to do so.

I experimented with a lot of techniques, and eventually established health and fitness habits so firmly embedded within my soul that a life without exercise would probably kill me! I learned a lot about the bodies of friends and family members who found my skills interesting. I personally trained my first clients at the Santa Clara, CA Golds Gyms in the mid 80s. Back then, it was easy to operate as an independent trainer in a large gym. It wasnt until the mid 90s before fitness facilities recognized the personal training profit center and quickly began requiring that personal trainers be employees.

Isnt it unnerving that when doctors and lawyers do what they do, they call it practice!

Above all else, I am a fitness practitioner. Just as doctors and lawyers practice their craft, a true fitness professional practices his trade. We never stop learning, adjusting, getting better, or being challenged.

1. LifeStyle