Stuart Roberts - Get Strong, Get Fit, Get Happy A life Manual for 40+

Published in Great Britain by Hashtag Press 2020

Text Stuart Roberts 2020

Cover Design Helen Braid 2020

The moral right of the author has been asserted

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Important note: This book is not intended as a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Any person with a condition requiring medical help should consult a qualified medical practitioner or suitable therapist.

A CIP catalogue for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1-9161617-5-7

Typeset in Garamond Classic 11.25/14.75 by Blaze Typesetting

Printed in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc

HASHTAG PRESS BOOKS

Hashtag Press Ltd

Kent, England, United Kingdom

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Website: www.hashtagpress.co.uk

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This book is dedicated to all those who want to live their life in the best possible health and are prepared to take responsibility for achieving it.

I have wanted to write this book for a long time. Theres not space to thank everyone but first Id like to thank all the people Ive worked with over the years who have made amazing strides in their fitness. Theres nothing more rewarding to me than to see people transform their health and fitness, and for them to recognise the positive impact it has on other aspects of their lives. Of course, I would not have been able to help these people without the incredible teachers and mentors who have shaped the way in which I view ageing, health and fitness.

The work of nutritionist and educator, Patrick Holford, leading at the forefront, bringing the latest research and breakthroughs in nutrition to the public, was instrumental in inspiring me to become a nutritionist. His nutrition magazines first opened my eyes to the incredible possibilities for humans to live long and healthy lifespans, free from disease. He continues to be an inspiration to me and studying with him introduced me to Professor Lawrence G Plaskett and Michael Colgan.

Lawrence Plaskett inspired me to become a naturopathic nutritionist and my training with him showed the incredible abilities of the human body to self-heal and to attain levels of wellbeing in middle and older age that are still thought in broader society to be, at best, fanciful. This truly exceptional, yet incredibly modest man, with years of experience as a biochemist, has a truly encyclopaedic knowledge of nutrition and numerous other therapies that can be used in combination. He helped me appreciate the power of synergy and the fact that you cant have true health without it.

Dr Michael Colgan was one of the worlds top sports performance research scientists for over thirty years. His books and training courses showed me that it is possible to combine nutrition, naturopathic principles and unique forms of exercise to achieve fitness levels and abilities that are quite extraordinary. I attended his training camps in Canada when he was in his mid-sixties. The exercises he demonstrated and his level of fitness were awe-inspiringhes a true role model.

Dr Cory Holly, who worked closely with Michael Colgan, developed a comprehensive sports nutrition course for the Canadian Health Food Association, which I found empowering. His uncompromising vision and drive to educate on human potential for peak performance at any age was inspiring, coining the phrase, Age is not a barrier, only an excuse.

I would also like to thank my wife Susan for all her support. She has been unwavering in her encouragement and belief in what I was looking to create in this book. Never reticent in making criticisms and suggestions, she has helped me to create a book designed to be a practical and empowering resource for people, whether theyre new to giving attention to their health and fitness or are looking to build on what theyre already doing. Susan also contributed significantly to the last chapters on stress and motivation, using the extensive experience and knowledge she has gained since 2005 in her coaching practice, helping people to rediscover their inner confidence and find new direction in their lives and careers. In the same way as Im passionate about helping people make the most of their lives through optimising their health and fitness, Susan is equally as passionate about helping people live their best lives by minimising stress and optimising their innate strengths and self-belief.

Finally, I would like to give my sincere thanks to all the team at Hashtag Press and Literally PR, especially Helen and Abiola, for all their help, advice and patience in making this book possible.

Growing up watching loved ones at the mercy of debilitating illnesses, Stuart became passionate about transforming peoples health; helping them to attain boundless energy and maintain their fitness whatever their age.

Being a Fire Fighter for thirty years, Stuart was happy to have a job that required him to keep physically fit. Early on his career he qualified as a Fire Service Physical Training Instructor and did this for twenty-five years until retiring.

Learning about the power of nutritious food in transforming his own health, Stuart studied nutrition for six years and qualified as a naturopathic nutritionist. His methods are based on the importance of making changes that are easy to implement, sustainable over the longer term, and that fit into busy lives without denying people the pleasure of their favourite foods.

In 2004, he built on his experience supporting Fire Fighters with their fitness by qualifying as a Coach and Instructor in a completely new and revolutionary exercise program developed for athletes, which could be adapted and used by anyone. He learned from mentors who changed what he thought was possible with respect to health and fitness at middle age and beyond.

Hello and welcome to Get Strong, Get Fit, Get Happy!

This book aims to provide you with the means of maintaining a level of health and fitness for the rest of your life that many would consider unattainable. It looks at how pre-conceived ideas and commonly-held perceptions about ageing and health can unwittingly convince us to expect significantly declining health and physical fitness as we get older.

Whilst age will have some impact on our health and fitness, we can greatly increase our chances of remaining physically active and healthy to the end of our lives, and avoid the illness, pain and infirmity often seen as inevitable. Get Strong, Get Fit, Get Happy provides you with fresh perspectives that will take your fitness and wellbeing to a whole new level.

Combining the latest research with fundamental principles about how the body keeps healthy, this is an accessible and pragmatic guide. It doesnt matter whether the concepts covered are building on what you already know about ageing, nutrition and exercise or whether its a complete paradigm shift.

To make it as practical as possible, throughout the book there are simple tips and suggestions to easily implement changes to get you started and move you forward. That said, this book is not a quick fix. Instead, its about making incremental changes and investing in your health over the long term, so that you benefit throughout your life.