How is it possible that 93-year-old Jon Mendes was able to compete in the New York City marathon on Sunday, but people decades younger couldn't dream of running 26.2 miles? Perhaps the near-centenarian’s "fitness age" hasn’t incereased at the same rate as his senior citizen status indicates. So how do you defy the logic of aging when you’re secretly trapped in a teenager’s body (or vice versa)? Pretty easily, in fact.
If you find yourself in a "Freaky Friday" kind of situation and want to turn back the hands of time, here are some tips from top fitness instructor Kimberly Neumann of Equinox:
- Just do it. “One of the top excuses for not working out is just not having enough time. People don’t realize how much fitness they can pack in their day.” She suggests making substitutions: Instead of sipping on a highly caloric latte for a pick-me-up during a midafternoon break, run up and down the stairs at work. “You’d be surprised at the energy boost,” she says.
- Up the ante. Increase the intensity of your workout by sweating and pushing yourself a little more. “Frequency and intensity are two variables that you have within your capability to alter.” Don’t think your body can stand one more second on the treadmill? Just remember 93-year-old marathoner Mr. Mendes...
- Think of exercise as eye cream. Just as products can turn back the beauty biological clock, fitness can have the same Benjamin Button-like effect. “The reality is if you can consider fitness as an antiaging technique, then maybe you can make it more readily part of your routine.”
- Be zen. One of the factors for figuring out fitness age is having a normal resting heart rate — a regular one ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. “By meditating, you can do your body some good by lowering stress levels.”
- Decrease stress. Take some deep breaths and a bunch of chill pills. “Cortisol will cause you to hold weight around your waistline, and one of the contributing factors for fitness age is waist circumference."
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