How I got in the best shape of my life after 40
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When I moved to Santa Monica, I noticed three things:
Everyone dressed in athleisure wear
They brought their dogs with them everywhere
They were in amazing shape
I was coming from New York. My diet there consisted of pizza and beer. Breakfast was a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. I didn’t own a single piece of Lululemon gear.
Coming to LA, I felt pressure to get into better shape. Fitness is like a religion here. You don’t see many overweight people. You can’t throw a stone in downtown Santa Monica without hitting at least one yoga or Pilates studio.
I was a few pounds overweight. I didn’t have much muscle. I wanted to improve my fitness. With so many options, I wasn’t sure where to start.
My fitness journey in LA has taken me through more twists and turns than a cruise down Mulholland Drive. I made a bunch of mistakes along the way.
Today, I’m in the best shape of my life. My body fat is below ten percent. I can bench press 1.5x my body weight and deadlift twice my body weight. I’ve adopted a fitness routine that’s generated great results.
Here’s how I did it.
Part 1: Flying Blind
I joined Equinox when I moved to LA. I liked working out there. They had all the equipment you could need.
I thought I knew how to work out, but in some ways I was flying blind. Trainers would see me trying out a new move I’d seen on IG but hadn’t mastered. They’d stifle a laugh, then approach me between sets: “Hi, what are you trying to do here?”
I was able to stay in decent shape at Equinox. But I didn’t make much progress toward my fitness goals. I didn’t have enough structure or accountability. I’d hit a plateau. I needed to find a way to push through it.
Part 2: Fear and Confusion
When the Covid lockdown hit, I had to find a new way to stay fit. Equinox was closed.
Zoom workouts didn’t cut it for me. I didn’t like staring at a screen during a workout.
Here’s what my home fitness routine looked like:
Bathroom — Do squats to count the number of toilet paper rolls.
Home office — Pick up my desk and move it around to all four sides of the room.
Kitchen — Leg lifts to replace the cans of soup and dried beans in the pantry.
By mid-2020 all my progress from Equinox had been erased. I had a classic dad bod. Love handles. A buddha belly. If I had grown out my beard and put on a little red hat, I could have played Santa Claus.
I knew I had to change up my fitness routine. I set a goal for myself: Don’t waste the lockdown. Use this time to get into the best shape of your life.
Part 3: Tree Pullups
One benefit of living in Santa Monica is you don’t really need a gym. There are so many opportunities to get outside.
I started doing workouts in my local park. Other people were using the park as a gym. I saw a guy grab a low-hanging tree branch and use it to pull himself up. I copied the move.
Tree pullups became part of my weekly routine. People would stare at me like I was a freak, but I didn’t own a pull-up bar, and this seemed effective. I took off my shoes and socks and did barefoot yoga on the grass.
Park workouts were great in some ways: I got outside in nature. I felt like a kid going out for recess. After my workout I could sit in the grass and meditate or journal. And it was free!
Part 4: A New Approach
In late 2020 I noticed a new fitness studio that had opened near me. It was called Body Fit Training, or BFT.
I met Jacob, the owner of BFT Santa Monica. He asked what I was doing for fitness. I told him about my park workouts. He laughed and said, “This is a lot more fun.”
I decided to sign up. I got an all-access membership and started going six days a week.
BFT offers a science-backed, community-based functional training program. The franchise started in Australia, where it has 200 locations.
I liked BFT’s approach to group training. The trainers did a great job fostering a sense of community. The classes were geared to men and women of all levels. The program cycled between cardio and weights (with the occasional boxing class, too).
Workout classes at BFT became the highlight of my day. I made friends with the people there. We’d bump fists after class. We did beach workouts together on Sundays.
The studio was located right across the street from me. Getting there took me three minutes, door to door. There was no excuse not to go.
I found that reducing the friction of getting to the gym, making it part of my weekly schedule, with workouts that were fun, that I genuinely looked forward to—this was huge for me. It increased the likelihood that I would stick to a fitness routine.
Part 5: False Victory
I was enjoying BFT, but I wasn’t seeing great results. I had to identify what was holding me back. I knew it started with diet and nutrition, alcohol and sleep.
I started to cook all my meals. I’d buy most of my groceries from the farmers market. I cut out sugar and highly processed foods. I minimized my intake of dairy and gluten.
I took the recommended supplements: creatine, fish oil / EPA, protein powder. But the best advice I got was: Don’t worry about supplements until you’ve nailed the basics. It starts with diet, sleep, and exercise.
I stopped drinking alcohol. I used a Whoop strap to track my workouts, sleep and recovery. I realized any time I had even a little alcohol, it messed up my sleep. Alcohol lowered my heart rate variability (HRV)—a measure of your body’s recovery and ability to put in strenuous effort the next day.
I read up on metabolic health and ways to keep stable blood sugar levels. I learned that walking for as little as five minutes after a meal helps reduce blood sugar spikes.
I started to walk for two hours a day (yes, some people in LA really do walk). Every day I’d go for an hourlong sunset walk in Palisades Park.
It took a few months to settle into my new routine. After a while it became second nature.
Part 6: The Challenge
I signed up for the BFT 8-week challenge. I felt like the competition and accountability would be good for me.
The first week of the challenge I did a body composition scan. Jacob walked me through my numbers. He challenged me to lose fat and increase my strength on my deadlift, squat and bench press. He gave me recommendations for nutrition: Aim for a 300-500 calorie surplus on strength days.
I started using a heart rate monitor (given away free for all BFT members). The heart rate monitor was connected to screens in the studio that showed how everyone was doing in real time. There was a color-coded legend to guide you: From light blue (60% of max heart rate), all the way up to orange (90% of max heart rate) on high-intensity cardio days.
The trainers pushed me to hit the targets for each workout: “Come on Daniel, let’s pick it up. Let’s get into that orange zone, all-out effort!”
I developed a friendly rivalry with other members in the 8-week challenge. My friend Elise and I competed to see who could rack up the most points (as measured by the heart rate monitor). I ended up coming in third out of 60 members.
Part 7: Strong Mind, Strong Body
As I dove into my fitness journey, I learned more about the connection between fitness and health.
I learned that:
Muscle mass and strength is one of the strongest predictors of all-cause mortality. People who are stronger tend to live longer.
Strength training is the most effective lifestyle intervention to stave off Alzheimer’s and other causes of dementia.
Strength training is the most effective way to preserve bone density, prevent osteoporosis, and reduce risk of broken bones.
My fitness goals shifted after 40. I knew I’d never be the fastest guy or the most muscular guy out there. I just wanted to look good and feel good. I wanted to avoid getting injured.
If you look at what determines your health and quality of life into old age, two of the best markers are your physical strength and VO2 max. Strength predicts how well you can endure bone and muscle degradation from old age and how well you can handle an unexpected fall. VO2 max is a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during exercise, and is associated with healthy aging and longevity.
Your body is the engine with which you operate in the world. You want to have an engine with enough horsepower.
Part 8: Birth of a Legend
Everyone at BFT had a nickname displayed on the heart rate monitor screen. My nickname was Legend.
People started cheering me on during class: “Let’s go, Legend!” It reminded me of my days playing competitive sports, when everyone on the team had a nickname.
I’d missed that kind of camaraderie in the fitness world. Even when you’re lifting heavy weights it’s important to keep a sense of fun and playfulness.
It felt great to hit new fitness milestones. I could bench press 225 pounds—two plates on each side—a strength goal from my earliest days lifting in college.
I started getting compliments on my physique. People asked if I was a trainer. Friends asked me for fitness tips. I’m happy to share what’s worked for me and help guide others on their fitness journeys.
My recommendations for people looking to level up their fitness:
Find a workout program you like. Consistency is key.
You don’t need to do high-intensity workouts to see benefits. Try to incorporate low-level physical activity throughout the day: Walking, hiking, gardening. Any physical activity that gets your heart beating a little faster is going to be helpful.
Set a goal for yourself with specific targets for weight loss and/or strength gains.
Get some workout buddies for accountability.
Track your progress over time. Use a wearable fitness tracker to make sure you’re hitting your targets for each workout.
Eat enough protein every day. Cut back on alcohol and added sugars. Cook your own meals. Big physique changes come more from your nutrition than your workouts, but both are important.
Have fun with it! You’re more likely to meet your goals with a program you enjoy doing.
Thank you for reading this week’s edition of Vitamin Z.
Until next time,
By Daniel Zahler
Hi there and thanks for reading. If you stumble on my newsletter, you will notice that I write about health and wellness, and strategies and tactics on how to optimize cognitive, physical and emotional health. I work with the world’s leading healthcare and life sciences companies to develop innovative new solutions to improve health globally. I was trained as a research scientist at Harvard, and I serve as a GLG council member where I advise global business leaders on healthcare innovation.
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