Ed Harrold and Dr. Dan Ritchie discuss health, fitness, aging, and the role of breath in a practical approach to living well over time.
Ed Harrold with Dr. Dan Ritchie. Originally published on YouTube August 7, 2023. Watch the original conversation on YouTube.
Ed Harrold and Dr. Dan Ritchie discuss health, fitness, aging, and the role of breath in a practical approach to living well over time.
00:03.0 Welcome back, friends. Ed Harold from Go Be Great. Welcome to another edition of our Life with Breath expert series, where we focus on health, wellness, exercise performance, organizational performance, and mental health. Today we're joined by one of the all-time greats, Mr. Dan Ritchie, who is the creator of the Functional Aging Institute. So if there's someone out there who cares about us ripened individuals, and can give us programming to keep us young and vibrant in our mind and body like we were in our youth. Welcome, Dan. Thanks for having me. I love doing this. Uh, this is gonna be fun. Well, the Functional Aging Institute, could you give us a snapshot of the work that you're doing with folks in the country?
00:57.3 Yeah. So we founded it in, uh, 2013, so we're coming up on our 10-year anniversary here, uh, i- this fall. Uh, Cody and I met at, uh, Purdue University working on PhDs in exercise science, exercise physiology, with an emphasis on gerontology, the study of aging, right? Mm-hmm. So we're looking at what sort of exercise helps people stay vibrant, vital, functional as they age? Um, w- we're not really big on, you know, you hear people s- talk about anti-aging and turn back the clock and all this sort of stuff, and it's like, look, no, people are gonna get older. The question is, for us, what do we do to maximize function in your 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s?
01:42.6 It's not that you're not gonna be 97. The question is, are you gonna be frail at 97, or vital and independent and able to do all the things you wanna do, right? And so for us, I think the core of the Functional Aging Institute is need to do, like to do, and want to do stuff, right? Mm-hmm. There's stuff today that Ed Harold needs to do. Yeah. You know? Like you gotta take a shower, you gotta go to the bathroom, you gotta make yourself lunch, you gotta brush your teeth. I don't know that that's really living, right? Mm-hmm. It's the stuff you like to do, and the stuff you really want to do this weekend, right?
02:19.6 Like, "Oh, I wanna go take this hike," or, "I wanna go boating for the Fourth of July," or, "I wanna..." Right? It's the want to do stuff is, is where we're really having quality of life. And so for us, it's how functional do you need to be as you get older to keep doing the stuff you like to do, want to do, and even dream to do? Mm-hmm. Well, every decade seems to present, you know, uh, different issues for us as we, uh, move through this amazing thing, uh, we call life. And the, the trainers that you have must have some sort of s- you know, special awareness about exactly what these clients need.
02:57.7 Because we've got a couple extra miles, you know, on our joints. Our, you know, our mind has been around the block a couple times. We've felt love, pain, pleasure, success, trust, non- There's a lot going on in our mind. Is there a special way that you like to present your programming to your clients to keep them interested and vibrant? Yeah. So we, we teach all our functional aging specialists, that's our, our core course for trainers, what we call the six domains of human function, right? Mm-hmm. And, and of those six domains, obviously there are so many facets, right? But there, there's an aspect of we've gotta have some musculoskeletal health- Mm-hmm ...
03:36.7 right? Which is where our strength, speed, and power, muscular endurance, those things reside, right? But we also have to have some balance. Mm-hmm. Uh, we have to have some neuromuscular component and, and some cognitive component, right? There's, there's multi domains to function. It's not th- this, this age-old, "Well, you gotta do your cardio and your strength training." It's like, well, well, that's nice, but it's not enough, right? You gotta have mobility- Right ... flexibility. I mean, breathwork is in one of the domains. The, the neuromuscular... Um, r- really critical, right? Mm-hmm. I mean, it doesn't do any good to be really strong if you don't have the coordination to use your strength, right?
04:17.5 You gotta be able to move well. And so we try to teach trainers and then have them teach their clients, "Hey, this is a, this is a global, this is really a global thing." Mm-hmm. "It's not just do some exercise." It's, you know, what are all the things it takes to function really well as a human, and what are, what are your goals, right? Mm-hmm. You know, so- Right ... so Ed, you might say, "Well, I wanna continue to golf," right? Mm-hmm. And the next client might come in and say, "I wanna downhill ski." Mm-hmm. And those goals are not the same, right? Right. In terms of what functional performance you need.
04:49.7 And so, so we look at those sorts of things. And, and we listen to people who say, "You know, I'm 75 years old and I, I just wanna be able to run around and play tag at the park- Mm-hmm ... with my grandkids," you know? It's like- Mm-hmm ... "Okay, well, when's the last time you've gone for a l- a little short run," right? Right. Um, so how do we break down all those movements, uh, so people can function better and, and really do the things they wanna do for years to come? And, and I, I, I always think of stories like my grandmother, she's 80 years old and, and realizing, "I wanna go serve.
05:24.3 I wanna go do something." Um, and she had some friends who were living in Pakistan teaching English as a second language, and she's like, "Well, I can do that." Mm. And they said, "Well, the need is so great. We have Afghan refugee women pouring across the, the border into Pakistan, and their only real opportunity is to learn English." And so she's like, "Well, I can do it," right? Mm-hmm. "Why not? Why, you know, why not me? I'm, just 'cause I'm 80." And, uh, and no one questioned her functional ability to do it. Mm-hmm. Right? Some people said, "Well, why don't you just stay home and be a grandma," you know?
05:56.2 And she's like, "Well, that sounds too boring to me. I wanna go help and serve." You know? So, so we, we just have to ask questions like, what could your 80s look like if you weren't limited by physical ability, right? What, what ways could you serve? What adventures could you go on? Who could you help? What new hobbies could you take up? And I think when we start thinking about our 80s that way, we start getting a little more serious in our 50s, 60s- Mm-hmm ... and 70s about maintaining our physical ability. Wow, that was so well said. And so well... I- it's so needed today.
06:32.6 You know, we're coming out of this crazy quarantine, COVID- Yeah ... uh, everybody stay at home, close the gyms, keep the liquor stores open. Right. Uh, you know, it's, it's a really, really interesting time. You know, how do you see people kinda re-entering or entering for the first time, uh, a functional movement or a functional medicine type exercise program? How do you see that these days? I, I see it exploding and, and- Yeah ... I'm really encouraged by that, because I think, I think a lot of people in their 60s and 70s sort of had a wake-up call. It's like, "Wait, they're telling me to stay home?
07:08.9 Why, why do I have to stay home 'cause I'm 65? Wait, I'm at high risk?" Yeah. You know, it's like- Right ... and, and guess what? Staying home when you're 65 for two years is about the worst thing you can do- Yeah ... for all aspects of your health right? I mean, your cognitive health, your- Mm-hmm ... mental health, your, your socialization, your physical health. I mean, uh, you lose a step, you're not as strong. Just everything- Mm ... right? Mm-hmm. And so I think we're seeing, uh, a large cohort of people in their 60s and 70s saying, "I need to do the opposite. I have got to get more active.
07:39.6 Uh, I accelerated my couch potato behavior for a couple of years." Mm-hmm. "And, and I don't wanna be on the list of highest risk ever again," right? Like- Mm-hmm ... I don't, I hope there's not a next COVID in my lifetime, but whatever it is, I don't wanna be on the list for the frail, the weak, the sick, the at most risk, right? Just because I'm 65. And so I think people realized... And I've, I've heard people say, "Now more than ever, you're responsible for your own health." Right. "So what are you d- what are you doing about it," right? Let- Yeah ... let's be honest.
08:14.9 Your, your doctor's not responsible for your health. Mm-hmm. And I'm not saying don't have your regular checkups and your physicals, but your doctor's not the one putting food in your mouth every day. The, your doctor's not the one choosing how active you're gonna be. You're the one that has to choose that. And so I think we're seeing people realize, "Hey, if I'm gonna be strong, I gotta start investing in my strength. If I'm gonna have balance and agility and coordination, and if I'm gonna keep my, my, my brain sharp-" Indeed ... "I've gotta start putting in the time and investing in my health now." Uh, I also think it made people realize we're living longer, but we're not- Mm ...
08:52.6 necessarily living better. Right. Right? So if I'm 64 and I'm realizing I'm not in the top half of my peers, and I'd like to be in the top 25%, I need to start getting into better shape, right? Yeah. If I want my 70s and 80s to be amazing, and I do, I probably need to be in better shape in my 60s than I am right now. I mean, I tell people all the time, "Look, if you're not doing well at 67, 77 is not gonna be any easier." In fact, it's- Right ... only gonna be harder if you don't start d- putting the work in now.
09:23.7 So I think we've just seen an awakening of that, and I think people have realized, "Hey, if you're gonna age well, you're gonna have to put in some investment." Um, and I also think COVID kind of even more sort of unevened the scales in terms of wealth, right? Mm-hmm. I mean, the, I, I would say the wealthy got wealthier. Uh, the baby boom population all of a sudden realized, "Hey, we have even more time, even more wealth, even more assets, but we have a unequal distribution of health, physical ability." And so I think they're starting to tip those scales. They're starting to realize, "Hey, if I'm gonna live 20, 25, 30 years, uh, I wanna do it well." And so we're seeing more people take up pickleball, and hiking, and all kinds of new activities,
10:12.1 um, which is great. Right. Right. You know, w- when I'm working with my patients and clients, there's a thing I, we call QOL, quality of life. And if I hear you correctly, you're, you're actually asking people to become accountable to their health, accountable to their mind, you know? And we're, and we're reentering the world. I think there's a lot of evidence out there that indicates, you know, having a coach or having a trainer or having someone that you can get started with, and creating a program through a professional gives you a step up on the part of your mind that might not wanna stick with a program.
10:48.3 Can you talk a little bit about, you know, the importance of having someone just get you out of the gate? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the reality is the, the top, uh, of any avenue has a coach. Right. Right? Yeah. I mean, actors have coaches. Top voice performers have vocal coaches. I mean, the top NFL quarterbacks have coaches a- and now they have coaches for multiple things, right? They have their coaches in the off season, they have their coaches for their footwork, coaches for conditioning, uh, coaches for calling plays, uh, the coaches for how they eat. I mean- Right ... uh, all of it. And if you wanna be your best, you need to have a coach or an expert.
11:28.9 Um, and so many people, it's like they have an estate attorney, they have a financial planner. Mm-hmm. They have all these coaches in all these other areas of their life. Mm-hmm. But they don't have a coach in their area of health, wellness, fitness, strength, vitality. Um, and it, I think many of them are realizing, "I need some expertise." Uh, I'm not gonna f- Mm-hmm ... I mean, I tell people all the time, "Look, you're, look, you're 65 years old. Um, your, your fitness isn't where you want it to be. You think you're gonna just figure it out on your own?" Mm-hmm. "Um, you didn't get to where you are today, um, so you, you need to hire an expert," right?
12:04.3 Mm-hmm. And, and having that expert in your corner is gonna allow you to get there a whole lot faster. Mm-hmm. I, I tell people all the time, "We've sold millions and millions of gym memberships in this country." Mm-hmm. "There's no single gym membership that ever got anyone fit." Mm-hmm. Right? It's a piece of paper. Right. You have to know what to do, how to do it, when to do it, how often to do it, how to change it. There's a, there's a formula to all of those things. And so I think if you wanna get there faster, hire an expert, have a coach. Have someone that sees what you can do, what you can't do, what you need to be doing.
12:38.5 Uh, and I always tell people, "Don't make the mistake of thinking, 'Well, I just need to get a workout program.'" Like, no, you don't, because that workout program's not useful to you in a couple of weeks because you've progressed to another level. Right. You need a progressive program. So hiring an expert, hiring a coach just gets you results so much faster and safer. Yeah, and that's why the Functional Aging Institute is so important to people. 'Cause your body's a, you know, a self-healing, you know, mechanism. It's designed automatically to take care of you. If there's a few things that you can do for yourself, you know, every 24 hours, and, you know, just start to be proactive in regard to, you know, reducing inflammation, improving circulation,
13:19.2 keeping a keen eye on that mind, notice what you're craving to eat, all, all those little things. You know, when I was a young kid starting to get involved in athletic training in the '70s, you know, it was basically, you know, you, you go out and run and, you know, run as far as you could, and then you do some bench press and, you know, some lap pulls and, uh, you know, row machine stuff. And, and occasionally you'd look into some of the Eastern Block stuff where you had plyometrics and stuff that came, you know, from the East, which was really helpful. But today with the Functional Aging Institute, there's so many different ways and so many different platforms that your professionals offer to clients.
13:56.1 Can you go over a couple of the, the great stuff, uh, programs that you're putting out for people? Oh, I, uh... There's so many. I mean, Tai Chi comes to mind. I know. Yoga comes to mind, Pilates, uh, aquatics work. You know, some people like- Mm-hmm ... doing group fitness in the pool. Uh, I'm not- Mm-hmm ... a pool person. I'd probably drown, but that's great- ... for some people, right? Like, they love being in the water. It's, it's more joint friendly. Um, Tai Chi is a great form of body movement, body awareness, balance, stress reduction. But you know, Tai Chi doesn't have everything, right?
14:30.6 Sometimes, s- sometimes people are like, "Oh, well, I do Tai Chi." I'm like, "Well, that's great. Are you doing- Mm-hmm ... strength training and power training?" Right? You, you need to be getting different aspects. Are you walking? Are you hiking? Are you, are you getting enough steps- every day. Mm-hmm. Uh, and then of course you have people who are like, "Well, my doctor told me to walk." I'm like, "Well, that's really nice, but walking doesn't include much strength training. Walking doesn't help you get up and down from the floor. Walking doesn't help you climb stairs. Walking doesn't help you carry a grandchild." Mm-hmm. So we've gotta be getting doses in lots of different areas, right?
15:03.9 We gotta be getting some strength training, we gotta be getting some personal fitness, some cardiovascular training. Uh, and then you get into brain fitness, and there's, there's reaction drills we can do and dual tasking- Mm-hmm. Wow ... and, um, there's so many different things we can do. It's one of the reasons why sports are so great. Pickleball is a- Mm-hmm ... classic dual task, right? We're moving- Mm-hmm ... and responding- Mm-hmm ... and reacting and hitting a ball. Mm-hmm. Any time you have a sport with a ball involved, you're gonna have dual tasking elements. And no one playing pickleball, I don't think, is really thinking about the brain training element to it.
15:38.4 Yeah. But it's good for our brain, because our brain has to- Right ... learn movements and reaction, and I gotta respond to my environment. Um, and so those are all great things. And of course, any time you learn a new skill, which if- Mm-hmm ... pickleball's a new skill, or tennis or golf or whatever new hobby you take up, any time you learn a new skill, like take brushing your teeth, if you do it with your off hand, that's a new skill, right? Like, I- Yeah ... I brush my teeth without thinking about it, but if I had to do it with my left hand, it's a- Mm-hmm ...
16:06.2 totally new brain skill. So, um, there are so many aspects of fitness and so many different things people can do. And I tell people the first and foremost thing would be to find something you really enjoy. Yeah. So if you really enjoy playing pickleball, great. Awesome. Do that and do it regularly. Mm-hmm. If you're an avid walker, great, keep doing that. But then try to find some other things that reinforce that, right? Like, what's gonna help you be a better walker, right? Maybe getting- Mm-hmm ... some lower body strength and some mobility, and work on some exercises for your back and your posture. Do some breath work.
16:38.5 Um- Mm-hmm ... if you like being in the water, breath work for sure is going to support all the things- Mm-hmm ... you like to do in the water. So I always tell people, add to your compliments, right? If, if you enjoy being in the mountains and hiking, I know, Ed, you live in, like, paradise out there, where you can go on a hike all the time, right? Well, you've got to do the physical preparedness for that, right? The balance work, the gait work, the lower body strength- Mm-hmm ... and obviously the cardiovascular work to be able to hike and not get out of breath.
17:08.9 Wow. So there's really no excuse f- for anyone these days who wants to take care of themselves a- a- and doesn't. I mean, from what you just covered, a eastern approach and a western approach- Mm-hmm ... high tension, low tension, neuroplasticity, functional movement, all these things work. And, you know, and finding the right program. I mean, I, I think a lot of people don't realize, like, I'm in my mid-60s. Like, if you're, if you're working, working is a cardiovascular experience. Like, y- like, you don't need to be Michael Jordan, but you do need to have some cardiovascular strength for the mental activity, the peaks and valleys and the choices that you're gonna make
18:01.0 as you move through the workday. It, you have to have some cardiovascular strength. Yep. When you think about getting older, like, I didn't, I... When I was younger, I used to lift weights regularly, and then I, I, I gave it up for about 20 years. And now that I'm into my mid-60s, I've noticed that lifting weights again really makes me feel good. Yeah. And I'm pushing back against the part of my body where muscles are degenerating from being in the 60s. So it's just... I guess what I'm trying to say is, is that wherever you are in your journey of your life, there is something to help you
18:43.6 stay healthy, stay out of the hospital, push away degenerative disease. Like, you don't have to have a heart attack. You don't have to have cancer. You don't need to fall down a flight of stairs if you don't want to. Yeah. Yeah, and I, I think we've bought into a myth, uh, especially in the US, because of our healthcare system. We've bought into the myth that the older you get, the sicker you get, or the older you get, the frailer you get. And part of that is we've seen some bad stereotypes of people aging poorly, and it's not that they got to be 84 and became frail,
19:19.0 it's that they spent 30 years becoming frail- Mm-hmm ... and that happened to land at 84. And so you really have the choice, right? It's, it is this personal responsibility, right? Like Ed, I'm assuming based on all of your lifestyle habits and your passion, that you are choosing to be fit and functional at 85, not frail. Mm-hmm. But that's a choice you're making today in your mid-60s, right? Mm-hmm. How you live your life, you know, strength training and hiking and being active and doing the things you enjoy doing will allow you at 85 to say, "Hey, I'm 85." Mm-hmm. Now, I'm not as strong and as fit at 85 as I was at 65, but I'm not frail.
19:59.7 Mm-hmm. I can still do things I enjoy doing. And so there is a personal responsibility. There's a lifestyle choice that we're all making. Mm-hmm. What are you choosing today, right? Are you choosing to be fit at 85 or frail at 85? Because if you're not choosing to be fit, it's very, very likely that you will be frail at 85. That's about- Yeah ... the age marker where we see it start to hit. Mid, mid-80s, we start to see, oh boy, they're, they're having trouble. They need a cane. They need a walker. They're having trouble getting out of a chair. And we mistakenly think, "Oh, well, what do we expect?
20:36.6 They're 84, they're 85." And I say, "Nonsense. I expect them to be running around a Pakistan market like my grandmother did, and teaching English as a second language," right? "And knocking people over like a bowling ball." You know, my friends are always like, "Your grandma comes in with full contact hugs." Mm-hmm. You know, like, when you first see her, you can tell she's in her 80s. Like, she looked 80, right? Right. And then she attacks you full speed and bear hugs you, and my, my high school football teammates would be like, "Oh my gosh, I thought your grandma was literally gonna break a rib." I'm like, "Yeah, she's coming
21:09.7 in for a hug, like, with everything she's got." That's what 82, 83, 84 should look like, right? Nobody ever questioned, again, her physical ability to, to travel all the way to Pakistan and do that sort of thing, because they'd seen her whip me out in the backyard playing soccer, right? You know, and I had to remind her- You were always- ... it's not a full contact sport, Grandma. "Well, every time I hip check you, I get the ball." I'm like, "Yeah, that's a foul." You know, like, you, you didn't ever win those conversations with your grandma. But again, you're sitting here listening to us right now have this conversation and, and the choice really is yours, right?
21:46.5 What are your 70s, 80s and 90s gonna look like? What life are you designing? Because the reality is what you're investing in right now in terms of your fitness and your functional health, you're gonna reap those benefits down the road, right? And so- Right ... that's why I tell people, you- You don't have to do an hour a day, but just start doing something, right? You gotta start putting in time. Um, you gotta start finding activities you enjoy. A- and I think that really helps, right? Like my dad, he loves playing softball, so he's playing softball anywhere from four to six hours a week. He loves track and field.
22:23.4 He's competing in track and field meets around the country. Mm-hmm. Taking up... The, the other day he asked me, he's like, "Dan, do you happen to have a javelin?" I'm like, "Yeah, no, I, I don't have a javelin, Dad. What do you need a javelin?" "Well, I wanna try javelin at the next track meet." I'm like, "I have no idea where you can even get a javelin. That sounds scary." Um, but I mean, he's tried all the sprints, the long jumps, the high jumps, the shot puts, you know, and he's having a blast with it and he's making friends all around the country. So now, you, you might be listening going, "Well, I'm not a track athlete." Find something you enjoy, right?
23:00.2 Find something you enjoy. Find something your grandkids enjoy. Take up a new sport. Learn a new hobby. Um, there are so many different things that you can do. Wow, that was amazing. Thank you so much for that because that just get... You know, the mind is everything. So, you know, most of the time my mind doesn't know that I'm in my 60s. It thinks I'm 25. Yep. And, you know, it can get me into trouble. And I don't know if I have the right physiological terms, the anatomy parts correct, but I... One thing that I really notice where I am weaker is, is number one, obviously I don't have any explosion anymore.
23:42.9 I can go for endurance, but I don't have that big rush of testosterone. Then number two, it feels like my core is weaker. Like, I don't have that connection to my lower body that I had before where, when I was so dynamic. H- you know, how can we push up against the aging and keep that core balance, you know, from the psoas, you know, through the lower abs, through the glutes and, you know, the deep six of the hips? How can we activate and stall, if we can, the aging to the core area of the body? Yeah, I, I think that's part of why Cody and I...
24:20.4 You know, when people ask us, "Well, what's the most important, you know, stuff to do," right? And I, I don't necessarily like to get in the arguments of, "What's the most important exercise?" Right. Well, depends on what you wanna do, right? But lower body power, uh, has been shown time and time again to be so functional and v- a very distinct measure of even mortality, right? Mm-hmm. If you can't get out of a chair- Right ... we know you're, you're probably gonna be dying soon, right? Mm-hmm. I don't know if it's in months or years, but that's coming soon, right? And so lower body power, that explosive ability to even get out of a chair, to, to, to launch up a step or two, right?
25:00.7 If you had to bound upstairs, could you do it? Mm-hmm. Right? That amount of lower body power is so important. So, so even just training the hip hinge, how do I explode out of a chair? Right. Right? How do I get up quick? How do I pick something up that's heavy quickly, right? It's really hard to pick up a squirming toddler grandchild really, really slow, right? Mm-hmm. You gotta do it with some speed, um, some force production, and, and some power, right? So, so training lower body power, this is why I think deadlifts, hip hinges, and, and squats are so critically functional. Mm-hmm. I, I don't think we have to be barbell squatting, right?
25:37.4 Mm-hmm. But picking up a kettlebell with some speed. Mm-hmm. So hip, hip hinging, um, squatting, deadlifting, even just chair stands, right? Explode out of your chair, right? Mm-hmm. I tell people, "If you don't know where to start, start with 10 chair stands a day and 10 power stands," right? Beautiful. So you're gonna get out of a chair 10 times without using your hands if you can, right? And then you're gonna get out of that chair 10 times as fast as you can, as if you're trying to jump literally out of the chair, right? Like somebody scared you and you just jumped out of the chair as fast as you could.
26:09.5 That's a great place to start. And then you're getting into more complex stuff where, you know, breathwork, Kegel work, pelvic floor work- Yeah ... all of those exercise... You know, we get clients down on the floor and the whining, "Oh, I don't wanna get down on the floor. Please tell me..." Right. You gotta get down on the floor. It's functional. Exactly. We, we gotta do floor work. We gotta do some planks and some bridges and some- Mm ... pelvic floor work and... You know, people don't do that work, and all of a sudden they start to wonder why their sexual function's declined. They start to wonder- Mm ...
26:41.6 why they're peeing their pants. Like- Mm-hmm ... we have a massive problem in this country with w- it's not just women, men too, but, but women over the age of 50 just accept the fact that they can't hold their bladder. Mm-hmm. That is not normal aging, right? Right. It's poor pelvic floor control. It's poor muscular control down there. Some of it's neuromuscular. Some of it's- Mm-hmm ... purely poor strength. You gotta train those muscles too, right? Mm-hmm. You gotta train... All those pelvic floor muscles are so integral to not just how we move, but right, I mean, it almost becomes a, a, a comedy routine with women in their 60s.
27:17.2 "We're gonna do some jumping jacks." "Oh wait, I gotta go to the bathroom first." Like, "Wait, you gotta go to the bathroom before we do jumping jacks?" 'Cause they know they're going to leak a little pee if we do any- Mm ... sort of jumping, right? Which is, again, not normal aging. We need to train those muscles, so you should be able to jump or run or hop or skip without leaking a little bit of urine, right? And, and men, as they get into their 60s, have this problem too. Right. Right. Which again, it's not normal aging, it's lack of use, it's lack of training.
27:47.4 You just are not maintaining those, those muscles. So there are, like, 600 muscles in our body, right? Mm-hmm. It's not just our pelvic floor. It's not just our lower body strength. You know, we get down to all sorts of muscles in our fingers and, you know, when you, if you don't maintain your hand strength, all of a sudden you can't do certain things that you want to do, right? So there are so many different things. And, and I always tell people it's very specific to, again, what you enjoy doing, right? Right. So, you know, if, if you're someone that says, "Well, I don't need to do any jumping," okay, that's fine.
28:22.0 But you still should do the pelvic floor exercises because you shouldn't be having issues with incontinence. No. That's not a normal part of aging. And if it's a significant problem, you should seek out a pelvic floor therapist 'cause there's help that can dramatically improve your quality of life. Don't just say, "Oh, well, I'm 70, so therefore I have to wear Depends," or something like that. Like, no, you don't have to do that at all. Well said. So let's talk a little bit about the, kind of the elephant in the room, this perception of stress that folks are under, and how that, number one, can be switched around.
29:04.9 We can use stress. Stress doesn't have to use us. We can be proactive and move the stress in our body in a, in an exercise routine. But we see folks coming to us with stress levels at an all-time high, and we feel like whatever the stressor is, it's better than we are, and we have to acquiesce to what the stress wants us to do or somehow we're bad. Uh, when you're work- the clients today, you know, how do you mentally, physically, you know, begin to coach folks beyond the fear of mental stress? Yeah. So there's probably three things I would say to that. One, one, the first thing is being aware of that as a fitness professional.
29:45.5 Um, you know, if you're coaching someone who is dealing with a lot of stress, the way you handle them and approach them should be different than somebody who's coming in stress-free. Mm-hmm. Um, because sometimes we need to realize, "You know what? Maybe I need to do more Tai Chi type workouts with you- Mm-hmm ... today because you're already, your stress level's already at a 10." Yeah. "The last thing I need to do is now put you through this boot camp workout where now your stress level's at a 12," right? Mm-hmm. Um, I'm like, "Gee, Ed's out in the parking lot puking his guts out," right?
30:15.2 Like, "That didn't work." Mm-hmm. Right. Well, he's getting his stress out, you know? It's like- So we need, we need to at least be attuned to that, um, which I also think means we need to be good listeners, and our clients need to trust us enough that they can come in and say, "You know what? I, I am dealing with this, this, and this, and it's about more than I can handle," right? Um, because I do think sometimes we think, "Ah, you're a baby boomer. You're retired. Life is good. What could possibly be stressing you out," right? Mm-hmm. And we forget that, like, their spouse is going through cancer treatment, and their son just lost his job, and their grandson is struggling in school,
30:53.9 and like, they've got life issues- Mm-hmm ... just like we all do, right? Right. And they might have more stress. So when they come in, we need to figure out what's the first five to 10 minutes so we can put them in a positive stress environment, right? We don't wanna just pile on more, right? Right. And so I think Tai Chi is great for that, meditation is great for that, breathwork is great for that. Uh, Pilates is, it can be really relaxing- Yeah ... um, warm up type movement. So what can we do to help the body, uh, release some stress, uh, give it some positive stress?
31:27.0 Uh, ideally we want the client to leave 30, 45, 60 minutes later feeling like, "Okay, I gotta go back into this stressful environment, but man, I feel so much better. I have these positive endorphins and just, you know, positive brain chemicals going," um, not, "My trainer didn't listen to me and just totally beat the crap out of me," right? 'Cause sometimes as trainers we're like, "Oh yeah, we're gonna get a great workout and we're gonna crush you," and I'm like, "Your client doesn't need to be crushed today. They need to be cared for today." Exactly. And so we have to approach that. Um, and then I think the other aspect, um, is making sure the client is, is attuned and aware to how much stress is in their body,
32:07.8 right? Mm-hmm. 'Cause I think, um, especially what we've noticed over the years is men over 60, um, sometimes won't even admit to how stressed they are. Right. Um, you know, they won't admit to, "Oh, I got it all together." They don't wanna come in, you know, sharing their problems or complaining about... A- and that's okay, right? We don't have to be invasive, but it's reasonable for us to say, "Hey Ed, how is your day going today? I know your wife's been dealing with cancer, and how- Mm-hmm ... how is that going? What sort of workout do you feel like is gonna serve you best today," right?
32:39.4 Because, um, the last thing I wanna do is have you come in at a super high stress level, not tell me, and then I put you through a workout that literally puts you in a place where, you know, now you're feeling even worse, right? Or- Mm-hmm ... even worse, I put you in a situation where I'm almost putting you at risk for a heart attack or a stroke, right? Because you're coming in and your blood pressure's off the chart, and you're angry, and you're upset, and, but you don't wanna tell me, right? Right. So I think having the client work on communicating their mental health and their stress i- is really important.
33:12.8 And, and this is where I tell people there's kind of an art to fitness and personal training, um, that we don't necessarily wanna talk about. We're not just putting people through workouts. Uh, good trainers at least are not just putting people through workouts. Y- you're dealing- Mm-hmm ... with another human being, and, and whether that's one on one, or in a small group, or even in a large group, we have to realize, um, that, you know, there's mental health things going on, there's emotions going on, there's, there's more going on than just I need a workout, right? And so- Mm-hmm ... I've gotta be someone that can be attuned to caring for you in that moment beyond just your physical fitness.
33:48.7 So it sounds like at the Functional Aging Institute, you guys are in the relationship business. You know, you're creating relationships with your client where we trust each other, where we, you know, it makes no sense for me to work... If you come in and your heart rate and blood pressure are sky high, raising your heart rate and blood pressure in exercise routine, you know, like you're on Parris Island with the Marines, might not be the best call for you. So I think, you know, creating a relationship with people where there's trust, and, you know, why do people come to the gym? Well, because when they leave, they want to feel better.
34:25.2 You don't wanna think better, you wanna feel better. Yep. Well, it's really in, it's... You know, when we think about communication, conscious communication, like being present with our clients, and then applying your professional skills that you teach your trainers, you couldn't ask as a, as... If I was a customer, you couldn't ask for a safer space to come and explore health, performance, and wellness. Now, I, I would add to that, Ed, a- and, and everybody does this differently and, and that's okay, but I, I would add Cody and I have said for years one of the reasons we teach small group personal training, and we teach it for people over 50, is because we actually believe that small
35:12.6 group is as valuable as whatever else you're doing in terms of exercise, right? Yeah. And some people are like, "Oh, well you gotta do power training." Yeah, you got, you got to. "Oh, you gotta do mobility." Yeah, you got... You gotta do all the different things, but I would say the power of that group, that social connection, may be more powerful than anything else at all, right? Yeah. And so you can, you can take a trainer that takes people through an average workout. If those six people are connecting, socializing, having a good time, laughing, relating, walking out into the parking lot and sharing their stress, and their
35:46.1 stories, and what the grandkids did- Mm-hmm ... all of that trumps the workout, right? Yeah. The socialization aspect. So we tell people all the time, "If you wanna do the most powerful thing, do personal training in small groups," right? Three, four, six people, because people need connection. And you know what we learned from COVID? People need connection. Yeah. Right? The last thing we wanna do is be isolated in silos at home, and we can't see our loved ones, and connect with people. And, and we saw people decline simply because they couldn't go to their bridge club. Right. Right? You're like, it's the least physically active thing, but it's social, right?
36:22.2 Yeah. It's cognitive, it's fun. It's, it's why I get up on Tuesday, because I go to- Yeah ... I go to bridge club with my, my lady friends. So I think the power of group in fitness is often underestimated, a- and I think group fitness and small group personal training, I mean, if you've ever seen a water aquatics class, like, people are having fun. Right. And that is really, really important and hard to mea- sure, but they actually have measured it, and there have been some studies that have shown you can take a, a group for six months, put them in a one-on-one personal training setting or
36:58.6 give them an exercise program. Mm-hmm. You can take a group and put them in a social group- Right ... with no exercise, and the social group gets great results, great performance. So, uh, for us, we have always felt like a small group personal training setting is so valuable. Um, now, can you get great results one on one? Sure. Yeah. There's still a human connection, right? You're still connecting with the trainer, but that power of socialization, that power of group, um, we're continuing to see, right? And as people get isolated, they become widows and widowers. That can be a, a real detriment in terms of cognitive health, physical health, mental health, all of those sorts of things.
37:38.1 So having people in groups and, and having them feel connected is, is so, I think, as valuable as the fitness itself, and I think sometimes we forget about that. Yeah, I think it's great to get people out of their head, into their body, get them looking around at other people, and then you stop self-sabotaging. You know, there is no other health besides mental health, and how do we get to that place of mental health where, you know, I, I like myself? You know, I, I like the people at, I like my family. You know, we have this strange thing we're going through where, you know, a lot of people don't like themselves.
38:10.5 And, you know, they take it out on others, and it's just this never ending- Yeah ... drama and nothing ever gets done, you know, and we all get sick. So, Functional Aging Institute, you know, can you speak a little bit about... Now, I don't know if this is in your wheelhouse, but I know everything's in your wheelhouse, Dan. Let's talk about how exercise affects the quality of our sleep. Oh, yeah. Well, I'm not a sleep expert, but it absolutely impacts the quality of our sleep, um, on, on so many levels. Um, you know, if we're not moving- Mm ... on a regular basis, that impacts our sleep, right?
38:49.1 Mm-hmm. We don't have as deep a sleep. We don't fall asleep as fast. Um, strength is a big factor in terms of sleep, so muscle mass. So strength training, i- it's amazing how many different aspects of fitness are linked to sleep, but- Mm-hmm ... um, having more muscle mass, more metabolic activity from muscle, um- Mm-hmm ... helps us sleep longer, deeper, sounder. Um- Mm-hmm ... I don't even know if sleeping sounder is the correct term, right? But having better quality of sleep. Um, our weight, our body weight is an issue when it comes to sleep. And while fitness might not be the number one way to control your weight, nutrition is probably the number one way, moving regularly helps us maintain a healthy body
39:32.1 mass, which impacts, uh, again, our sleep. As people creep into overweight and obese levels, we know it starts to disrupt their sleep. We see more sleep apnea, more sleep disruptions. Mm-hmm. So maintaining a healthier weight certainly helps. Um, so there, there are... A- and again, I'm not a sleep expert. There's a number of different factors that fitness will impact sleep. Um, aerobic fitness, um, and, and I think even just the, the mental health and mental stress aspect of sleep, right? Like I'm stressed, uh, therefore, I can't get to sleep. Um, again, exercise we know helps with mental health. The fascinating thing about exercise, sometimes people say, "Well, how many exercise session, sessions does it take to improve my mental health?" The beautiful thing is it takes one.
40:24.2 Mm-hmm. It takes one. It improves your mental health with one exercise dose, and of course, we need to do it repeatedly to get that effect. Um, but if we're doing those things to improve the, the mental health markers in our brain, that also can help us with sleep in terms of restlessness, anxiety, some of those sorts of things. In fact, I, I used to train, um, a, uh, psychologist and psychotherapist at Purdue, and he always said, "You know, I, I, I'm in the field, so I have to recommend that people get therapy, but I always tell people if there's any sort of, sort of a budget concern or time concern, exercise first,
41:03.2 therapy second." Right. He said, "I always know exercise first because I know one dose of exercise is gonna improve, uh, their mental health, and I also know they can't afford to do five therapy sessions with me in a, in a week," right? So, uh, I always appreciated him saying that because he said, "Sure, people need therapy." Mm-hmm. "But they absolutely need to be exercising, exercising regularly." So those things we know, um, improve sleep because why do people wake up three, four, five hours into the night or even two hours into the night? Because they're anxious. They're worried about something. Something's on their mind. And then, of course, they can't get back to sleep.
41:40.0 Um, and exercise we know helps mitigate that. So it sounds like we've got this master key beca- called movement or paying attention to movement, and when we focus our attention on the movement, apparently we begin to feel better about ourselves. Now, who, who wouldn't want a little of that? 'Cause one thing I've noticed is that in these times of high stress that we're in, we don't need to exercise as long and as hard as we used to because we're coming to the platform somewhat exhausted to begin with. So it's not like it was 30, 40 years ago. Right now, if you can just find some time, start out small, build some confidence, put yourself in a position where you can be mentally successful against the part of the mind that doesn't want to
42:42.3 do it. You don't have to work out all day long to feel good about you. Well, and I think the other thing to add to that, Ed, is that exercise can be restful. Mm-hmm. Right? I think for, for too long we have thought exercise is about sweating and, and, and grunting and straining and, and getting sore and, like, it's some sort of punishment or something, right? I mean, it's like, no, exercise is moving your body. Mm-hmm. Exercise can be enjoyable. Exercise can be restful. You can take a walk, right? Mm-hmm. And that can be exercise. Now, it's not demanding exercise. It's not intense exercise, and I wouldn't recommend that be the only form of exercise you take.
43:27.4 But I mean, when I do strength training- Mm-hmm ... I'm not killing myself. Mm-hmm. Right? But I'm doing movements that make my body feel better, my shoulders feel better, my hips feel better- Mm-hmm ... my back feels better. Right. Um, I, I'm, I'm doing movements that actually by the end of it, I'm like, "Yeah, my body feels more alive. My joints are working better. My muscles feel like they got some work." And yeah, I might break a little bit of a sweat, but I'm not like, "Oh my gosh, I just completely wore myself out." Mm. Like- Right ... now, is there a place for intense workouts?
43:59.1 Sure. I mean, if you wanna go on a, a 10, 12, 15-mile hike that's gonna be really intense, well, then you better do some intense preparation for that- Right, right ... or the, the hike's not gonna be fun. Or you're not even gonna make it. But I think far too often we think exercise is this excruciating process where at the end of it, you're laying half dead on the floor, or you're, you're throwing up somewhere, you know? And it's like, no, that's, that's not at all what it needs to be. In fact, if you think of exercise as a gift, uh, to your body, a rest, um, maybe it completely changes your mindset, right?
44:36.3 And, and I think people just need to move more in an enjoyable way, right? Take a walk in nature, get outside, do some movement. You know, just go for a, go for a bike ride. Remember what it's like to be eight years old and just- Yeah ... the wind's on your face riding your bike, and how, how fun that can be, right? And you're moving, you know? So it doesn't have to be that exer- We, we make exercise out to be some sort of punishing thing we have to do to ourselves, when the reality is, we get to exercise. Our body wants to exercise. Mm-hmm.
45:09.7 Our body wants to move. Right. It's designed to move. Right. You know? So find something you enjoy to do movement-wise, then it makes it a little bit easier, right? Um, it's funny, when people get pets, often they start moving more, right? Mm-hmm. They take their dog for a walk, they take their dog to the park, they play fetch with the dog. Um, find activities you enjoy, uh, moving more, and, and let that be a reward to your body, as opposed to thinking that exercise is a negative or, you know, some sort of punishment you have to do. Well, Dan, you're really doing extraordinary work here at the Functional Aging Institute, and I'll have all the links up so that folks
45:50.2 can, uh, reach out to you. You know, I find you very motivating. Uh, you know, you're like a big loving bear, you know? That's filled with knowledge that I think every American, every person on the planet needs to, number one, feel your sincerity about how you wanna help people. That's heart-based. Then you also have the neurological, analytical, scientific background. So you got that perfect heart-brain connection that real- I mean, there's no one out there that I can think of that wouldn't benefit by working with you and your professionals at the Functional Aging Institute. Well, I appreciate that. Um, you know, one of our goals is to get to 10,000, uh, certified functional aging specialists.
46:30.8 We're more than halfway there. Great. Um, with the, with the firm belief that each functional aging specialist impacts about 1,000 lives over the course of their career, and, and that's 10 million people, uh, aging with i- i- in our mind, a different paradigm, right? Aging with the belief that to be 90 is to be functional, and independent, and vibrant, and, and still doing all the things you wanna do. And, and I, I fully believe that people don't know what their story is yet, and I think- Right ... we underestimate the opportunities that are coming. And, you know, we don't think big enough. And, and I always like to share this story.
47:10.3 You know, this, this, this individual who we all know spent his entire adult life, his 40s, 50s, and 60s incarcerated in the worst situation possible. But when he got out of prison at 72, he wasn't frail. They didn't wear him down in prison. Mm-hmm. In fact, he exercised so religiously, his inmates asked to be transferred, right? 'Cause they're like, "Nelson keeps running laps in the cell, and he won't stop doing pushups and sit-ups." And- Right ... Nelson Mandela comes out of prison at 72, and he wasn't frail. And I think that's so transformative of South Africa's history, because he wouldn't have been elected president at 75 if he was a frail- Mm-hmm ...
47:51.9 weak old man, right? Mm-hmm. But he wasn't. He was dynamic, and he was a leader, and he lived to be 95 years old. And, and now I know people listening are like, "Well, yeah, but I'm not Nelson Mandela." And I'm like, "Yeah, I know you're not. But I don't know what opportunity's coming your way at 75." Right. Ed, you have no idea what opportunity is coming your way at 75. Right. The question is, are you gonna be prepared, right? Right. My, my grandmother, at 80 years old, went to Pakistan to teach English as a second language to Afghan refugee women because she could- Mm-hmm ...
48:23.2 and because she wanted to serve, and she did it for three years faithfully. I don't know what you're gonna do in your 80s, Ed, but if you're- Mm ... physically functional, you'll be ready whatever opportunity comes your way. And that, to me, is what this is all about, right? It's believing that, like, to be 70 isn't old. To be 70 is I got 20 years left to serve- Right ... to give, to travel, to adventure, to write a book, to do new things. You know, my kids joke, they're like, "Who's gonna write the Star Wars music and the Indiana Jones music when John Williams finally passes away?" The guy's in his 90s, and he said he
48:59.4 would do a few songs for the Indiana Jones movie that came out this summer. He wound up writing the whole score for the whole movie, right? You know- Wow ... in his 90s, right? So, so I just wanna leave people with the inspired thought of you don't know what's coming 10 years from now. You don't know what opportunities and adventures lie around the corner in your 70s, 80s, and beyond. But you do know you can be preparing for them today, right? You can do everything in your power to stay physical, functional, mentally sharp, a- and be ready, because there are amazing opportunities ahead. There absolutely are.
49:36.0 And I think you're just amplifying to people that you have a choice. Mm-hmm. And choose yourself. Yep. You're worth it. Yep. You don't know how many people you're gonna affect by you choosing to put yourself out there to be an example of health, even though you might have some miles on your tire. You don't know how many kids, you know- And, and, and you're gonna impact your family, right? Right. Even if you just think about your kids and grandkids, right? Like, your granddaughter wants you to dance at her wedding. Right. Right? I mean, just little things like that matter. Right. Your grandkids want you to be there when they graduate college.
50:13.2 They want you to be there, uh, active at their weddings. Um, you know, if, i- if you don't have grandiose plans, just think about all the engagement with your family, and the times that those people want you to be around, and things that you can do with them, right? I mean, like, my kids treasure the hikes in Colorado in the mountains with their grandparents. Mm-hmm. Right? Mm-hmm. Um, so there are so many simple things that, you know, your family wants you around for. Oh, gosh. You know, it just proves that, you know, love is real, and exercise the way you're presenting it is an expression of self-love.
50:48.0 Yeah. And you d- you deserve to get to know yourself maybe a little bit better. Dan, thank you so much for being on the Life of Breath today. And gosh, I... You just did such a great job down in Salt Lake City at your, uh, convention. It was packed. Yeah, it was a great weekend. Thanks for being there. Yeah. Gosh, I had a great time. And the pros that were there were so knowledgeable. The questions that people were asking me in my program were really in-depth, quality questions. They were paying attention. These pros really want to make an impact with the people who they're working on.
51:25.2 Yeah. Absolutely. It's a good feeling to be part of it. Thanks for having me You don't know what opportunities and adventures lie around the corner in your 70s, 80s, and beyond. But you do know you can be preparing for them today, right? You can do everything in your power to stay physical, functional, mentally sharp, a- and be ready, because there are amazing opportunities ahead. There absolutely are. And I think you're just amplifying to people that you have a choice. Mm-hmm. And choose yourself. Yep. You're worth it. Yep. You don't know how many people you're gonna affect by you choosing to put yourself out there to be an example of health, even though you might have some miles on your tire.
49:55.0 You don't know how many kids, you know- And, and, and you're gonna impact your family, right? Right. Even if you just think about your kids and grandkids, right? Like, your granddaughter wants you to dance at her wedding. Right. Right? I mean, just little things like that matter. Right. Your grandkids want you to be there when they graduate college. They want you to be there, uh, active at their weddings. Um, you know, if, i- if you don't have grandiose plans, just think about all the engagement with your family, and the times that those people want you to be around, and things that you can do with them, right?
50:27.2 I mean, like, my kids treasure the hikes in Colorado in the mountains with their grandparents. Mm-hmm. Right? Mm-hmm. Um, so there are so many simple things that, you know, your family wants you around for. Oh, gosh. You know, it just proves that, you know, love is real, and exercise the way you're presenting it is an expression of self-love. Yeah. And you d- you deserve to get to know yourself maybe a little bit better. Dan, thank you so much for being on the Life of Breath today. And gosh, I... You just did such a great job down in Salt Lake City at your, uh, convention. It was packed.
51:04.6 Yeah, it was a great weekend. Thanks for being there. Yeah. Gosh, I had a great time. And the pros that were there were so knowledgeable. The questions that people were asking me in my program were really in-depth, quality questions. They were paying attention. These pros really want to make an impact with the people who they're working on. Yeah. Absolutely. It's a good feeling to be part of it. Thanks for having me