The dreaded "Metal Fatigue".......

The term "metal fatigue" is used to indicate the true status of fatigue in a metal component. We have the same issues with our bones and joints as we age but played out in a different way.

Now you're probably wondering what that has to do with staying healthy and vital. As we age this skeleton that holds all our parts together slowly begins to wear out. Fourtunately with the state of medicine today we can replace many of these parts like the knees, shoulders, hips, ankles etc., but those are expensive and difficult operations with long rehabilitation involved.


My suggestion as you age is too use your muscles and joints on a regular basis meaning regular exercise. One condition that will create real problems for your skeleton as you age is to gain weight.  It has negative consequences on your joints especially, hips, ankles, knees and lower back. There are many exercises for help keep you skeleton in good shape.

My experience to keep your aging skeleton in shape is to use light weights or use your own body weight by doing push ups, pull ups dips, ets. It's all very simple you just have to do it.

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

Energy boosters......!

Life is a fatal illness..................

Life is a fatal illness and none of us are spared.

Now that may sound a bit morbid but think about it, we're all going to die sooner or later. The big question is where, how and when. Ideally in our own bed, having quietly fallen asleep at the age of ninety five years old! Sounds good, huh? Well as is known we can't predict any of the above but what we can do is try to get as close to that scenario as possible.

How do we do that?

What I'm going to say will sound like a repeat of my previous blogs but it's the center piece for my web-site, aprimelife.com, so bare with me.

Arnold, 77 yrs. old

By the time most people in this country reach 50+ they are not in the best of health. So this is the perfect time to start changing your life style to a more healthy and vital one by considering the type and quantity of food you eat and the amount of exercise you do each day. It's really that simple but the execution and approach to a healthy life after 50+ is in your hands, and there in lies the issue.

Don't wait for your doctor to tell you to start exercising and eating a healthier diet take responsibility for your health and do it yourself. Your priority as you pass 50 is to exercise each day, even if it's only 15 minutes of brisk walking in the beginning and then increase it slowly until you reach 1 hour. Simultaneously cut down on the amount of food you eat. None of this is hard, it's your health, your life and it's in your hands.

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

Learn to live smarter...

What does this mean?

Well, for the same reasons that we want to 'work smart' in our jobs so we can accomplish more with less stress and effort,  we also want to live our lives with a smarter approach toward our health and well being. Surprisingly, Americans who reach age 50, in general arrive at this point in poorer health than many of their counter parts in other high-income countries.

Why is that?

Mainly because of the chronic diseases that arise from smoking, obesity, diabetes, lack of exercise and bad eating habits -- all often established in early life. To be able to control these diseases once they have been established is difficult but not impossible. This is where learing to live smarter comes into play.

No matter what state your health is in when you reach 50, my advice as a healthy 77 year old is to get smart and start a program of exercise and sensible eating.  In case you don't  know, this is where I come in and share my experience.

At some point in my mid 50's I began to change my eating habits by consuming less fatty and processed foods. Why? Because I started to put on weight which was a new experience for me. I ate more and did less exercise, and I don't really know why. I just got lazy I guess. Running, tennis, swimming, skiing and hiking, all the sports I enjoyed when I was younger became more difficult and as things got more difficult, I stopped doing them. And the viscious circle of lethargy and more consumption continued. A dangerous road to travel.  So I made a deal with myself to take responsibility and get into shape.

That was 25 years ago and I continue to take responsibility for my health. To date, I have avoided any of the chronic conditions which are predominate in my age group. None of this is difficult.  All you have to do is start. Remember,  "you can't stop aging but you don't have to get old."

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

Endurance and stamina as we age..........

The older we get the more time we have available in our lives to enjoy travel, visiting family, play with grand kids, read the books you never had time for and of course time for reflection. Traveling to all the places you've always wanted to go is now available at your behest so don't let any physical inability hinder this wonderful stage of your life.

Retiring is not the time to become a couch potato, train yourself too, "just go out the door".

I can tell you how wonderful this time of you life can be if your healthy and have a lot of vitality, energy and endurance. As you know traveling at best is sometimes hard, getting on and off planes, checking in and out of hotels not to mention being a tourist which includes lots and lots of walking. This should be fun and adventurous seeing new places and enjoying other cultures wether in America of another country but you have to be up to it physically.

In my experience is you get that endurance from exercise and good eating habits. The more you exercise and the healthier you eat the easier it will be to build endurance and stamina.

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

A sense of freedom as we age..........

I feel more free the older I get.

At 77 I'm no longer on anyones radar.  No one expects me to accomplish anything at this point, I don't have to be anywhere at any particular time, I don't have to worry about raising my children or sending them to college. That's all in the past.

Jody and Arnold

My ambition today is to live happy and stress free. Career pursuits are behind me, so I can do what I want to do, where I want to do it and when I wish to do it. Sounds good and it is, except for the following caveat:                    

Good Health and Financial Resources.

In my opinion, you have considerable control over both of these essential components. If by the time you retire and don't feel you have enough money then downsize. You'll find it's easier when your older and retired. You don't have to buy a new car as often, you don't have to keep up with the latest clothing fashion, or go to expensive restaurants, blah, blah, blah. There is plenty of information out there to help you downsize, just do some research. Take advantage of all the senior discounts that are available because there are lots of those. Keep your life simple and enjoy it.

Now to Good Health which is my domain.

Most important to keep in mind.  If you don't have good health by the time you retire, a lot of your existing financial resources will be spent on doctors and hospitals. That's the first reason to begin good health habits starting at 50+ by exercising every day and eating a healthy diet. And don't fall into thinking that, "I've worked hard all my life so I deserve to eat what I want and how much I want." Bad idea!

Always remember to play with the cards you're dealt, meaning one third of our longevity is determined by our genes, which leaves two-thirds within your influence, in other words,  your Good Health for the most part is completely in our hands.

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com, coming soon.

What to do about aging.....?

Nothing, absolutely nothing because there is no alternative.

The good news is we all age at the same pace, so in my opinion as a 76 year old don't worry about getting older it doesn't help just stay healthy and enjoy each day as much as you can.

Don't get caught up in worrying about forgetting things that you recently experienced because it's one part of aging, just enjoy what your experiencing at the moment and don't concern yourself about remembering what it was later, you're not 20 anymore. What's my answer, I take a lot of pictures, it's a lot better than my aging memory.

I can go on about all the changes we begin to feel as we age but remember these changes occur slowly and in most cases not obvious in our daily lives. When I was in my 40's I could run a 10k in 40 minutes but 30 some years later I'm lucky to make it under 60 minutes. That's aging folks! The good news is I can still run a 10k, that's the goal. I use to be able to read a 300 page book in a week now it's more like a month but I can still read and enjoy it.

It's never about your age it's always about you health. If you stay vital as you age by daily exercise and healthy eating habits you will be able to do the same things you did 35 years ago, but now as an older person you can enjoy it in a leisurely pace and in an unhurried fashion.


Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

Just live your life each day to the fullest that you are able too.

Do stuff in nature............

"The challenges of exercise are more complex in the real world as opposed to the controlled environment of the gym."

Let me say that more simply, exercise in a natural setting meaning outside, in my opinion, is the best way to exercise. Spinning classes and running on the treadmill are things that people do quite often especially when the weather is bad or it's just easier when you have time constraints. Having said that there is no exercise experience like riding outdoors on a bike path, running through a park or on a mountain trail which not only pushes you harder but also allows you to breath fresh air from nature.

As a runner, biker, tennis player and a sometime gym guy let me tell you how little I like going inside to the gym. I do it because strength training, in my opinion, helps me in the other three sports so I put up with the bad lighting, stinky air and silly chatter.

I didn't mention yoga, which I do on occasion, because it's so focused and concentration is so important. Outside noises can be very distracting to this very calming form of exercise. So inside is good though I have seen it done in parks which I do whenever possible.

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

Popping pills as supplements.....

Some one asked me recently about taking fish oil as a protection against all kinds of heart diseases and prostrate problems so I began a little research. I was surprised at what I found. All the recent research has pointed out the fact that too much fish oil especially concentrated in pill form can actually be dangerous and do just the opposite of what you want. So here is my advice as a 76 year old guy.

You are better off when you can get your nutrients and vitamins from a natural source.

Example: eat an orange everyday and forget the vitamin C pill. The orange not only has all the nutrients to satisfy your vitamin C needs it also gives you the oranges fibre which is a very important part of the fruit. The pill can't give you any of that.

Vitamin D is another example. The body produces vitamin D when exposed to the sun 

most efficiently, need I say more. If you can't get out into the sun enough there are many foods, not those fortified with vitamin D but contain vitamin D naturally like salmon, tuna, eggs, cheese, sardines and mushrooms to mention just a few.

I can go on about many other supplements that people take that are un-necessary when the natural food is available, so before taking these supplements do a little research. Just Google it!

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com, coming soon.

Lowering Health care costs................

Lowering health care costs has become one of the most important challenges of our time. By reducing these costs it will help those who are having a tough time paying their premiums and will help government, both local and federal, bring down the cost for the taxpayer. It's not as complicated to accomplish this as we have been led to believe, actually it's fairly simple and here is my answer to the problem. Work on Staying Healthy!

Lisa (daughter) and Arnold

As a almost 77 year old my experience in staying healthy was to start an exercise program and begin to eat a more healthy diet just after I turned 50 years old. At that time I was 170 pounds, drank too much, eat way to much fatty and processed foods and really didn't do much exercise, oh yes an occasional hike or workout at the gym but nothing consistent. I realized that I needed to do something about my health so I slowly began to jog a few times a week, go to the gym more often and start to play tennis, which I hadn't done in years and most important cut out most of the fatty foods that I had been eating all my life.

Twenty seven years later I'm 148 pounds and able to do all the things I did when I was much younger. I never let a day go by without some sort of exercise for at least an hour. I eat more of a plant based diet which includes some meat, chicken and fish. The fatty and processed foods have not been in my diet for years. I would say that I eat a mediterranean diet.

Now the only time I have to go to the doctor is for my annual visit, which I reccommend to anyone over 50 years old.

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch fo my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

"Take care of yourself..........

"Take Care!" How many times have we said that to friends or family as a parting phrase. I never gave much thought too what I was saying when I used that phrase, and only now having reached an age (76) do I stop to think about things I'm saying.

Arnold & Jody

I never say as a parting phrase, "Be Famous!" or "Be Rich!" that wouldn't be appropriate but "Take Care of Yourself!" is so appropriate. The phrase can mean so many things but summed up it means "good health." Since we say this all the time on so many occasions it should resonate that your health is somehow involved. If we "take care" as we age we can prevent so many diseases by making the right choices about a good exercise program and good eating habits.

Were reminded of it everyday when a friend says, "Take care of yourself" you can do just that "Take care of yourself".

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

Nature demotes us as we age..........

Life demotes us, though no one wants to hear it unfortunately that's exactly what nature does to us as we age. We can no longer do what we did physically or mentally when we were younger but that's OK it happens too all of us and no one escapes this phenomena.

As a 76 year old guy I can tell you it's true, I'm a bit slower with the memory and though I can do all the things physically that I did when I was 25 I do it considerable slower but I can still do them.

Arnold & Jody sailing on the 4th

This is how I deal with nature taking it's course. I try to stay in the best physical condition that is possible for me and keep as intellectually active by reading, being adventures in my travels and continuing to learn about tech stuff that sometimes really baffles me.

Each day is a good day when I learn something new about myself and the world I live in.

Keep It Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

Get fit together....

There are times when I just don't want to do any kind of exercise no matter how easy it may be. In all the years that I have been exercising I can't remember how many times I've said, not today or maybe later which usually means not today. The only thing that doesn't allow me to do that is when I have a commitment with someone to go for a bike ride, a jog, meet at the gym or go for a hike. Then I know I have to do it because I don't want to disappoint them. It's my way of not coping out of exercise.

Arnold & Jody

Anyway I really like taking bike rides or hiking with someone else when you can talk about what your seeing especially if it's a new trail, bike path or destination.

Then the best part when you finish is "where are we going to have lunch"!!


Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com, coming soon.

When you feel completely out of control......

The bad economy that we've been experiencing can leave us feeling that we're not in control of our finances or future in general. In many cases there is little we can do other than press forward and hope that events that are not in our control get better.

I have experienced many financial ups and downs in my life so let me share what works for me.

Arnold & jody

What I learned early on is that all those issues not in my control have much less significance on my life when I feel physically good. A jog or run in the park, a good tennis game, a swim or just pushing some weights around seem to lighten the load. Once you've exercised and then had a good nutritious meal the world looks much different. You know why you feel this way because you took control of your health and in the long run it's the most precious thing in ones life.

When the stock market sinks, no overtime this week or you just got a pink slip don't let that become the most important think in your life, it's not, but your health is so take good care of it. The market will come back, you will find another job but if your health is ignored it may never recover, it's in you hands.

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon

You gotta love this guy...........

There are many ways to stay young in spirit and here in my opinion is Steven Jepson the best example  I have ever seen or experienced. Watch this video and you'll see what I mean.

Keep It Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

Too much talk about food..........

No matter where we look we are inundated by food signs, TV commercials pitching food, radio  advertising food and food shows telling how to cook food and to top that off a show about overweight people who must lose weight because they have been so influenced by this overwhelming environment  of food.

The worst part of all this is the majority of these foods being advertised are processed and have very little if any nutritional value.

From the time our kids start to watch television and now mobile devices they are the constant recipient of food commercials selling sugary, fatty foods. Now we even have food apps to direct us more quickly to that sacret place of wherever the food may be, as if we couldn't find it on our own.  Isn't it a wonder that we have a weight problem in this country. It seems clear what's wrong with this picture.

We don't have to buy into any of this but we have to pay close attention to what and how much we eat, it's up too you. Remember the human body needs a moderate amount of food to be healthy and vital.

Keep It Consistent and Fun.


Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

Eat less.....!!!!!!

Eat less, wow what a concept when you're thinking about losing weight!!!

What I have found is most of us don't want to eat less, we want to eat as much as we want. Well as a 76 year old guy I can tell you that's a tricky thing and probably won't work unless you exercise hours each day and even then it might not work. My experience is the best way to lose weight is not by just exercising but by eating less calories. You know the line: calories in calories out, well it's truth if you eat more calories than you burn off you will gain weight, pretty simple concept.

It's really not a hard thing to do. I lost 20 pounds over a 15 year period from 60 years old to 75 years old. I was 165 and am now 150 and here is what I did. Without really thinking about it I began to eat more of a plant diet meaning fruits and veggies and less fatty or processed foods. Also I took more time to eat, chewed my food slowly and most important ate less food.

In conjunction with eating less I stepped up my exercise with more running, weights, biking whenever possible and started to play tennis which I still do today.

Going back to the original thought of eating less in my opinion you will lose weight faster by starting to exercise in conjunction with eating less food. It's really not a hard concept just give it time and enjoy the journey.

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

Your Healthcare and your Health.

We think that our healthcare system and our health should be homogeneous right, well unfortunately it's not, it's more like an oxymoron. The healthcare system is about insurance company profits, premiums, high deductibles, hospital profits, extremely expensive prescription drugs, and in a distant second place it's about your health.

If you question this fact read the article in the NY Times on June 1st, "The $27 Trillion Medical Bill."

In my opinion once you pass 50 years old your health goal should be to focus on prevention and not health insurance. By this I mean eat less and exercise more. Your diet should consist of less animal fats, process foods and more fruits and vegetables. Give yourself time to make the change, remember you've been eating one way most of your life so go easy on yourself as you get into the regime of healthy eating habits.

Jody & Arnold

Then consider exercising, it's as important a goal as you age as is a healthy diet. I don't mean a few times a week, your body needs vigorous movement at least 1 hour every day. That's not hard considering there is 24 hours in each day. It will improve your strength, balance and endurance.

In the healthcare world we live in today you'd better be prepared to put more emphasis on taking care of yourself.  If Jody and I can do it so can you.

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

My experience with weight training.

I started lifting weights in 1954 when I was still in college at place called Vince's gym in Los Angeles, a state of the art gym for the times with the focus on body building.

I don't know why but I loved lifting weights right from the beginning, getting that sense of becoming stronger and developing muscles that you never knew you had. I guess it was just a young guys thing but I never stopped lifting and still do today, obviously with much less weight but more reps.

The endurance that you gain from weight lifting is different from aerobic exercising. As an example I can play tennis for a much longer period of time than most of my contemporaries without resting and I do believe it's due to a combination of jogging and weight lifting. Almost every part of weight lifting helps strengthen your core or as us older guys describe it, your stomach muscles. That in turn greatly helps your balance and as we age balance is so important.

Also there are wonderful ways too do resistant exercising and not go to a gym by just going visiting your back yard or going to the local park. Pushups, dips, squats, pulllups etc. are all terrific ways to strengthen you body.

Remember keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, Aprimelife.com coming soon.

Another bite at the apple.........

When I was a teenager I always envisioned older people 50 and above to be characterized by crankiness, frailty, smelling funny, wrinkles, slow walking blah, blah, blah. Aside from all those negative characteristics I felt their work lives were coming to an end and just waiting in seclusion or retirement for death to end it all. Silly, huh? Now that I'm 76 I have a very different vision of what it's like to be over 50, way over 50!! Today we can have another bite at the apple and that's what this blog is about.

If you want another bite of the apple my experience is stay healthy and vital, then age has no boundary for any
accomplishment within your own abilities. And what is the best way to stay healthy and vital as we age, exercise and a nutritious diet. Both exercise and healthy eating habits are within our control so it's up to you to do something about it.


Another bite at the apple isn't only about starting a new career or job but something you've always had a passion for but were too busy doing all the things we do in the early part of our working lives like raising a family and job obligations, etc.

Now I get up every morning saying that I can take another bite at the apple, and so can you!

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

Compared to what?

When you decide to get back into shape by exercising remember not to compare your physical abilities
now with what it used to be way back when. I look back when I was 50 and compare it to my current age of 76 there is a vast difference in my speed, strength and endurance. I can still do everything I did then just at a different pace, slower and that's okay the important thing is to continue to stay fit, healthy and vital thru exercise.

I also ate considerable more 25 years ago never thinking about what I was eating. In the interim years I have become very conscience about how much and what I put into to my body. A less fatty diet with more fruits and vegetables included, some chicken and fish and on rare occasion meat. To my surprise over the years with daily exercise and a healthier diet I have gone from 170 lbs. to 150 lbs. I'm convinced that carrying less weight gives me more energy not only to exercise but to travel, work and play tennis.

Keep It Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, Aprimelife.com coming soon.

Last and 16th in health!!!

Of the 17 industrialized nations in the world a recent study found that American men were last in longevity and women close behind at 16th and widening. Why is that?

As a country that spends by far the most on health care one would think we should be on top of the heap of
longevity and health but were not. As a healthy 76 year old male my feeling is we complicate the process of health to the point of discouraging people to even get started. We tell people to check with your doctor before starting as if there is some hidden danger in exercising, what is that about! Unless you have a serious heart condition or are very obese then all you have to do is just go out the door. Simple huh? Once out the door a brisk walk for a half  hour followed by some stretching and if your up to it some resistance exercises.

As you reach 50 years old eat less food with healthier choices, start doing moderate exercise and don't be concerned about the rigors of aging, the cost of  healthcare or the fear of some chronic disease.

It's not hard to do it's a very simple approach to staying healthy and vital as you age.

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

Fountain of Youth....really!!!

I always thought the expression "Fountain of Youth" was a dream of Ponce de Leon, the Spanish  explorer, who in 1535 was looking to cure his aging!! We all know there's really no such fountain, so when a friend recommended I read a book with that title I was inclined to say no, but I agreed. As a 76 year old I know without a doubt there's no cure for aging. I also know that worrying about aging is a waste of time. The best thing to do is keep yourself as healthy and vital as possible as you age by developing good eating habits and plenty of exercise.

Back to the book which I read. It basically suggest 5 exercises that will help you stay fit and vital into eternity, yeah!!! There's a lot of silly information out there about how to live longer on vegan diet, or low caloric diet, etc., of which none of them have any research to back it up. How could they since these studies only began thirty years ago or so.

Again back to the book. Much to my surprise these so called 5 great exercises are really very good and can be done anywhere, the park, your living room and even when traveling. If your interested in the pictures go to the book 'Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth' written by Peter Kelder.

I'm not suggesting you'll live forever but if you do them on a regular basis it will in my opinion fill all your exercise needs for the day.


Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon.

Less Quantity and More Quality

The quantity and quality of the foods we eat are so essential to a healthy life and becomes even more important as we pass the age of 50.

Why is that? Well my experience as an active 76 years old, by that I mean I travel a lot, exercise daily, play tennis and bike whenever and were ever I can, I've have found that I need considerable less food than when I was 35 years old. After I passed 50 I slowly began to eat more of a mediterranean diet consisting of less meat and process foods (potato chips, etc) and more fruits and vegetables. I love bread  especially baguettes covered with extra virgin olive oil with a touch of vinegar while eating sliced tomatoes, garbanzo beans, scallions again all drenched in olive oil.  Yes!!!

Now 25 pounds lighter than at 35 years old I eat very differently. I eat simple whole foods and drink only water and coffee in moderation. I avoid process foods whenever possible. There is nothing difficult about eating that kind of a diet which allows me to feel good and still have plenty of energy to do all the physical stuff I love to do.

Keep It Simple Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website aprimelife.com, coming soon.

Start your day with exercise not news!!

I can't tell you how many times I've sat down at my computer first thing in the morning to check the weather, now does that make sense, no of course not when I can just look out the window or walk out the door. Duh!! Once on the computer I'm hooked. The NYTimes appears first and I think, what the hell I just give it a quick glance. Yeah sure! After reading the headlines I find myself scrolling down the page and hour later I'm still reading things that really don't have any bearing on my life like fashion on the streets of NYC!!

So to get out of that bad habit I now grab a cup of coffee and a banana and head out the door to check the weather and while I'm out there I take a quick brisk walk finish my coffee and banana and start my exercise. Depending on how I feel I begin to jog then run for 10 minutes. If I really feel good I do a couple of 20 second sprints. Then I find some grass and do my sit-ups, push-ups and squats. Now an hour has passed since I checked "the weather"and I head back home for a light breakfast.

Starting my day with exercise is far more important than starting my day on the computer.

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website aprimelife.com, coming soon.

Mix it Up!!

All parts of your body need exercise so I strongly recommend doing lots of different exercises. Sounds difficult? It's not! Let me show you with a sample workout (pictures attached) and you'll see what I mean.

Start with a short brisk walk, jog or run depending on your fitness. During this aerobic exercise pick up your pace for about 15 seconds then slow to a walk. Do this 2 or 3 times.

If your exercise period is for 45 minutes stop 4 times and do some push ups, dips, squats and at the end some simple sit ups. Now this is what I mean by mixing it up, not hard, huh! This gives your body everything it needs for this sessions. Now you can have a nice light meal and start your day.

There are a myriad of approaches to "mixing it up" this is only one. I'll
show you many more when we launch our website.

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com, coming soon.

Keep your Exercises Simple!!

In my opinion giving an exotic name like "core strengthener"or adding some unnecessary tool to do this  exercise is silly....a sit up is a sit up!!! 

Let me give you an example: when doing a sit up you don't need a large ball laying on your back to do the sit up. Not only is it unnecessary it can be dangerous.

Just lie on the the grass, rug, mat, bench or anything that makes you comfortable is all you need. Then do the exercise. Simple huh!!

The goal of a sit up is to strengthen your stomach muscles that's all. Yes your obliques will be helped in that effort not to mention the endurance that can be garnered from this exercise.

Using some contraption to do any exercise that can be done without that contraption will discourage you from continuing that exercise.

Keep It Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website, aprimelife.com coming soon

A Penalty for bad health?

Should there be the some type of a penalty for unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise as there is for a bad driving record? Possibly higher insurance premium?

Now that may sound radical but let me explain my reasoning. If you are of average weight, don't have a genetic propensity for obesity and come from a line of lean relatives there is no reason for you to become obese. If you become overweight due to lifestyle and or environmental exposures you may change your genetic make up and pass on obesity to your offsprings. Now that's a problem. We used to believe that genes don't change but today we know they do so unhealthy behavior can start a new generation of obesity.

So having said all the above it is the individuals responsibility, when possible, to live a healthy life style. The reason for the skyrocketing costs of health care is due in great part to overweight and obesity causing so many chronic diseases. Much of this can be avoided thru a healthy life style. If you choose to disregard your health then unfortunately you should pay the price of higher premiums.

All the information is out there to help you stay healthy fit and vital all you have to do is use it?

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.

Watch for my website aprimelife.com coming soon.

Exercise and the smarter brain....a myth?

"According to many studies over thousands of years, movement shapes the human body. Today humans have a brain that is about three times larger than would be expected given our body size. Our brains were shaped and sharpened by movement and we continue to require exercise in order for our brains to function optimally. It is generally agreed that the brain was driven by need to think but some scientists are now suggesting that exercise played a critical role in making our brains larger."

Now here is what I think. As a 76 year old guy my experience after working out either by running, weights, swimming, biking or whatever I do, my little brain clearly functions better than before the workout. Why does this happen, well again in my opinion working out forces you to have to breathe harder and take in a lot more oxygen than when your just sitting. The oxygen and greater blood flow to the brain during a work out is what does the trick.

Try it and you'll see how much better you feel and think after a good workout.

Keep it Simple, Consistent and Fun.