“You have two lives. The first is where you think you are immortal and the second is when you know you only live once” 

— Confucius

I am on my second life where I know perfectly well I only live once. Naturally, I’m interested in longevity and staying healthy without needing a walker, which is my worst nightmare.

I am here to tell you it’s doable. The first part is hard and it should be. The Second part is enjoyable and the third part is also affordable.

It is simpler than you think.

Unfortunately, the majority of people don’t believe they can reach that level of fitness.

The Excuses

There are three things that people tell themselves to quit before they even start.

• I don’t have any time!

• I work hard and need my TV time to rest!

• I will only get sore so it is better not to start!

Are you afraid of feeling sore after working out? Then you should read my article about why drinking coffee is unhealthy, and the effects on your body.

But these excuses will only move you closer to that walker and not away from it. Imagine gasping for air as you try to get off the chair you’re sitting on. Or when you’re trying to go to the bathroom it turns into a marathon race which would normally be a quick walk and done in a minute or two.

Here are the 3 ways to do what is in your control to make sure you stay young and healthy even at an old age.

Here’s how step by step:

1. Physically and mentally tough

The first part is exhausting but well worth it.

Physically hard means increasing your VO2 max.

For you to be able to carry your grocery store bags with food as an elderly person without relying on aid. Then you need to have a VO2 max two decades younger than you are now as an elite. For me as a 51-year-old, that would put me in the 30–39 category and above a VO2 max of 53.

Now I know I am already at a VO2 max of 49 and I will most likely increase that this year. I will do a validated test at a facility to measure it in real life. It is not too expensive or you can do a simple Cooper’s test.

The most effective ways to improve your VO2 max with training are:

HIIT

To perform HIIT, you’ll need a timer, a personality high in conscientiousness, and a healthy dose of self-motivation. 

Start by choosing a few exercises that get your heart racing — like:

• Cycling

• Running

• Cross-trainer

• Walking uphill/downhill

• Strength training with weight bands and dumbells(not super heavy due to risk of injury)

• Burpees

• Mountain climbers

• Jumping jacks.

The intense workout should last anywhere from five seconds to eight minutes, and be performed at 80 to 95 percent of your max heart rate, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Max heart rate is the maximum number of times your heart can safely beat in a minute.

My max heart rate is 194 at 51 years of age but it is different for all people.

Long intervals

Anywhere between three to eight minutes of above 80% to 95% max heart rate.

I have no problem doing 60 minutes at 85% on a cross-trainer twice a week. I do not know if that is ideal but I can take it. I also do four minutes max where I push past 90–92% of max heart rate and rest for three minutes.

Those are fairly easy to do more than twice a week and are effective.

Tabata

Then, set your timer for a work-to-rest ratio that suits your fitness level.

For beginners, a 30-second work period followed by a 30-second rest period is a good starting point. As you become more comfortable with the format, you can increase the work period and decrease the rest period. The optimum is 20 seconds of hard intense work and 10 seconds of rest. Once your timer is set, it’s go time!

Push yourself as hard as you can during the work period, then use the rest period to catch your breath and mentally prepare for the next round.

If 0 is relaxing in bed. Then 10 is sprinting all out. You should hit 9 or 10 on the work session. Repeat this cycle for a total of 8 minutes.

Zon 2 cardio

You can also take it easier and still train VO2 max by doing zone 2 training. 

Zone 2 training in heartbeats per minute is 180 minus your age. So, in my case, it’s 180 –51 = 129 which is a breeze to do for 90 minutes or more.

I stay between 126–135 bpm. 

2. Optimize sleep

There are a few tricks that will help you sleep better.

• Room temperature at 64 F or 18 C.

• Completely dark bedroom

• Completely quiet bedroom — no cellphones or any computers in the room

• Sleep for at least 5 cycles (1 cycle = 1,5 hours)

• Listen to or learn NSDR to fall asleep quickly.

• Going to bed early is better than later – you can not make up for poor sleep by sleeping longer in the morning.

• Alcohol reduces the quality of sleep

• Coffee reduces the quality of sleep

• In some cases, sleeping alone makes better sleep.

• Don’t train after 5 pm.

• Don’t eat 3 hours before bedtime.

3. Nicotinamide riboside/NAD+

It’s showing promising effects on recovery and protection of brain cells and lowers the risk of heart disease.

According to Dr. Charles Brenner, it looks like it is safe to consume 1 gram per day. You can find the supplement on most health sites. They are reporting a 50% reduction in recovery after injury. 

Nicotinamide riboside helps the liver and other organs heal the body faster.

My routines

This is how I currently do it.

I use a cross-trainer since I am 207 pounds or 94 kg and 6 foot 4 tall. I love running but it is 8 times my body weight on my knees when running so I am not going to risk my knees with running. Crosstrainer is great because it has everything to check your pulse and you can do it in bad weather. You can also watch YouTube or listen to podcasts or books while training.

1. I do 60 minutes of cardio above 80–85% max heart rate 154–167 bpm twice per week on a cross-trainer.

2. I try and do one 4-minute flat out and 3-rest times four on a cross-trainer.

3. Hill walks. I walk up a ski slope, a 75-meter/246-foot high path, and one 85-/279-foot with 20% inclination. If I want to climb 1000 meters or 3281 feet I walk up and down 15 times and that will be about 2000 kcal in 1,5 hours. 
   I have also started rucking up and down the hill with 31 pounds.

4. I also do weight training twice a week for the whole body.

5. Every morning I walk to an outdoor gym and do leg balance and knee over toes training.

6. I sleep with blackout curtains.

7. No cell phones are on during sleep.

8. Wifi is turned off at night.

9. I never use an alarm.

10. I drink no alcohol or coffee or tea.

11. I’ve previously tried Nicotinamide riboside from Momentous (not sponsored), and have never felt as energized in my life. I have tried other brands with no effect.

To remember

1. Hard intense training

2. Optimize sleep

3. Nicotineamide riboside daily