February 23, 2022 by Lazer Brody
You can look and feel young past forty. Even if you have neglected your health and fitness in the past, you can still make a new beginning.
Don’t consider yourself over the hill. No way! Rabbi Israel Salanter (1810-1883) once walked by the shop of a shoemaker who was working way past midnight. He approached the shoemaker and said, “My brother, look how late it is. Why are you still working?” The shoemaker replied, “As long as the candle is burning, it is still possible to mend.” Cherished friends, as long as you’re still living, you can “mend” too. Let’s get going!
Modern lifestyle like poor eating choices and lack of exercise hastens aging. But here’s the good news: if you eat properly, exercise properly and make a few adjustments to your lifestyle, you can look and feel young well into your senior years.
To maintain your youth, your health and your overall well-being, you can’t eat, exercise or live the way you did in your 20’s. If you’re a person over 40 who shuns exercise and proper nutrition principles, I have no magic solution for you. As long as you don’t suffer from an irreversible health problem, you can maintain fitness while looking and feeling young by taking action in three important ways:
After 40, it’s time to change priorities and choose functional fitness and good health over bulging biceps and 6-pack abs. The best indications of functional fitness are climbing a few flights of stairs two-at-a-time without a shortness of breath and simply waking up in the morning with no pains. Here are a few simple pointers to prevent burnout and injuries after 40:
Fast food, junk food, and additive-loaded manufactured food murder fitness levels and accelerate aging, as do overeating and fad dieting. Low fat and low carb diets are terrible because the body depends on quality fats and quality complex carbs rather than low levels of fats and carbs. The key to proper eating comes from King David, who says in Psalm 34:15, “Leave the bad and do good.”
Throw away simple carbs – especially white sugar, white flour and sugary beverages. Substitute them with complex carbs. My favorites of which are quinoa, whole-grain rice, buckwheat and oats. Baked potatoes and yams are also fine, especially if you eat them with their skin. Examples of quality fats are salmon, avocado and cold-pressed natural oils such as coconut, olive, sesame or flaxseed. Eggs, fish and poultry are great choices for protein. Veggies and fruit should make up the majority of what you consume. In general, Vitamin D, Zinc and calcium play big roles in maintaining youth and fitness, Also, we need to get as much sunlight as we can. The following foods are fountains of youth:
Cortisol, the stress hormone, is public enemy #1. Cortisol murders weight-loss, accelerates aging and is conducive to storing fat because the body thinks that it’s in survival mode. Don’t overwork and don’t over-exercise, for both are counter productive. There is no better stress-buster than emuna. Try the time-proven wisdom of 3 Words of Emuna and the Trail to Tranquility. They’ll pave your way to great health of body, mind and soul.
Also, join us weekly on our Emuna Hour lessons on Zoom. That way, you’ll be lowering your stress levels dramatically in a few weeks. All of you have to do to receive your weekly personal invitation is to subscribe to our newsletter here. Thanks to our wonderful donors and sponsors, all the materials on this site as well as participation in our live Zoom lessons are absolutely free of charge. Stick with us, and blessings for your health and vitality until your 120th birthday!
Baruch HaShem !! So greatful for this article and great reminders of priorities. 🙌🏼
Helpful. Ty.
B”H, Yesher Koy’ach
Thank you Rabbi. Very useful.