The Longevity Newsletter

by Iron Age Athletics

(promoting longevity habits for increased healthspan)

Longevity Lessons

from the island of Sardinia

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On this island in Italy, people often live to 100. Here are 4 of their key habits for a long, happy life:

  1. Their days are naturally full of physical activity
  • Outdoor activities like shepherding, farming, gardening, walking, and foraging for wild greens and mushrooms burn calories and keep the body and mind strong.
  1. They eat fresh, home-cooked meals
  • They’ve traditionally opted for locally grown ingredients and simple, seasonal food combinations made in their own kitchens without appliances that do the work for them.
  1. They sat socially active as they age
  • The elders of this part of the island aren’t isolated. Instead, they enjoy an important role both within their families and in the broader community.
  1. They maintain a sense of spirituality
  • Not everyone adheres to a formal religion, and you don’t need to in order to learn from Sardinian centenarians. Consider alternative ways to gain a sense of spirituality, like joining a meditation workshop, developing a yoga practice, or starting an inspirational book club.

Read the full article HERE

Iron Ager of the Month

Our October Iron Ager of the Month is Ian Tonks.

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Ian has been into fitness his entire life. The past 40 years has been an ongoing journey between strength training and running – trying to find the right balance between the two that suited his lifestyle at the time.

Currently, Ian primarily works out with kettle bells. He typically runs 4 days week.

The kettle bell days (usually 2 – 3 times a week) focus on push, pull, hinge, squat and carry movements. His run days (usually 4 times a week) average between 5 and 10k distances.

Like many of us, he used to run and lift to chase PB’s, but now it’s more abut mental health, and to be there for the people who need him the most. He wants to continue the fitness journey, in some form, for another 20 years.

Read more HERE

MY Week

A look at how other Iron Agers train

The MY Week column is focused on sharing how some of our Iron Agers train during various times of the year.

It’s always helpful to see what others are doing in order to ensure we are optimizing our own exercise/training programs.

This month’s MY Week is from is from Patricia Glowacki.

CLICK HERE to download the PDF

 Currently in my mid-sixties, I’ve seen many fitness approaches come and go. I’ve done many of them – Jane Fonda, step aerobics, Jazzercise, Body Pump, etc. It 

wasn’t until I reached 50 that I found something that really transformed the way I thought about working out. I began running and with no prior experience or training, decided to train myself to run a half marathon. Over the course of the next few years, I kept running and did Body Pump 2-3 times per week. I continued to train and run half marathons working on my own. I loved running and it became my main motivator.

In my late fifties, I suffered two injuries and was diagnosed with osteoporosis. After  my injury recovery, I was struggling to get back to my prior fitness level. I kept hearing “at your age” as the reason for my struggles or an explanation for why I should give up running. I refused to give into that thinking and wanted to go into retirement ready to travel and enjoy my grandson. I hired a trainer who introduced me to weight lifting. I regained strength and PRed my next half.

Since then it’s been a happy struggle to balance lifting and running. I’ve finally settled into an approach that seems to be working for me. Part of the year I focus on lifting (usually four days a week upper/lower split) while keeping running in maintenance. The other part of the year I focus on running and race training. I drop lifting to 2-3 days a week.

The most important thing I’ve learned through fitness is to find the things that make you happy and enjoy them! My goal at this point is to stay active, stay healthy, and enjoy it.

Links:

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If you would like to be featured in MY Week, submit your information HERE.

The Interventions Testing Program

A Project Funded by the National Institute of Aging

The ITP is a project funded and run by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) that gauges whether compounds extend longevity in mice—with the hope that they will also do so in people.

So far, the ITP has evaluated more than 60 drugs, dietary components, hormones, supplement ingredients, and other molecules, alone and in combinations.

Read more about the ITP HERE. The program has been running for 22 years and and has identified a number of drugs that show promise in mice, as well as debunking a number of others.

Eight new candidates will tested this year, including Viagra (sildenafil citrate) and other unlikely compounds. While no findings have produced a treatment to slow human aging – it is interesting to watch the progress and see what it may lead to.

Read more HERE

Closeup of barbell Lifting

The Push, Pull, Legs Routine for Weight Training

If you are new to weight/strength training or want to get started, the Push, Pull, Legs routine is a great format to get you going.

The “PPL” routine splits your workouts into three distinct categories: push exercises (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull exercises (back, biceps), and leg exercises (quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves).

Training three days a week, concentrating on one of the three categories (legs, push, and pull) in each session is a popular strategy.” You could plan your workouts, for example, such that you work on your legs on Friday, push on Monday, and pull on Wednesday.

Read more about the PPL routine HERE 

Longevity Conferences

Here are some of the leading conferences in the United States focusing on longevity, aging research, and healthspan extension.

While these are mainly geared towards health and wellness professionals and researchers, there may be interesting news items to watch for that come out of these events.

Morning Sunlight

Getting Morning Sunlight can Improve Sleep Quality

A new study published in the Journal of Health Psychology has found that exposure to sunlight in the morning may improve sleep quality later that night. Individuals who spent time in the sun during the morning reported better sleep quality, regardless of how much total sunlight they received throughout the day. The results suggest that morning sunlight may help regulate circadian rhythms.

Read full article HERE

Spotlight

Julia Linn

If you need any inspiration that anyone can overcome obstacles and get healthy, look no further than Julia Linn Olson.

Julia has overcome diabetes, a double organ transplant and cardiac bypass surgery – and at 62 – began a fitness journey that has transformed her life.

Her purpose in life, now, “is to be of service to women who want that transformative change and who realize it’s not about the body. In a fitness journey it’s on all levels – mind and spirit included. The body is a side effect, but the real transformation is on a deep level of consciousness within each person.”

Read more about Julie at the following links:

Our Charity

The Grey Muzzle Organization improves the lives of at-risk senior dogs by providing funding and resources to animal shelters, rescue organizations, sanctuaries, and other non-profit groups nationwide.

Our Iron Age Fitness Decathlon is the event we host to raise money for the Grey Muzzle Organization.