Q: Tom, I am a 57 year old male (5'10" 185 lbs) with 18% bodyfat. I work out for one hour, 3 times a week with a trainer. I have not been able to make any progress on losing any bodyfat. I just read through your testimonials and success stories (all of them!). My question is - at 57 - am I just too old to get results like the people on your testimonials page? What is the impact of age on losing bodyfat? Are there any additional considerations for us "older" guys to lose body fat and does your book discuss these issues? Am I too old for this?  

A: For the average sedentary person, metabolism does slow down with age, but that's the whole idea behind the Burn The Fat program - DON'T become the average sedentary person! Eat right, start exercising and BURN SOME FAT! You can't burn fat from a rocking chair!  

You're on the right track because you're already working out, but if the workout program you're on is not "working out", then you need to change something. The first place you should look is at your diet, because, as Im sure your trainer will agree, you can't "out train a lousy diet!" The majority of the information in the Burn The Fat ebook is about fat burning nutrition.  

In the ebook, you can learn how to adjust your diet if you're not getting the results you want yet. There are some exercise considerations that come with age, for example, you have to train with better form, pay attention to warming up and staying flexible, and allow for more recovery time. However, age is not a factor that prevents you from getting lean.  

The age related decline in Lean body mass, called sarcopenia, doesn't have to happen - it only happens when you eat junk food, sit on your butt all day long and never move! Longevity expert Walter Borst calls aging the "disuse syndrome." I have never heard a better definition. Basically...Use it or lose it!  

In addition to making exercise, including strength training, a part of your lifestyle, I believe a lot of the difficulty people face with fitness as they age is rooted in their faulty mental paradigms. Most people have a mental image of what a person is supposed to look like and feel like at 50, 60, 70, 80. 

If I ask you, "What does a 70 year old look like?", you have a picture in your mind of the physique and health and fitness level of that person. Depending on what that picture is in your mind, that is what you will become. And its not what you "say" it is, it's the real image of what you believe deep in your heart of hearts.  

When someone says, "what does a 70 year old look like?", I get a picture of bodybuilders like Bill Pearl or Dave Draper (who are 60 - 70 + and rock solid muscle) and that is what I expect to look like.  

Your physical results can only follow your attitude and belief systems, so if you believe you're old.... you're old! People get sick, obese and die young because they see it happening to other people and they believe the same will happen to them. 

You are as old as you think you are and not a day older. I am in my late 30's, but I am in better shape now than I was at 21 and I expect to continue getting better and better. Many natural bodybuilders who follow programs like Burn The Fat are still winning national titles after the age of 40. If they can achieve something like this, then I believe anyone can improve at any age if they believe it's possible and take actions congruent with this belief.  

Its all about lifestyle and consistency. Its NOT about short term diets, or "trying" a program for a little while. Your mind-set must be lifestyle and daily habits - for the rest of your life.  

Just so you don't think I'm totally off my rocker and a complete pollyanna, let me say this: It is definitely a bigger challenge if you're starting at age 50 for the first time ever and you should definitely start slowly and check with your doctor before starting any new exercise or diet program.  

People who have been working out their entire lives have a "head start" and that's a decided advantage. There are dividends paid to those who have invested in their health since day one, just as if you started saving money when you were younger and are now enojoying the rewards of compound interest. However, I have seen some absolutely amazing success stories from men and women in their 40, 50's, 60's, 70's and even beyond! And some of them didn't even start until their 50's. Kelly Nelson didn't start weight training until she was in her 50's and she's now in her 70's - still competing in bodybuilding - and looking fabulous.  

Nearly every body building show these days has a masters division for age categories starting at 35 years old, and going as high as "grand masters" for ages 60 years and up. I know for a fact that many of these masters champions didn't even start working out until their 40's or 50's.  

I realize that most people have no desire to become bodybuilders, but I point this out as an example to show that even though it's generally harder if you start at middle age for the first time, especially after years of inactivity - it CAN be done!  

You may not develop the physique of a bodybuilder or fitness magazine cover model, but you WILL get stronger, leaner, healthier and see cosmetic improvements from training, no matter how old you are. This is not just my opinion, this is scientific fact: 

In his research clinic, Dr. William Evans discovered that the muscles of older people are just as responsive to weight training as those of younger people. In his Book, "Biomarkers: the 10 keys to prolonging vitality," Dr. Evans wrote:

"A 12-week program of strength training using 60 and 70 year old men resulted not only in substantial increases in strength (their lifting ability went from 44 lbs. to 85 lbs.), but also in muscles that were larger and leaner with less fat in and around them. An 8-week study of 87 to 96 year old women confined to a nursing home showed that resistance exercise tripled their muscles strength and increased their size by 10 percent."  

My suggestion is be INSPIRED by others who are in great shape after age 40 and look to them as ROLE MODELS, but avoid comparing yourself to 20 year olds - or to anyone else for that matter. Instead, simply focus on self improvement and you can do that - improve yourself - at any age. Don't set mental limitations on what you can achieve. You can and will see dramatic improvements in your body at any age from making the BURN THE FAT FEED THE MUSCLE nutrition and exercise program a part of your lifestyle.  

Become better than the YOU of yesterday, not better than someone else half your age.  

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