On a Recent Trip to Boston, I Got Some Valuable Health & Fitness Tips in The Most Unlikely of Places…

By Elliot Newman

I recently made the trip across the pond, from my home in England, to Boston, Massachusetts – to attend an amazing seminar on Brain and Gut Health.

Now, the seminar was amazing, and I’ll tell you about that another time.

Today, I’d like to tell you about a Taxi Ride I had from the Airport, to my hotel! Because, as far as Health and Fitness goes, it was enlightening to say the least.

To be honest, what I ‘learned’ on this Taxi Ride wasn’t really NEW to me! But, it was in alignment with so much of what I’ve been saying for years, and it was coming from an 80 year old Taxi Driver who was in remarkably good health (so it’s PROOF what I’m saying works, in the long-run!)

Let’s get into the good stuff…

How To Be In Way Better Shape at 80, than Most People Are at 50!

As soon as I got in the Uber, with my driver Terrence, I knew this guy was something out of the ordinary.

I can’t remember why, but he told me, within the first minute or two of the journey, that he was going to be 80 next week. When he told me that, I was SHOCKED.

Why was I shocked?

For starters, he looked YOUNGER. A lot younger. I’d have guessed 65 if I hadn’t have known.

Secondly, he was slim. Without the sagginess, frailty and weakness that most people that age usually display.

Third, he was sharp as a tack mentally. And, thank God for that! I wouldn’t have fancied being driven by a guy 56 years older than me, if he’d have had the mental capacity most people his age have! But, he was completely ‘with it’. In fact, he spoken more eloquently, and with more clarity and passion than most people do, regardless of their age.

Listening to him was enlightening.

Here’s what he shared:

5 Health & Fitness Tips that’ll Keep You Looking, Feeling and Performing Like a YOUNG Man, Even Once You Hit 50, 60, 70 and Beyond!

1. Eat Healthy, and Don’t Overeat

Terrence told me that he only ate twice a day. His version of ‘Intermittent Fasting’.

Breakfast at around 9am.

Dinner around 5pm.

He doesn’t snack between meals. And only drinks water.

Breakfast is usually Organic Oats, Wild Blueberries, Almond Milk, and Raw Honey. With Nuts and Seeds on top. Occasionally he eats Organic Eggs.

Dinner is high quality Meat or Fish, with Vegetables.

He did say that once or twice a week he’d treat himself to a McDonalds. But, what’s interesting is that his choice of meal there is a small one (not high in calories), and he says he rarely finishes it.

He’s a big believer in eating till your satiated, not until your STUFFED!

And, at 80, Terrence’s bodyweight is 145lbs. Just 5lbs more than it was when he was 18. That’s remarkable. Particularly in the USA, where 40% of the population are overweight much earlier in life.

I’d say his dietary philosophy is in almost complete alignment with my own, and can be summarised as:

• Eat when you’re hungry, and only eat till you’ve had enough (not until you’re so stuffed you have to undo the top button of your pants)

• Focus on High Quality, Organic and Wild Foods

• If you eat something less than optimal, do so infrequently, and don’t eat tons of it (basically, eat well 90% of the time, or more. Allow yourself the odd ‘treat’ now and then if you must, but don’t go crazy with it)

2. Move Throughout The Day

I asked Terrence about exercise. And, he said he didn’t do any!

Now, you might think that not exercising, and being sat in a Taxi for several hours a day, is a disaster waiting to happen.

But, Terrence’s thinking on ‘exercise’ was actually quite smart. You see, while he didn’t go to the gym, or play sports, he did move throughout the day.

He said he took a 20 minute walk each day, and whenever possible, parks his car in places that ensure he has a 5 or 10 minute walk to his destination.

So, although he doesn’t exercise in the traditional sense – he does get plenty of Heart Healthy movement in each day – in the form of walking several miles.

Now, I love STRENGTH training. And I play a lot of Golf.

But, I’ve been saying for years that if more people just took 2 or 3 ten-minute walks each day, they’d be A LOT better off!

If you still doubt the benefit of walking, check out this video from Stan Efferding. He’s been one of the strongest men in the World, and yet also takes the time to ‘just walk’ each and every day:

3. Don’t Get Caught Up in ‘The Rat Race’ (it’s a Heart Attack Waiting to Happen!)

Terrence told me he had an epiphany in his 50’s.

At the time, he owned a business that manufactured various parts for NASA. He worked long hours, earned good money, but was very stressed. As were many of his entrepreneurial friends…

8 of whom died, all within a few years of each other, of Heart Attacks!

This made Terrence realize that pushing yourself constantly, for Financial Gain, at the expense of your Health, is NOT a wise idea.

He promptly sold his business, moved to a small, peaceful town near Boston, and embarked on a much easier, STRESS-FREE life.

As a hard-working business owner myself, I get where Terrence is coming from. I LOVE what I do, but I constantly seek balance in my life between work, family and other interests, and I very rarely do the 14-16 hour ‘nothing-but-work’ days many entrepreneurs do (though I did my fair share when I was first getting started).

Ultimately, there’s no point dying YOUNG and being the richest man in the Graveyard (like Steve Jobs of Apple, or Sergio Marchionne of Ferrari).

4. Spend Some Time in Gratitude Every Single Day

During our Taxi Journey, Terrence spoke a lot about how grateful he was to have his health, to have a great family, and to live in such an idyllic place (Manchester, Boston).

He said we all take too much for granted in today’s fast-paced, modern world, and we forget to be GRATEFUL and THANKFUL for what we have.

This was a wake up call for me… I’m guilty as charged.

If you want to be a bit more ‘Heart Centered’ (Christ, I can’t believe I just wrote that), and you’d like to live more in GRATITUDE – this is worth a read

5. Do What You Love

Both Terrence and I were in total agreement that a human being should live something like this:

With Honesty and Integrity, and Respect for his fellow Human Beings.

And, while doing that, we should spend as much time as possible doing things we are Passionate about, so we can create true VALUE in the world.

I asked Terrence if the STRESS most people feel is most likely because they are NOT doing things with their time that they enjoy. His answer was an emphatic…

“YES”

So there you have it…

5 simple Health & Fitness Tips from an 80 Year Old who is a shining example of how well you can live at a ripe old age.

Oh, and one more thing – towards the end of our journey, Terrence said he hadn’t touched a drug, or visited a Doctor in 10 years. This is in stark contrast to how most people live – constantly running to the Doctor and being ‘drugged up’ or ‘cut up’ during the final 10-15 years of their lives!

Got questions or comments?

Leave them below, and I’ll get back to you asap.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!