How to Build Your Best Life

mindset Jun 03, 2024

One major challenge many middle-age-and-beyond folks struggle with is the "Big Balancing Act."

Balancing today's needs with your long-term vision and goals.

You likely know you need to invest in your health, right now, in order to be healthy in the future.

But you're simply “too busy” and need more time, more money, or more energy before you can get started.

So you're forced to balance what must get done today with what you really want.

We've all gone through it and there's nothing wrong with that.

But here's the problem that I've seen again and again:

Over time, your long-term goals get lost.

Your focus shifts to doing whatever it takes to survive today, this week, or this month.

"If I can just get through this year," you say.

Well, I'm here to tell you that it's indeed possible to build the body you want while addressing today's needs.

How to Build Your Best Life

If you get clear about what your ideal body looks like (healthy body weight, high energy levels, ability to do whatever activity you want/whenever you like, etc.), then you find someone who has already accomplished what you want.

You analyze their success system and break things down into actionable bites.

In other words, you reverse-engineer a step-by-step plan to get you to your ideal body and life.

Along the way you might do something foolish, that isn't part of the plan, in order to get by in the short term.

Here’s a real example so this doesn't seem like theory.

I changed the name to respect this person's privacy.

"Jane" wants to “lose 10 pounds fast” but her long-term goal is maintaining a bodyfat reading around 18%.

So she did a juice cleanse to drop a few pounds in the short term.

When we talked, I advised her to have a clear plan to achieve 18% bodyfat and to also avoid the bad habits that encouraged her to do the shortsighted “cleanse” in the first place.

By the way, I'm not picking on Jane.

Heck, we've all dealt with this brand of foolishness.

You know, quick-fix diets, apocalyptic workouts, and other dumb things.

These diet-and-fitness fads won’t create the lean-and-strong physique you desire and the long-term excellent health you deserve.

The key is in not letting all of this nutrition misinformation and exercise quackery pull you permanently off track and hurt your long-term health.

Make sense?

One more very important lesson.

What I'm about to share next is something you should read several times and then share with someone you care about.

It's very powerful and, if you follow my recommendations, you will add more happiness to your remaining years.

During a recent presentation to my clients, we talked about a Faustian bargain.

Rather than try to come up with my own description, I'll share Stuart Jay Olshansky's excellent words.

He's a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

"The legend of Faust is a thought-provoking tale from the middle ages, which has a surprising connection to the world of aging today. The story is both inspiring and tragic at the same time. In one famous version of the tale from Goethe, Faust is an idealist scholar that becomes disillusioned with his limits to knowledge. Bored and suicidal, Faust becomes the target of the devil Mephistopheles who says he can satisfy Faust’s desire for unlimited knowledge and also promises him youth, pleasures of the flesh, and magical powers—for a predetermined period. In exchange, after the allotted time, the devil will claim Faust’s soul and forever be enslaved. The story of Faust has become a metaphor for a promise or tradeoff that at first seems appealing, but with time is revealed to be a bad bargain."

The Faustian bargain before you now is this:

😡 In exchange for small doses of "good times," like mindless eating and drinking alcohol, skipping workouts and, as a result, being overweight and obese, you may experience a suite of disabling conditions experienced at later ages:

Debilitating obesity-related conditions that rob you of what you hold most precious – your mental and physical functioning. And ultimately your happiness.

Ask yourself: Do you want to live better?

Extending life without paying attention to the quality of your "golden years" means a longer stay at the nursing home.

Personally I say, "no thank you" to an early check-in at an assisted-living center.

Also, extending life without extending health (strength, athletic bodyfat, happiness, etc.) would result in a disproportionate number of years of disease and disability and depression for the 10% of the population living the longest.

Any logical person knows that you can't "reverse" aging... only slow it down.

And if you google the word "anti aging" you know that the companies promoting anti-aging products and services are nothing more than modern snake-oil salesmen.

(Or maybe they just forgot to fact-check their advertising copy.)

On the other hand, SLOWING down the processes of aging—even by a moderate amount—will yield dramatic improvements in health for current and future generations.

What is the cost of this new more effective model of primary disease prevention that will save the world trillions in health care costs?

There is an investment and I offer guaranteed results.

And the last time I checked, colleges and universities weren't guaranteeing students get a 4.0 GPA or receive a full tuition refund.

But if you do the work and follow the plan, and hit your goal on deadline, you won't ask for your money back.

Actually you'll want to continue to follow the plan and maintain your newfound strength, healthy bodyfat, and happiness. Right?

But don't just take my word for all of this.

Do your own fact-checking to learn more about our award-winning age-management program for men and women over 40.

Since 1996, we've been teaching satisfied clients the most efficient method of reducing the chance of preventable disease and extending the quality of your life.

Smart training (resistance training with progression and overload), goal-based nutrition, quality recovery, and the secret sauce (coaching and accountability).

So before you choose "good times," ask yourself this: Is today's Faustian bargain worth it?

Think about it.

Summary:

It's a challenge to balance short-term needs with long-term health and fitness goals, particularly for middle-aged individuals. You must set clear long-term goals and create a step-by-step plan to achieve them. Watch out for quick-fix diets and fads that may frustrate you and hinder your long-term health and happiness. Instead choose a more sustainable approach to nutrition, exercise, and slowing the natural aging process. Invest in your health now to improve your quality of life in the future.

To your success,

Coach Joe

Joseph Arangio helps 40+ men and women lose weight, gain strength, and slow aging. He's delivered over 100,000 transformation programs to satisfied clients around the globe. If you want to increase longevity with the best online age-management program, or you want to visit the best age-management program in the Lehigh Valley, you can take a free 14-day trial.