🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️ALPHA-MALE⚫️
Mature men understand that alpha-males are a myth. No one can be the top dog in every social interaction, particularly because leadership roles are always changing. Instead of trying to be the ultimate Alpha, simply work on your confidence, improve your social skills and your education, develop your empathy and become a better version of yourself.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️BARBELL⚫️
Men tend to lose strength as they age. Resistance training focusing on large compound movements with a barbell – or any heavy piece of metal or rock – is a sure way to stop or even reverse the loss of muscle mass. Very few things beat deadlifts, squats, presses, cleans, carries and jerks. Be Strong to Be Youthful.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️CHOLESTEROL⚫️
Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of mortality in men over 50. Before blindly demonizing cholesterol, it is excess weight, lack of exercise and poor diet that are the main culprits. There is nothing wrong with quality animal products in moderation, and everything wrong with trans-fat in fried and processed food.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️DEPRESSION⚫️
Many aging men experience depression both for mental and physical reasons. As testosterone levels drop over the years, so are strength, hair, sex drive and sense of purpose. Before taking antidepressants, use proper diet, lifestyle choices and fitness training to help regain confidence and self-value.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️ENERGY⚫️
Men feel that they become less enthusiastic and less energetic as they age. It doesn’t have to be that way. As it’s very often linked to stress, the last thing they need is a high intensity fitness program that increases their cortisol level. What they need is the right combination of training and rest.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️FAT⚫️
The mature man has a hard time keeping the extra pounds away, especially in his mid-section. No physical training alone can fight this process. A well-designed diet and some basic principles are essential: 1- Eat less than before.
2- Fast from time to time.
3- Limit all carbs.
4- Make it easy to comply.
🔱 Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️GRIT⚫️
Nothing of value has ever been done without courage. It’s our ability to overcome obstacles, to withstand pain and discomfort, and to go against the general opinion, that helped us to deal with so many challenges in life. The mature man should never take his life for granted, because none of his ancestors did.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️HAPPINESS⚫️
Being happy is just a transient state. No one can be happy all the time. It is as important to be at peace when things are not optimal as it is to enjoy the small moments when things feel good. Be aware and grateful for those moments instead of focusing on what could be better.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️INSOMNIA⚫️
Many mature men experience some form of sleep disturbance. The cause might be stress, bad diet, lack of movement or hormonal imbalance.
1- Proper lifestyle choices are more effective than medication.
2- Make good use of the time you are awake at night.
3- Don’t underestimate the benefits of a nap.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️JUNK⚫️
Once we were as minimalist as nomadic hunter-gatherers. Buying things is just a way to increase our comfort and reduce our ability to interact with our environment. It’s also a coping mechanism when we feel stressed or unhappy. It doesn’t fix the problem. It just hides it behind a false sense of safety and entertainment.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️KETTLEBELL⚫️
The mature man needs to lift weight. He also needs to incorporate some ballistic movements like kettlebell Swings and Snatches, Olympic lifting, jumps and sprints. Speed and explosiveness are necessary qualities to train in order to stay active in many sports.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️LABOR⚫️
Hard work and manual labor are looked down upon in the Western world, but they are the foundation of many creative enterprises. They often require physical qualities like power and strength-endurance, along with mental qualities like courage, fortitude and perseverance.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱. ⚫️MOBILITY⚫️
Movement is life, and most living organisms need to move to survive. For the mature man, the lack of movement is a slow death that is creeping up every day. To stay mobile:
1- Focus on hip mobility more than anything else.
2- Don’t stay seated for more than an hour.
3- Spend time on the ground.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️NATURE⚫️
As humans, we evolved in a natural environment. The artificial world of cities is a very recent invention and we can easily feel disconnected when we are away from Nature. The photo of a mountain lake as a screensaver is not enough. Walk outside every day, even if the weather is not optimal.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️OXYGEN⚫️
We don’t pay enough attention to our breath. We take it for granted, even if it’s one of our most important sources of energy and life.
1- Breathe with your diaphragm, not your upper chest.
2- Inhale and exhale through your nose.
3- Learn to breathe less and quietly.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️PROSTATE⚫️
Prostate health is a taboo topic for the mature man. The risk of prostate enlargement, inflammation and cancer is real but rather minimal. Prevention is always better than cure:
1- Active lifestyle and healthy diet
2- Regular sexual activity
3- Awareness of any urinary symptoms
4- Massage for health
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️QUITTING⚫️
Every man has his limits. But quitting is about perceived limits and giving up on goals and expectations. There is a fundamental difference between not being able to do something and quitting. In one case you gave it a really good shot, while in the other, you just lacked perseverance and courage.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️RISKS⚫️
Living is about taking risks, failing multiple times, getting knocked down and standing back up, ready to try again. We end up with bruises, both physical and mental. There is nothing wrong with having scars, because scars are just like tattoos with a better story.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️STYLE⚫️
If a man looks like a slob, he will be treated like one.
1- Sport clothes are for sport, not daily life.
2- Better to be overdressed than underdressed.
3- Baggy clothes make you look like a bag.
4- Spend money on quality clothes, not quantity.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️TESTOSTERONE⚫️
Strength, leanness, energy and sex drive are all directly impacted by testosterone levels dropping as men age. Low T is on the rise.
1- Lift heavy objects.
2- Spend time in the sun.
3- Manage your sleep and your stress.
4- Keep your sex life active.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️UNCERTAINTY⚫️
No one can predict or control the future. Certainty is an illusion but when the future looks too blurry, men need guidance.
1- Have a real brotherhood to rely on.
2- Read about and apply Stoicism.
3- Find real mentors, not fake gurus.
4- Relax, meditate, write a journal.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️VIOLENCE⚫️
Violence is part of human nature and ignoring it will not make it disappear. Most of the time, violence is not the best option, because of the physical, emotional and legal risks. But when violence is the best option, you should be ready to use it to its full extent. If you don’t, someone will probably use it on you and your loved ones.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️WELLNESS⚫️
A man shouldn’t just focus on fitness. Wellness is the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to holistic health:
1- Move Well. Move Often.
2- Lift Heavy. Lift Often.
3- Sleep Well. Sleep Longer.
4- Eat Less. Drink Water.
5- Walk Outside. Play And Have Fun.
6- Stress Less. Actively Relax.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️XENOESTROGEN⚫️
Xenoestrogens are synthetic or natural compounds that increase the risk of prostate and testicular cancer, diabetes, obesity, low T and erectile dysfunction:
1- Avoid exposing plastic containers to heat or sunlight.
2- Carefully select skincare products, shampoo, soaps.
3- Learn where to find BPA, PBDE, BHA, BHT and soy products.
4- Prefer grass-fed meat and filtered water.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️YOUTH⚫️
It’s not better or worse to be old or to be young, even if we are nostalgic for our youth. Mature men can use their life experience to be more realistic and pragmatic about events, relationships, wealth and ideology.
1- Stay physically active.
2- Keep learning.
3- Be passionate.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️ZEN⚫️
The mature man often needs peaceful time in order to rest his endocrine and nervous system. Modern life is laden with stress, entertainment, and numerous activities that don’t leave much time for self-reflection, mindfulness, creativity, and rest from the rat race.
1- Spend 5 minutes a day doing absolutely nothing.
2- Write a journal every evening.
3- Spend time in nature as often as you can.
🔱 The Mature Man from A to Z 🔱 ⚫️FROM ALPHA-MALE TO ZEN⚫️
The final thought: A balanced and thriving mature man must optimize two major aspects of his life:
1- Lifestyle (SEEDS): Sleep, Exercise, Environment, Diet, Stress.
2- Mindset (FEARS): Focus, Experiment, Adapt, Risk, Simplify.