It's Worth Repeating: Keep Talking about Muscle after Age 50 (and 3 Other Timeless Topics)

I was at a little dinner party the other night and the conversation turned to fitness for people over 50. All four of us at the table are in the demo and we’re all healthy and active.

My partner and I are in the fitness industry and I quickly realized that we were discussing things on a different level than our friends, more familiar, in shorthand. It reminded me that the messages about fitness over 50 are still unfamiliar to most people. I think about them so much that I forget that not everyone else does so, as well.

It made me wonder if gym owners and others in health and fitness make the same mistake.

And it reminded me of a podcast episode I recorded a while back about the topic, so I decided to re-publish it this week. It was interesting how the topics circled back — providing a good lesson for me as a communicator and for anyone trying to convince people to get fit after 50. Here it is.

Online Resources

Prime Fit Content – Engage the over-50 market

Episode Transcript

Speaker 0 (00:00):
Hi everybody and welcome to Optimal Aging, the
show about fitness, health andwell-being after 50.
I'm your host, jay Croft ofPrimeFit Content.
This week's episode is a littlebit different than most, and I
will briefly explain what I meanby that, and then we'll get to
the good stuff.
I was at a little dinner partythe other night and the

(00:21):
conversation turned to fitnessfor people over 50 and what I've
been writing about lately.
And all four of us at the tableare in the demo and we're all
healthy and active.
My partner and I are in thefitness industry and I quickly
realized that we were discussingthings on a different level
than are more familiar.
In shorthand, you know that waythat you do when you're with

(00:44):
colleagues from work or otherfans of your favorite reality TV
show.
Right, it just makes sense.
My friends are smart, educatedmen who are in other fields, and
I found their questions andpoints of view refreshing
because it reminded me that themessages about fitness over 50
are still unfamiliar to mostpeople.

(01:06):
I mean I think about musclemass and sarcopenia all the time
, about how to compel peopleover 50 to take better care of
themselves, and about the wayswe can all help each other move
more, eat better and enjoy abetter quality of life as we age
.
I think about them so much thatI forget that not everyone else

(01:26):
does as well, and it made mewonder if gym owners and others
in health and fitness make thesame mistake.
All this reminded me of apodcast episode I recorded a
while back about the topic, so Idecided to dust it off and
republish it this week.
It was interesting to me howthe topics circled back,

(01:47):
providing a good lesson for meas a communicator and for
anybody really trying toconvince people to get fit after
50.
Here it is.
Do you ever feel like a brokenrecord when talking about
fitness in general orspecifically for people over 50,
like you're repeating the samemessages over and over and

(02:09):
wondering doesn't everybodyalready know about all of this,
about strength training andbasic nutrition?
At least, it's a commonsuspicion that we have whenever
we're communicating repeatedlyover time about anything.
It makes you wonder if there'sa limit, like can I even talk
about this thing again?

(02:29):
Well, that's what I'll beaddressing today on Optimal
Aging the show for gym andstudio owners who want to grow
their businesses by engagingmore people over 50.
One of the mainstays of yourmarketing approach must be
content that your prospects andclients find useful, relevant,
motivating or entertaining aboutthe idea of healthy living as

(02:54):
they age and how fitness iscrucial to that how you can help
them have a better life.
That's the whole premise behindmy business, prime Fit Content,
which sends you heaps ofpremium material to use in your
blogs, newsletters and socialmedia every week, and after
writing hundreds of articles andinterviewing countless gym
owners, studio owners, trainers,authors, experts and, most

(03:18):
importantly, fitness consumers,I'm convinced that there are
four topics that you can neverdiscuss too much, four topics
you can never cover too much inyour content, four topics that
everyone needs to hear about invarious ways and through various
channels, over and over, nomatter where they are in your

(03:39):
sales funnel.
Knowing this can help youprepare content with confidence.
When you have these topics onhand, you'll never be left high
and dry for something to discusswith your clients, prospects,
community members or even youremployees.
Here we go.
Number one we need to talk aboutmuscle.
We don't talk about it enough.

(04:00):
We need to talk about muscle.
We don't talk about it enough.
Now, you might feel like you do, but you don't, and neither do
I and neither does anyone, notnearly enough to overcome the
dearth of understanding outthere among older people about
muscle, or among even youngeradults regarding the role that

(04:20):
muscle plays in aging.
Now, I'm willing to bet thatthe vast majority of people over
50 or 60 don't even know thatthey need muscle, or why or how
to get it.
And it's up to us to make itclear and compelling, even when
it means overcoming thatignorance, even when it means

(04:41):
talking to people who have noidea why anyone besides an
Olympic bodybuilder or ArnoldSchwarzenegger would want
muscles, even when it meanstalking to people whose own
doctors have scared them awayfrom lifting anything heavier
than a Stephen King hardback.
You know all the reasons forthis, for the necessity of

(05:01):
strength training, but they, byand large, do not, so we have to
share content with them timeand again.
That makes the points aboutstrength training that it's
absolutely essential to theirphysical autonomy and quality of
life as they age.
Muscle does not mean bulgingbiceps.
Muscle means being able to getoff the toilet.

(05:23):
Do you think most of yourprospects and clients know that
they're silently losing musclemass every year as part of the
aging process?
I promise you most of them donot.
You have to tell them over andover again.
And then you have to tell themthat while sarcopenia might be
natural, it is not inevitable orirreversible or in any way

(05:46):
acceptable.
Without muscle they can't standup or walk or run, they can't
carry in groceries or put thefood away, they can't play with
their grandkids or travel orreally do much of anything else.
And the way to make sure thatthat doesn't happen you know it
better than I do, so come on andsay it with me is to practice
strength training.

(06:07):
Sure, they'll also feel better,physically and mentally,
they'll get around better,they'll sleep better, they'll
have sex better, they'll be farless likely to fall and far less
likely to break a bone if theydo fall, but more than anything,
they'll have the strength thatthey need to live.

(06:28):
Topic number two is brain health.
You know, just like physicalfrailty isn't necessarily an
inevitable part of aging,neither is reduced brain
function, whether it's commonforgetfulness or Alzheimer's
disease, there's been a lot ofresearch lately about the
brain-body link as it relates tobrain health and aging.

(06:49):
It's all very encouraging andshows that we do have tools to
maintain and even improve howour brain works as we age.
Here's how WebMD puts it Canexercise prevent memory loss and
improve cognitive function?
Possibly, exercise has manyknown benefits for both physical

(07:10):
and mental health, includingreducing the risk of
cardiovascular disease anddiabetes, strengthening the
bones and muscles and reducingstress.
It also appears that regularphysical activity benefits the
brain.
Studies show that people whoare physically active are less
likely to experience a declinein their mental function and

(07:32):
have a lowered risk of ofdeveloping Alzheimer's disease.
Physical activity is one of theknown modifiable risk factors
for dementia.
Plus, regular exercise helpscombat other Alzheimer's disease
risk factors such as depressionand obesity.
That was from WebMD.
Here's what the UK's Alzheimer'sSociety says.

(07:56):
Of all the lifestyle changesthat have been studied, taking
regular physical exerciseappears to be one of the best
things that you can do to reduceyour risk of getting dementia.
And even this quote leading aphysically active lifestyle can
have a significant impact on thewell-being of people with

(08:17):
dementia.
End quote.
I write about this frequentlyin Prime Fit content so you
could be sharing powerful newsand feature articles with your
audience about the research andabout how it's affecting real
people just like them.
Now, does all of this mean thata gym membership will
automatically protect us fromdementia or other brain problems

(08:38):
?
Of course not.
Will automatically protect usfrom dementia or other brain
problems?
Of course not, but it is onemore powerful tool that you need
to have when talking to peopleof any age about the benefits of
physical fitness.
There's more informationavailable on this from all kinds
of reputable medical sources,including the Alzheimer's
Association in the US, and newstudios are blossoming to

(09:03):
combine physical exercise withmental exercise, because when
they're done together, theresult is even more powerful.
Number three protein and sorryhydration.
I say sorry because if you'regoing to urge people to at least
get enough water every day,then well, you might be running

(09:24):
the risk of beating a dead horsewith this one.
I know I'm tired of hearingthat, but you can and you should
go further on the topic ofhydration.
That way, you're reminding themto you know hydrate, but you're
wrapping up a familiar messagein new information.
For instance, do they know thathydration affects everything

(09:47):
from cognitive function toarthritis and joint pain?
Do they know the dangers ofsoda, including, and maybe
especially, diet sodas?
Do they know they can eat someof their water in fruits and
vegetables?
My point is this is an excellentexample of zhuzhing up a tired
topic that still needs to berepeated.

(10:08):
Hand in hand with this is anewer topic for many older
people, and that's the need toget enough protein in their diet
.
As we age, we tend to eat lessthan we should and to get less
protein when we need it morethan ever in order to fight
sarcopenia and keep the musclethat we have.

(10:30):
With your own approach and withPrimeFit content, you can make
sure you're educating yourprospects and clients about why
they need more protein and howthey can incorporate it into
their daily routines, like listsof high-protein snacks to
always keep handy, and why itcan be especially valuable at
breakfast.
A friend in fitness told meabout his father complaining

(10:53):
that he isn't recovering from arecent surgery as quickly as he
wanted, and my friend said hewanted to say well, dad, how
about you have a couple of eggsin the morning?
That would be better for youthan you know a cup of coffee
and have a piece of toast.
And finally, the number fourtopic you're not discussing
enough in your content and inperson is loneliness.

(11:15):
Did you know that the USSurgeon General recently
declared that we're sufferingfrom an epidemic of loneliness
and social isolation, with aboutone in two adult Americans
reporting some form ofloneliness, and that was before
COVID cut everybody off fromtheir friends and family and
support systems.
Social isolation isparticularly acute for many

(11:38):
people as they age, with lifepartners gone and children moved
away and no daily interactionat work.
Again, covid brought a lot ofthis to the forefront and I was
really pleased to see so many ofmy PrimeFit content customers
step up for their older clients.

(11:59):
During the lockdown they calledand checked on them.
They had group social events onZoom in addition to workouts.
Some even paid house calls,keeping plenty of social
distance but still letting theirclients know they were cared
for and bringing somemuch-needed interaction.
Research shows that lonely,isolated people have sleep

(12:22):
problems, greater inflammation,lower immunity and older people
in particular.
They're tied to pain, insomnia,depression, anxiety and shorter
lifespan, and they can lead allof us to abuse alcohol and
drugs.
Your gym or studio can play agreat role in mitigating
loneliness for all your members,no matter what their age and

(12:45):
whether we're all in the middleof a global catastrophe or not.
Small group training, forexample, provides peer support,
accountability and encouragement.
You've seen real, long-termfriendships grow at your gym or
studio.
You've had a hand in helpingthat happen and you can keep

(13:05):
doing it in countless ways.
Encourage people to socialize,plan group outings, bring in
guest speakers for lunch andlearns.
Now I know you're not a socialworker, but you are committed to
helping people lead their best,healthiest lives, and providing
vital, life-sustaining socialinteraction is as important as

(13:27):
any training you provide.
So, to recap, my four topics youcan't talk about too much are
muscle, brain health, proteinand hydration, and social
interaction.
Keep talking and keep sharingcontent that keeps making the
same vital points over and over.
Research shows that humans needto hear the same message at

(13:49):
least seven times before itstarts to sink in, and you have
newcomers to your circle all thetime who might never have heard
why they should be liftingweights or snacking on peanuts
instead of potato chips.
I'll keep talking and writingabout all of this.
I hope you will, too.
Thanks for listening.
I hope you enjoyed the show andI hope you'll subscribe, tell a

(14:11):
friend and write a review.
All of that helps us grow ouraudience.
You can learn more about me andmy content business at
primefitcontentcom.
Send me an email at jjay atprimefitcontentcom.
I'm also on Facebook, linkedin,instagram and just about
anywhere else, so check me out.
Love to hear from you.

(14:31):
Again, thanks for listening.
Join us next time.