Maintaining passion and competitive intensity throughout life, especially as we age and how we must manage the realities of aging with grace, is one of my favorite topics to discuss. In this episode, I’ll walk you through 14 tips and strategies to help you stay on the edge, while also avoiding the pitfalls of an overly stressful, unrealistic, exhausting approach.

We’ll be talking about the most important and highly effective concepts to implement in order to adapt and age gracefully, such as adopting a primal mindset, doing something that “scares the shit of you every day” a la Brian “Liver King” Johnson, founder of Ancestral Supplements, and engaging in activities that foster healthy competitive intensity and support longevity. We talk about why it is extremely important to put your ego demands aside and honor your 80-year-old self, and remain patient with the long-term journey of leading a healthy, fit lifestyle while setting long-term, big picture, intrinsic goals. Instead of offering generalities like, “I’ll stay in shape as I get older,” pinpoint some specific objectives—this is because the brain responds much better to goals that are specific and measurable. Mark Manson, number-one bestselling author of The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck, explains that the emotional “feeling” brain rules over the rational “thinking” brain, even though our rational brain likes to convince us that this is not the case. Only emotion motivates us to action, but the emotional and rational brain need to work together to keep you both excited and focused over the long run.

We also talk about the importance of spending some time formulating specific and detailed goals that will elicit an emotional response and therefore, can be efficiently tracked and quantified. For example, can you cough up a list of clever centenarian Olympics events you’d like to participate in when you turn 100? How about pulling from longevity research and setting up some personal benchmarks for squats, pushups, or the one-mile run? Once you have identified some challenges that you are particularly passionate about, consider using tools like a vision board (more at JackCanfield.com), mind movie (more at MindMovies.com), journaling, or your own rich imagination to create a powerful impression about where you are heading and why. With beautiful overarching goals in place, you can blend them successfully with immediate, fun, and even superficial goals.

TIMESTAMPS:

Brad gives 14 strategies to adapt and age gracefully. [01:44]
Primal Mindset is where we acknowledge that pursuing goals and challenges is what makes us human. The good example of Brain Liver King Johnson is described. [04:08]

Some studies show that we are softening.  Our life expectancy is shorter than our parents. [06:53]

There are benefits from sleeping ancestrally resting on the floor or ground. [09:38]

The longevity in your gene pool does not necessarily determine your fate. [13:09]

Cultivate a healthy, competitive intensity. [17:49]
Pursue goals and behavior patterns, training schedules that support longevity. [25:25]

Set long-term, big picture, intrinsic goals. [34:45]

LINKS:

• Brad Kearns.com
• Brad’s Shopping page
• The Liver King
• Podcast with Martin Brauns
• Prime Endurance Mastery Course
• The Hacking of the American Mind
• Dopamine Nation
• Podcast with Dr. Craig Marker
• Podcast with John Assaraff

QUOTES:

• "The essence of sport is that while you're doing it, nothing else matters. But when it's over, you file it away in a place not very important." (Bannister)
• "Now that I’m retired, I am being coached by my 80-year-old self." (Whitfield)
• "Struggle gives meaning and richness to life." (Bannister)

Join Brad for more fun on:

Instagram: @bradkearns1

Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh

Twitter: @bradleykearns

YouTube: @BradKearns

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• Paleo Valley: Nutrient-rich, ancestral inspired health products. BRAD15 for 15% off
• BradNutrition.com: Coming soon - the ultimate whey protein superfuel formula for peak performance and longevity
• Morning Routine Course: Coming soon - Comprehensive online multimedia course to design the ultimate morning exercise routine