OutsideOnline published an article on this topic that I just love. Essentially, it advised us to lift heavy weights as often as possible and to tend to injuries immediately.

Lift heavy? Absolutely! One of my favorite things to do. The science here is simple, we need strong muscles and balanced strength to safeguard our joints and move safely. I had a coach that explained it like this, "If you want to get stronger, lift heavy. If you want to improve endurance, lift heavy. If you want to lose weight, lift heavy. If you want to prevent injury, lift heavy." Sound advice.

Tend to injuries? Common sense, but too many of us let injuries fester because "it doesn't hurt so bad," or, "it should feel better soon." Masters athletes need to be proactive with pain management because we do not heal as quickly. And working out injured is a sure way to sideline yourself as you either compound the problem or modify your form to accommodate pain. Take steps to ensure that you work out pain-free; deal with injuries like an adult.

There are myriad diet plans out there. Some make sense to me, but most do not. A diet that simply reduces the number of calories each day seems very logical; if I expend more energy than I consume, then the deficit will be made up from my (sometimes sizeable) reserves.

Diets that demonize individual food groups do not appeal to me. No meat, so donuts are OK? No bread? All potatoes?

It's not the "bad" food that causes weight gain, but it is too much of whatever we eat. I strongly believe that humans (for better or worse) are meant to eat everything. Meat, veggies, sweets, bland, spicy, hot or cold. If it can be eaten, we can are designed for that.

I view exercise the same way. I think injury is born from specialization. I would much prefer to find a mix of activities to maintain my fitness. This means running, weightlifting, gymnastics, rowing, swimming (a little, I'm like a rock in the water), snowboarding (maybe skiing, a little), snorkeling and scuba diving, rock climbing, hiking, soccer, basketball, or just making up a game outside. I fear losing strength and mobility as a result of inactivity, so I just want to keep moving in whatever modality strikes.