Optimal Aging

I met Andres Escobar at the Functional Aging Summit this year. He has a business, ReviewBiz, that helps you get positive Google reviews, and a podcast called Gym Owner's Growth Zone. He invited me on his show, and we had a fun interview there -- it's always strange for me to be asked the questions, especially about writing. But, as I share, it's not a mystical process -- you can lea...

Robots stealing your jobs… soulless machines taking over the world… Is it science-fiction? Or is it happening already now that artificial intelligence, or AI, is here? Hang onto your C3P0, because that’s the topic we’re discussing this week on Optimal Aging, the show that’ all about fitness, health and wellbeing for people over 50. If you own a gym or studio and want to grow your business by attra...

It was a long, hot summer, wasn't it? Phew! Still is in lots of place, including my hometown of Atlanta. I'm back with Season 2 of Optimal Aging. Today I want to share some of the topics we'll dive into soon -- including Artificial Intelligence, Gen X, and the changes around retirement. All these affect your over-50 fitness outreach, and I'm looking forward to a thought-provoki...

Did you know that in a few years, 20% of Americans will be 65 or older? And 85% of them have at least one chronic health condition that you can help them with through regular exercise. Further, more people in this cohort are exercising than ever before (although the numbers are still frightfully low). A new report from the Department of Health and Human Services addresses these issues. And you can...

Can exercise bring hope to people afflicted with something as serious as Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and parts of the body controlled by the nerves? People are saying that regular exercise helps those afflicted – particularly exercises associated with boxing, as my guest today will explain.   Chris Timberlake was there at the beginning of Rock Steady...

Are women over 50 engaged in a war against their bodies? They’ve spent decades being told – by society, the media, their families – what a healthy woman is supposed to look like. It’s always thin, right? And young. But how can a woman over 50 – or anyone, really – live a healthy lifestyle, eating right and moving her body … without beating herself up for falling short of some oppressive notion of...

Rocky Snyder has been providing fitness services to the over-50 demographic in Santa Cruz, California, for 30 years. He’s also an author, podcaster, radio host, public speaker — and even the unofficial “Mayor” of the seaside town known to millions as a Mecca of the surfing community. Rocky and his wife have been active in civic and community groups for decades. Everybody knows his name, as the son...

Do you ever feel like a broken record when talking about fitness in general, or specifically for people over 50? Like you're repeating the same messages over and over and wondering, doesn't everybody already know about all of this, about strength training and basic nutrition, at least? It's a common suspicion that we have whenever we're communicating repeatedly over time about...

People often ask me where I get ideas for content.  It's a good question and I want to talk about it in this week's episode of Optimal Aging, the show to help fitness professionals grow their business with people over 50.  Today,  I'm going to give you 15 tactics to ensure that you always have plenty of ideas for your blog posts, social media accounts, email newsletters, and other c...

I just got back last night from the first professional conference I’ve been to since before the pandemic.  You know how these things are. If you’re lucky, there are so many smart people around, great ideas are flying by you one after the other, and you leave with a head full of information, perspectives and contacts.  Now, Im going to share some of that information on the show today – the bits tha...

The internet, social media and emails are great ways to spread content about your business, of course.  But don’t forget about the real world. On today’s episode of the Optimal Aging podcast, I’m going to share 10 ways to get your content out to the community IRL – in real life, as the kids say, haha. Not INSTEAD of using the internet, social media and emails – but IN ADDITION TO THEM. I’m your ho...

Fitness industry veteran Rami Odeh shares the story of his physical transformation from an ultramarathon runner to a rippling weightlifter. He spent the year leading up to his 60th birthday packing on muscle, getting lean, and popping a major six-pack. And he’s a big proponent of strength training for people over 50 as a key to health, fitness and longevity – for everybody, not just fitness profes...

Celebrate our 100th anniversary with 10 inspiring and educational clips from guests about various aspects of marketing fitness to people over 50. Dan Ritchie of the Functional Aging Institute Scott Michelle of Orange Shoe Fitness Ray Glier of Geezer Jock Lindsay Valdosta Amy Lang Rick Mayor of Alloy Personal Training Franchise System Selene Yeager Chris Cooper Rickey Banks of SFX Fitness Ann Gynn...

Who should be the focus of your fitness business? Is it you, the owner? One of your trainers? The client? Before we get to that, let's discuss a storytelling model that's been the roadmap for countless books, movies and shows -- and more -- throughout time. This storytelling model is called The Hero’s Journey. It’s the basis of countless novels, plays, movies and other stories throughout...

I’m a big believer in positive thinking, but it wasn’t always that way. I used to be skeptical, cynical, always trying to anticipate what could go wrong in a situation. But one of the benefits of aging, for me anyway, is that I’ve shed a lot of those tendencies.  But does a positive mindset play any role in bringing fitness to people over 50?  That’s the question on this week’s episode of the Opti...

Anyone over a certain age remembers the Yellow Pages. Back before the Internet, every business had to have a listing in the giant phone book, and most had display ads. Customers in need of, say, a plumber, looked up local service providers and perused the ads till they found one they liked enough to call. It was kind of like a printed version of Google, if you younger folks can imagine that. And t...

A lot of people have similar insecurities around writing as they do around money. That's true for fitness professionals as much as it is for anyone. And this week on the Optimal Aging podcast, I'm talking about all of that and more with Billy Hofacker on Billy's podcast, Your Fitness Money Coach. Billy's a gym owner in Long Island and caters to the over-50 market. He's als...

How can gym and studio owners keep their members motivated to keep coming back after the initial excitement wears off? And what role does your communications system play in retaining these folks – especially those who are over 50? Gym and studio owners first need to understand why  people over 50 want to get in shape or stay in shape.  So I'll share my top 7 reasons why older people want your...

If you live long enough, you start to notice how things come in and out of fashion, and then come in and out of fashion again… and again…  It’s one of the nice thigns about aging, I think. It makes it easier to avoid getting too excited abou t the latest this or the trendiest that, because you’ve learned by now that if you miss one trend, there’s always another round coming up later.  Well, it’s l...

Lots of gyms and studios provide -- or want to provide -- a line of vitamins and supplements for their customers. It's a great way to have an extra income stream and to enrich ties with your clients, particularly people over 50. A lot of older people are curious about supplements, and they don't want to be burned by products that offer a lot of hype but not much value. Greg Pryor shares...

I had so much great content from my interview with Rick Mayo -- founder and CEO of Alloy Personal Training Franchise System -- that I had to break it up into two parts. I published the first one in November, and I'm excited to share Part 2 now. We cover some interesting questions about how Rick approaches marketing fitness to the over-50 segment, the importance of knowing who you want as your...

How close do fitness clients typically become with their trianers? What qualifies as sufficiently good customer service, what goes above and beyond, and how do genuine personal relationships develop — particularly among a client in his 70s and a trainer in his 30s? This is Optimal Aging, the podcast for fitness professionals who want to grow their businesses by reaching more people over 50. I’m de...

Gym and studio owners -- you're about to get flooded with the annual January rush. This year, be sure your new clients over 50 know why it's so important they should be lifting weights. And remember: They probably don't know! You have to tell them. Clearly and repeatedly. This week's Optimal Aging presents 15 reasons why people over 50 need to be weightlifting. Use this list --...

Do you ever feel like a phony? Like someone’s about to find out any minute that you have no idea what you’re doing and that you don’t belong where you are? Well, a LOT of people do, so don’t worry! It’s called Imposter Syndrome, and it’s common in all walks of life and at every stage of success. I know I’ve felt it sometimes.  And so has my guest on this week’s episode of Optimal Aging, which migh...

How important is it to build a warm, supportive fitenss community for people over 50?  That’s the question we’re going to answer today on Optimal Aging, with one special guest serving as an example of the kind of powerful outreach and practices that many of the best fitness businesses provide.  Guest Summer Montabone is the owner of Summer’s Fitness studio in North Canton, Ohio, where she recently...