Optimal Aging

Imagine the doorbell ringing at your home one day. You wonder who could it be and go answer, only to find a scary-looking dude loading up your car to take it away.  It’s being repossessed because you haven’t been making the payments. You had no idea things were this bad – and you still have to learn just how bad your financial situation is. How bad is it? Bad. Really, really bad. That’s what happe...

This week, I share the story of Bruce, a retired doctor who encountered some unwelcoming gyms before finding the right one. It shows how important it is that you communicate to prospects and clients that you want their business. Here are 7 steps to make sure you’re sending the right signals. Resources and Links Naamly -- Support our advertiser, who helps you keep in touch with your members Prime F...

Pat Rigsby has been coaching fitness business owners for more than 15 years — after spending some time as a personal trainer and an earlier career as a college baseball coach.  Pat is an entrepreneur and author, as we’ll. But “Coach” is his favorite role, and today on the Optimal Aging podcast, Pat shares his coaching experiences and philosophy shaped on the ballfield, in the gym, and in coaching...

Amy Lang is one of my favorite people in fitness and wellbeing — and she’s a favorite of listeners of this podcast, too. More people downloaded my interview with Amy from 2020 than any other episode of the show.  It’s easy to see why. Amy has tons of experience and expertise, and she’s a font of knowledge and enthusiasm for anyone trying to reach the older market. Plus — and this is amazing — she...

Hey, did you hear that now is the time to stop marketing your business? Yep – it’s January, after all. People are always tired of hearing about your business after the holidays. And then there’s the whole pandemic Omicron thing. Best to just stay quiet for a while. Right? WRONG! You should always be marketing your fitness, health and wellbeing business to people over 50. There is no bad time. Ther...

Today’s guest was also my very FIRST guest when I started the podcast more than a year ago — Dr. Dan Ritchie of the Functional Aging Institute. We spoke a few days before Christmas and thought it would be a good chance to look back on 2021 and pivot to looking forward to 2022. But then Covid messed with everything yet again, wiping away any pretense of a clear demarcation line. So, we punted and t...

We’ve all been told that laughter is the best medicine, and we probably have learned along the way that a good laugh really does make you feel better. You might also know that laughter has legitimate health benefits, like lowering stress and high blood pressure, and improving mood. That’s part of the reason we like to watch comedy movies and shows, right? Because we want something funny to make us...

Ray Glier i s a veteran sportswriter for some of the country’s leading newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where I had the pleasure of editing him and becoming his friend. Now, Ray has branched out in the digital world, writing about older athletes in a newsletter he calls — yes, with a wink and a nod — GeezerJock. I’ve also brought R...

Robert Linkul is the owner of TrainingTheOlderAdult.com, an online continued education provider for fitness professionals. Robert is an internationally known presenter on his teachings on resistance training strategies for the older adult with physical limitations or a decreased quality of life. Robert earned his master’s degree in sports science with an emphasis in personal training, was the NSCA...

Eric Tepper is a veteran of the fitness industry, with more than 25 years in business development, operations, cost management and more. He’s currently director of sales at the Chicago Athletic Clubs. But it’s a different project that has brought him onto this week’s episode of the Optimal Aging podcast. Eric is developing GenStrong Fitness to meet the growing needs of the over-50 demographic. He...

Tripp Keister is a former professional baseball player who’s now a coach and manager for the Washington Nationals, the 2019 Series champions. We spoke just a few days after my hometown Atlanta Braves won this year’s Series. Tripp was happy for his friends at the Braves, of course, and a delight to talk with – even if you’re not a baseball geek. I invited him onto the podcast because, at 51, Tripp...

Susan Puckett is an award-winning food journalist and cookbook author — and a friend and former colleague from my newspaper days at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She has begun contributing recipes for my Prime Fit Content subscribers to share with their prospects and clients. She has written or co-written numerous books, including “Turnip Green and Tortillas: A Mexican Chef Spices Up the South...

Julian Barnes is the co-founder and CEO of Boutique Fitness Solutions. The New York-based company educates and connects people in boutique fitness through training, workshops, sharing business methods, and providing thought leadership. Julian also is the COO of the MELT Method, and advises leaders in the fitness industry. I love what he shares with us about how the fitness industry must be “evange...

Just in time for my 58th birthday this week, I’m sharing 5 tips to build your email list and 8 hacks for making sure you’re sending good stuff. I talk to fitness professionals all the time who say they don’t want to send emails because spam is so annoying…. Or because they would never buy anything from email, so why would anyone else…  But email remains essential to growing your small business. It...

There’s a cute reason why Orange Shoe Fitness has its name, and the company is smart to repeat it. See ,the founder was a pharmaceutical rep who always wore his favorite pair of bright orange shoes. Said they made him  feel confident. Probably also gave his prospects and clients something to remember him by, right? One day, Josh Martin realized something important about the medicine he was selling...

Don Moxley was a wrestling champion at Ohio State University in the 1980s, the same time I was in college at Colorado State University.  Now, he works in the biohacking industry -- including the commercial use of cannabis products to improve athletic performance and recovery. And I can’t help but wonder at how far we’ve all come since the old days in the dorms, when pot was illegal and -- compared...

Menopause is a part of life for half of all people everywhere, but  it’s not discussed much in general — let alone in the context of staying fit and healthy to enjoy a high quality of life for as long as possible. This week’s guest on the Optimal Aging podcast is all about raising awareness and informing women about how to make the most of menopause. Selene Yeager is a trainer, nutrition coach, jo...

What should you be doing now with your content marketing to establish yourself as an expert on fitness over 50? We’re joined this week by content marketing expert Ann Gynn, who shares insights and tips relevant to gyms, studios, and other small businesses. Ann points out that you already have a business RICH in stories. What could be more compelling than helping people live their best lives? Espec...

Can you look back on your life and see a moment when everything changed for you? When you suddenly had to decide which way to go, what to do… how to even proceed? This week’s guest on the Optimal Aging podcast was just 31 when she received frightening medical news: she was diagnosed with a disease that could lead to crippling rheumatoid arthritis — as it had for her beloved grandmother. From that...

Everybody’s on social media, sending emails, putting videos on YouTube and all — and that’s great. It’s how we get our word out about healthy living after 50. But I love sharing stories about people who find fresh ways to grow their audience and business , and that’s what this week’s guest represents. Holly Kouvo of Massachusetts has been in fitness for 20 years. She has a robust presence on socia...

Like many of you, I’m intrigued by the growing merger of the healthcare and fitness industries. I wonder where it could take us as a society — and if it could lead to systemic support for millions more people to exercise and eat right. You know, particularly among older people, the word of medical professionals carries great sway — even when fitness professionals strongly disagree. How many times...

Are you nervous about retirement? If you’re already there, are you enjoying yourself? As much as we might want to focus just on exercise and diet, finances are a big part of our overall wellbeing, too. And for many people over 50, the thought of retiring can be stressful. Even if they have done what they need to, they still wonder — will it be enough? Will I be able to live how I want to live? Am...

Tim Lyons is a fitness entrepreneur on the move. He opened his own gym in Scottsdale, Arizona, then started coaching other gym owners on how to succeed. He wrote a book called Good to Grow and hosts a podcast with the same name. And, as if all that’s not enough, he’s a frequent speaker at conferences and even produces his own Growth Summits, including one that’s coming up this fall in Nashville. I...

Three fitness leaders have combined forces on an innovative approach to fitness for people over 50. Former industry executive Martin Pazzani and former owners of multiple Anytime Fitness locations John Spence and Michael Gelfgot are now on the verge of opening the first Act!vate Brain & Body in Cincinnati this fall. It will be the debut facility in the country that trains brain health and phys...

I’ve never liked the whole “dad bod” thing… I mean, of course, a lot of mature men are soft around the middle and don’t have much muscle tone. They shouldn’t be shamed for it -- but they shouldn’t exactly be praised for it, either -- right? Many of them don’t want to be. They’re willing to pay you to get them in shape, and the post-pandemic online-training market has blown the whole world open to...