MillionaireAsia magazine.
Hey everyone! I wanted to share an article I wrote for MillionaireAsia magazine, where I discussed how middle-aged busy men can maintain their fitness and health without spending countless hours at the gym or adhering to ultra-strict diets.
Here are the key points:
Importance of a strong mindset: Exercise and nutrition are essential, but maintaining a strong mindset is equally important for overall fitness.
Correct exercises: Opt for metabolism-boosting exercises like weight training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) rather than just cardio.
Focusing on the right foods: Don’t deprive yourself of your favorite foods. Instead, focus on consuming enough protein, vegetables, and fiber.
Progressive calorie reduction: If you need to cut back on calories, do so gradually and avoid sudden dietary changes.
Discipline as a verb: Understand that discipline is an action or a series of actions, not just a state of being.
Staying active during the pandemic: Even while working from home, it’s crucial to maintain good posture and do efficient, effective exercises like planks, squats, and push-ups.
Avoiding muscle atrophy: Excessive cardio-based training can lead to muscle loss and reduced metabolism. Balance your exercise routine to prevent this.
Investing in yourself: Taking care of your body and mind benefits not only you but also your family and loved ones.
Give it a read and let me know your thoughts! Let’s keep supporting each other in our fitness journeys! 
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Ps: Who is Millionaireasia? A regional multi-channel platform targeted at High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) in Asia. Over the years, they have built an extensive and fast-growing database of 130,000 millionaires present in over 10 countries. Established in 2005, Millionaireasia has over the years built an extensive and fast-growing database of 80,000 millionaires through the region and beyond.
Main article
“AVOID THAT MIDDLE-AGED SPREAD” by Hisham Musa
It is possible to keep fit and healthy as a middle-aged busy man without countless hours at the gym and an ultra-strict diet. I just turned 45 this year, so I guess you can call me a middle-aged man.
As we age, our metabolism slows down, our muscle mass decreases, and for men, testosterone levels go down. All of these contribute to weight gain. However, just like the clients I coach, I still feel energetic most of the time.
So, how do I do this?
It’s common to hear advice about moving more and eating less, but while those aren’t necessarily false, it’s more than that. I always tell my clients that the best way to keep fit and stay healthy doesn’t just involve exercise and nutrition but keeping a strong mindset too.
Sure, exercise is important, but it’s not the sole solution to keeping excess weight off. Wrong exercises will not allow us to achieve our goals. In fact, doing the wrong things make achieving results slow and frustrating. What we need is to do correct exercises that build metabolism, like weight training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
With weight training, we can improve power, strength, hypertrophy, endurance, and even cardio – all leading to gains in muscles and loss of fat. When it comes to nutrition, it’s better not to focus on depriving ourselves of our favorite foods. This will only make us feel hungry and crave more. What we need to do is focus on eating what is right, like having enough protein, vegetables, and fiber.
If we need to cut back on calories, it’s best to do it progressively instead of immediately cutting down on certain types of foods. This doesn’t just apply to middle-aged men but also to anyone struggling to lose body fat. A healthy diet is not about calorie counting; it’s about eating the right foods. It’s tough to have strong discipline. I have had many clients ask me how to improve their discipline to lose weight.
Here’s the first step: we need to understand that discipline is not a noun but a verb – which is by definition, a word to describe an action. That discipline is not a state of being but an action or a series of actions that we need to work toward. So, we need to make a list of all the actions that we need to take to achieve our goals. This may include exercise, eating the right foods, or perhaps changing our mindset towards being more resilient.
Let’s now talk about these pandemic days – the pressure to stay active to strengthen the immune system is stronger but remains challenging for most people with so much time now spent indoors. While most of us were advised to work from home and subsequently sat too long in front of a computer, it’s very important to think about our posture.
With prolonged sitting, some muscles may get weak and may then cause pain and injuries like back pain and rounded shoulders. All these can affect our posture and productivity. Mind your posture every now and then. If it helps to write a reminder on your desk, do it.
Do efficient and effective exercises from the comfort of your home without the need for equipment and focus on those that take only a few minutes, such as planks, squats, and push-ups. When we do lots of cardio-based training such as brisk walking, running, or jogging, our muscles will get smaller.
In exercise science, we call it muscle atrophy, and this will make our metabolism drop. And what happens when metabolism is lowered? We will find it hard to burn more calories while we are resting and even during exercising.
With a healthy body, our mind will also thrive, and it’s good to be reminded that we are all doing this not only for ourselves but for our families too. We cannot take care of others while neglecting our own bodies and minds. So invest in yourself. It will be worth it.