1. Aerobic fitness: This includes walking, cycling, swimming, jogging, rowing, hiking, dancing, or any activity that raises your heart rate. For general health, adults should aim for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity, such as brisk walking, or 75 minutes per week of more vigorous activity, plus strength training at least two days weekly. More benefit generally occurs as people build toward 300 minutes per week (1).

2. Strength training: Muscle is not just for appearance. It protects joints, improves insulin sensitivity, preserves function, supports bone health, and becomes increasingly important with age. Train all major muscle groups at least twice weekly: legs, hips, back, chest, shoulders, arms, and core. Bodyweight, resistance bands, machines, dumbbells, kettlebells, and barbells can all work. ACSM’s 2026 resistance-training update emphasizes that consistency matters more than chasing a “perfect” program; for muscle growth, a useful target is roughly 4-10 weekly sets per muscle group, adjusted to goals, ability and recovery (2).

3. Mobility and balance: Mobility helps you move well; balance helps you stay independent. This is important for all ages, but especially important for older adults, who should include balance work along with aerobic and strengthening activity. Examples include heel-to-toe walking, single-leg stands, tai chi, yoga, controlled lunges, step-ups, or simply practicing getting up and down from a chair (3).

4. Recovery: Fitness is not built only during the workout. It is built when the body repairs and adapts afterward. Recovery means adequate sleep, hydration, nutrition, easier days between harder days, and listening to pain signals. Soreness can be normal; sharp pain, swelling, chest pain, fainting, or worsening symptoms are not.

How Much Time Is Needed?

One of the main questions that people often have is: How long do I have to work out? And the answer is: it depends on what you are doing.
 
For longevity and general health, a realistic goal is 30 minutes of moderate activity five days per week, plus two short strength sessions. This can be broken into smaller chunks; ten minutes at a time still counts.
 
For weight loss or weight maintenance, exercise helps, but nutrition matters greatly. Many people need higher activity levels, often closer to 300 minutes per week, along with dietary changes, to lose weight or keep it off. Low-impact choices such as walking, cycling, swimming, elliptical, or water exercise are often good starting points for people with joint pain or significant excess weight (4).
 
For aerobic events (running, cycling etc.) first build consistency, then duration, then intensity. Beginners should spend most sessions at an easy “conversation pace.” New runners often do best with run-walk intervals. A practical injury-reduction rule is to increase running mileage gradually, commonly by no more than about 10% per week (5).
 
For building muscle, train each major muscle group about two to three times per week. Start with one to three sets per exercise, learn good technique, and progress slowly. You do not need to destroy yourself. You need repeated, progressive effort over months and years.

How to Reduce Injury Risk

A popular excuse that people give for not working out is that they are afraid that if they work out more they risk getting injured. However, most injuries come from doing too much, too soon, too often, with too little recovery.
 
some things that will help with longevity and injury prevention while working out are:
 
Increase only one thing at a time — duration, intensity, frequency, or load. Do not increase all four at once.
 
Warm up for 5–10 minutes with an easier version of the activity you are about to do. Cool down gradually afterward. This helps the cardiovascular system and muscles transition safely into and out of exercise (6).
 
Pain is information. Mild muscle soreness is common. Joint pain, limping, sharp pain, chest pressure, unusual shortness of breath, dizziness, or symptoms that worsen during exercise should be taken seriously. People with known heart disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, diabetes complications, significant orthopedic problems, pregnancy-related concerns, or major chronic disease should discuss an appropriate plan with a healthcare professional (7).

Always Make It Enjoyable

Discipline helps, but enjoyment wins long-term.
 
Pick activities you actually like, or at least do not hate. Walk with a friend. Listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks. Join a class. Play pickleball, tennis, basketball, golf, or dance. Ride outdoors. Hike. Make it social. Make it scenic. Make it a break from stress rather than another punishment.
 
Use habit stacking: attach exercise to something you already do.
 
After morning coffee, walk for 10 minutes.
After work, change immediately into workout clothes.
After dinner, take a family walk.
Before showering, or before or after meals, do one set of push-ups, squats, or resistance-band rows.
 
Use rewards wisely. The reward should reinforce the identity: “I am someone who moves.” Track workouts on a calendar. Celebrate streaks. Buy comfortable shoes. Save a favorite podcast for walks. Meet a friend afterward. The goal is to make the behavior satisfying enough that you want to repeat it.
 
Consider Tart Cherry Juice, magnesium, sulforaphane, or well-sourced omega-3 fatty acids to support recovery, and curcumin to limit inflammation; consume creatine monohydrate and caffeine to support cellular energy and power; add protein powder or BCAA for recovery and growth.

Start Small, Then Build

The person who walks 10 minutes a day is doing far better than the person waiting for the perfect 90- minute program. Start with what feels almost too easy. Build confidence. Add time. Add strength. Add
intensity later.
 
The long-term goal is not a 6-week transformation. It is becoming the kind of person who moves daily, lifts regularly, recovers intentionally, and enjoys the process.
 
Exercise is medicine — but the best dose is the one you can keep taking.
 
Thanks for taking care of your human.
 
Warmly,
 
Martin Katz, MD

This letter is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personal medical advice.
 
1. https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/adults.html
2. https://acsm.org/resistance-training-guidelines-update-2026/
3. https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/older-adults.html
4. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/tips-get-active/tips-starting-physical activity
5. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/how-can-i-become-a better-runner-and-avoid-injury
6. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/exercise-and-physical-activity/fitness-basics/warm-up-cool down
7. https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-weight-growth/physical-activity/getting-started.html

Strength and age

After the age of 40, and even more so after 50, the body naturally begins to lose muscle (aka Sarcopenia) if we do not actively work to maintain it.

This change can happen gradually, so many people do not notice it at first. What they notice instead is that they feel less steady, less powerful, and less resilient.

Some signs of sarcopenia or muscle loss may be:

Dreading the scale.

Two people can weigh the same and have very different levels of health, strength, and fitness. That is why it is so important to look beyond weight alone.

At Advance Wellness and Longevity, we monitor body composition because it gives a much clearer picture of what is happening inside the body. Using our state-of-the-art SECA body composition machine, we can look beyond the scale to better understand how much of your weight is muscle, how much is fat, and how your body is changing over time.

This matters because the goal is to protect and build what keeps you healthy and functional.

When body composition is monitored, you will have a sense of:

This kind of information helps create a smarter, more personalized wellness plan.

Strength is essential, but it is not the only thing that matters as we age.

Cardiovascular fitness also plays a major role in long-term health, energy, and resilience. One of the best ways to understand this is by measuring something called your VO2Max. VO2Max is a measure of how efficiently your body uses oxygen during activity. In simple terms, it gives us important information about our aerobic fitness and how well our hearts, lungs, and muscles are working together.

At Advance Wellness and Longevity, we use a portable device to calculate VO2Max, allowing us to assess this very important marker of health in a practical and personalized way.

Why does this matter?

Because VO2Max can help us better understand:

Just like body composition, VO2Max helps us measure what truly matters — not just how much you weigh, but how well your body is functioning.

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started."
 — Mark Twait

A good wellness plan should never focus on weight alone. Your plan should have an equal focus on heart and lung fitness. You should focus on building and leading yourself to longevity through constant progress. That is a very different mindset from crash diets, extreme calorie restriction, or chasing quick results. Real health is built by supporting the body, not punishing it.

1. Strength training: Your body needs resistance to maintain muscle. This can include weights, resistance bands, machines, or body-weight exercises. Strength training helps protect muscle, improve balance, and support joint stability.

2. Protein: Many adults do not eat enough protein to support muscle health. Protein is essential for maintaining and rebuilding lean tissue, especially in midlife and beyond.

3. Movement: Walking, stretching, and staying active throughout the day all support circulation, mobility, and function. Regular movement helps the body stay capable.

4. Cardiovascular conditioning: Improving fitness is not only about exercise tolerance. It is also about supporting long-term health. Aerobic activity can help improve endurance, energy, and overall resilience.

5. Recovery and sleep: Muscle and fitness improve when the body has time to recover. Sleep, hydration, and stress management are all part of the equation.

6. Objective tracking: The right measurements can help guide the right plan. Tracking body composition with SECA and VO2Max gives us a clearer picture of progress than the scale alone ever could.

Always think beyond the scale.

If the number on the scale goes down, that may or may not tell the real story. A better question is this: Are you becoming stronger, fitter, steadier, and more able to live the life you want? That is the kind of progress that matters.

At Advance Wellness and Longevity, we believe healthy aging means protecting the function of the body, not just changing its weight. By looking at strength, muscle, body composition, and VO2Max, we can create a more complete picture of health and a more effective plan for long-term wellness.

Because the real goal is not just to weigh less. The real goal is to stay strong enough to do the things you love. Ready to build a wellness plan that supports strength, body composition, fitness, and long-term independence?

Schedule a consultation to create a personalized plan for healthier aging.

The Issue

The most obvious reason that you are feeling fatigued is poor or interrupted sleep; there are a plethora of other reasons that also have a tangible solution. Reasons like:

This is why the right approach is not to simply push through or rely on more caffeine. The goal is to understand what may be driving your fatigue and address it thoughtfully and personally.

Firstly make sure to take a look at your sleep quality, not just your bedtime

You may be in bed for seven or eight hours and still wake up tired. Frequent waking, poor sleep quality, snoring, stress, and inconsistent sleep habits can all affect how restored you feel in the morning.

Start by asking yourself these three questions: Do I wake up feeling refreshed? Am I waking during the night? Am I relying on caffeine just to get moving?

Protect your muscles and move consistently.

After 40, adults naturally begin to lose muscle (sarcopenia) if they do not actively maintain it. This matters because muscle helps support metabolism, blood sugar balance, strength, mobility, and energy. If you feel tired, it may seem logical to rest more. But in many cases, the right kind of movement actually improves energy.

It may seem like a big ask, but it’s really much easier than most people think. Walk daily, even if only for 10–20 minutes, especially after meals; include strength training two to three times per week, and avoid long stretches of sitting without movement. You do not need an extreme exercise routine. You need consistency. Keep it fun by listening to music or your favorite podcast (only when you exercise).

Pay attention to what your body needs during the day

Skipping meals, eating too little protein, not drinking enough water, or relying too much on quick sugar fixes can leave you feeling super drained. Simple changes can make a real difference:

Stable fuel often leads to more stable energy.

When is it time for a deeper look?

If fatigue has become a pattern, if you just do not feel like yourself, and certainly if it is not improving after doing the above measures, it is worth taking seriously.

Persistent tiredness can sometimes point to an issue that needs medical attention. A good evaluation may include a review of sleep, stress, nutrition, activity, medications, and appropriate lab work. The goal is not to guess. The goal is to understand what is happening and create a plan that fits you.

"The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep."
 — E. Joseph Cossman

Start small, but still start

Something that people often get wrong is trying to change everything about their lives immediately in order to get the desired results. You do not have to change everything at once. This week, begin with these three steps:

1. Set a consistent bedtime and wake time.
2. Add one intentional walk to your day.
3. Include a quality source of protein at breakfast.

Small, steady habits often create the biggest long-term changes.

At Advance Wellness and Longevity, we believe healthy aging starts with paying attention early, before low energy becomes the new normal. If you have been feeling more tired than you used to, this may be the right time to take a closer look.

Ready to feel more like yourself again?
Schedule a consultation to build a personalized plan for better energy, better function, and better long-term health.

Remember, any amount of exercise is better than none. Start small and work your way up to a level that feels comfortable for you. With regular exercise, you can improve your physical and mental well-being and lead a healthier life.

I hope you are taking care of your human, and certainly any young humans in your life.

The above is a guide, a partial list, hoping to get you interested in obtaining more diversity in your food choices. Choosing a variety of plant-based foods will further contribute to your health. Each color of the rainbow, each family of veggies, and each season of eating can bring your body a variety of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. This approach can benefit your health today and into the future. And if this is important to you, which it most certainly should be, then go for it. Enjoy the results.

1- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=benefits+of+consumption+of+fruits+and+vegetables
2- https://www.theseedcollection.com.au/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-vegetable-plant-families
3- https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/seasonal-produce-guide

Remember, diets in early life can shape how your children eat into adulthood. So many studies now guide us to the importance of establishing a healthy lifestyle to ensure wellness. (1)(2). Just keep in mind that no meal will make or break your child’s future health. Food should never become a fight!

As your child adopts nutritious eating habits, reiterate and discuss the importance of being healthy, the choices that go into remaining healthy, and how those choices can impact their well-being so they can continue to play and participate in their favorite activities.

- 1 - https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/73/suppl_3/175/1859066?login=false
- 2 - https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/resources-publications/benefits-of-healthy-eating.html
- 3 - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200511092923.htm