112: How a 62-Year-Old Restored His Deteriorating Flexibility and Balance (Brian L.)

Dec 19, 2024

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While nobody likes to acknowledge it, falling is one of the most dangerous things that can happen once you turn 60.

Even minor falls can cause severe quality-of-life-destroying injuries. And then there’s the unfortunate fact that the primary cause of injury-related deaths among adults 65 and older is falling.

Why does falling suddenly become so dangerous?

Well, after turning 60, your flexibility and balance starts to slip. And if you don’t focus on these key areas of longevity, one wrong step can leave you bedridden for weeks. Or worse.

Today’s guest, Brian, first realized his flexibility and balance were deteriorating after he lost his balance on a log and fell into the water when he was hiking. Despite being fit, once he turned 60, he realized his body just couldn’t do what it used to be able to do.

Luckily, a colleague recommended yoga. But even though he’s the only man where he works, yoga classes full of young women made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

That’s when he discovered the Man Flow Yoga YouTube channel—and shocked himself by how much he enjoyed yoga made for men.

Within weeks, he felt stronger, more flexible, and more capable of physical activities. Within a few months, he went from running 4 to 5 miles to running 9 miles without gradually building up or experiencing any setbacks!

Best part?

At 62, he’s more flexible, has more balance, and deals with fewer pains than he did two years ago!

In this episode, Brian shares…

His single biggest motivation secret that keeps him active and healthy
How to overcome a fitness plateau without giving up
Why men benefit more from Man Flow Yoga than any other type of yoga program

And more!

Other highlights from this show include:

The biggest problem men encounter when they follow along to yoga workouts on YouTube that can actually hurt their flexibility (3:43)
How turning 60 causes your flexibility and balance to slip (even if you’re fit and active) (4:51)
Why do men get more benefit from Man Flow Yoga than any other type of yoga? (11:06)
The "Activities of Daily Life” motivator for exercising when you’re not energized or in the mood (11:50)
How to jump from running 4 to 5 miles up to 9 miles—without gradually building up or experiencing any kind of physical setback (17:03)
Why working out in a group instead of by yourself helps you reach your fitness goals faster (and how to find a workout group) (23:46)
The insidious “Fixed Daze Phase” in fitness that can sabotage your progress, undermine your motivation, and even convince you to give up (24:38)
How to burn more fat even when you’re sedentary (30:06)

Listen now!

Quotes from this episode’s guest:

(2:54) “A work colleague had always suggested that I do yoga, and she used to go to open classes. I was always very conscious about the fact that the majority of classes are women, and although I work with women constantly—I’m basically the only man where I work—so I’m used to that. But I just didn’t feel comfortable going to a class full of women.”
(3:46) “I just started going onto YouTube to look at yoga to see what classes were available and did a couple. And there it was the side of yoga that I've never been that bothered about: the spiritual side and everything else. And really, also not explaining stuff, to tell you the truth. And also they're being over-over-flexible, and you just think, ‘Whoa, that's way beyond what I can ever achieve.’”
(5:11) “I would call myself fairly fit by running and hiking regularly and doing different activities. But my yoga journey was more about my flexibility. My flexibility was really deteriorating and what I could once do, I couldn't anymore. And my balance was deteriorating too.”
(11:06) “I surprised myself how much I was enjoying the benefits of Man Flow Yoga. And I do think it's down to the way you explain things and go through things. You really go through which parts of the body you're meant to feel at that point and be tensing up or whatever. I just think the other ones I'd looked at really weren't explained very well—about how you're meant to be feeling or what you're meant to be doing.”
(12:10) “One of my biggest motivations is that I want to feel as fit as I can for as long as I can, you know, and enjoy life and be able to do things and be active for as long as I can. I see, because I work in healthcare, a lot of people who are a similar age to me who just can't do a lot of activities of daily life. And I didn’t want that to happen to me.”
(16:10) “I used to hate the forward folds, absolutely detest forward folds. And now, yeah, I'm okay with them. They're not my favorite, but I'm okay with them now.”
(17:23) “I could go from just doing 4 to 5 miles up to 9 miles without increasing gradually. I just went from 4 to 5 miles to 9 without a problem.”

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