Five Things to Maintain Your Fitness Into Your Fifties

Our co-founder, Sean Lake, just celebrated a milestone birthday. (Hint: It rhymes with Swifty.) But for Lake, age is literally nothing but a number. Lake, who has worked and played in the surf and snow industry for decades before starting BUBS Naturals, still gets after it most every day. His partner in keeping the fitness alive at BUBS Naturals is significantly younger than him, but Lake still smokes him every chance he can (not as often as he’d like). And it’s not just fitness that Lake still strives towards, it’s an approach to life. From meeting the love of his life and starting a family at 45, to launching a business when others are counting down to retirement, here’s how he does it. Pull Quote: “Even at fifty, you can do anything you want. But it’s all tied to your mindfulness, your intent. So, intend to get out there and do rad shit.”

1. Meditation

We know, we know. You don’t want to sit still with your thoughts for any longer than you have to. But it’s the first thing Sean does when he wakes up. “Get your mind right every morning,” he said. “I do active meditation aka zazen, for up to ten minutes every morning, where I focus on an object with an active and controlled breathing pattern. That allows me to really zero in on the moment...which in turn allows me to laser focus as needed throughout the day.” Sean said that of course, a random thought will pop up, they always do. But, for him, the trick is to just acknowledge it and then just gently move that thought aside and try to get back into the flow. No harm, no foul. There is no score to meditation. If you have two minutes (and we all have that in a day) then you have enough time to get started. Baby steps. His pro-tip: “Find what works for you. Be alone with your thoughts, gain focus, perspective. Your interactions with others change, you become very intentional. You shift from reacting to situations into responding. It’s different for everyone, and that's okay, but I promise everyone can benefit from it.”

2. Nutrition

It’s no surprise that the co-founder of BUBS Naturals, which started with Collagen Protein, would prioritize nutrition. Sean told us, “Think about the food you eat and listen to your body. Consistently make good decisions about one meal a day.” Even with just changing your thought pattern with that one meal, you’ve just changed a third of your life. Just like that! One meal per day. Maybe one month later it becomes two meals a day, and then there you go. You’re actively and intentionally eating well instead of just doing what you’ve always done. There are a million diets to follow, find the one that works best for you. Sean’s on the paleo meets mediterranean diet tip. His pro-tip: “I’m a really big fan of attainable goals, habits, and letting math work for you. You don’t have to over-complicate things, especially nutrition. Changing one meal a day does just that.”

3. Fitness

Be active. It’s really that simple. “I measure activity towards fitness as a personal science experiment,” Sean said. “I geek out on my own data with an Oura ring, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Sean said that the key is to just do something, one thing, every day. It can be walking, or getting into the gym, or swimming, or taking a bike ride with your kid. Whatever works for you, weave it into your day. His pro-tip: “Just don’t get complacent. A perfect example of this is our own Ryan Hayes. He is constantly trying to find something to do that brings him some level of stoke. Do that. Remind yourself how much fun it is to have energy, to have a clearer mind. Fitness does that, and it's free. Start with doing just one thing a day to get you there.”

4. Be curious

Try new things! Expose yourself to new things and learn about things that interest you. Learn everything you can about business, about a new relationship, about your family. Even at 50, Sean said it sometimes feels like he is drinking through a firehouse, but he wouldn’t change a thing. Sean shares, “I didn’t have a family until I was forty-five-years-old. I had to learn a whole new way of living and sharing, but I met an amazing woman who challenged me to look at myself and my life differently, and I did. My life is richer because of it.” His pro-tip: Read a book. Learn a language. Find a hobby. Take a class. Volunteer somewhere. Limitless, literally. As long as you're curious the possibilities are endless.

5. Routine: Daily, daily, daily.

For Sean, he starts his day the same way - everyday. “It sets me up right,” he said. “You can set your level of success on any given day within the first hour you’re awake. For me, I make my bed right away. I have warm lemon water to get my body right (it's a ph balance nerd thing), then I meditate for up to ten minutes to get my mind right. By achieving those few micro-goals I’ve put a few points on the board. Whatever the day throws at me it can't take away those accomplishments and I’m better set up for any of those challenges.. I can bet on that.” His pro-tip: Simple things, done intentionally, can build up a little stockpile of “holy shit, this is really good.” Just start there. Here’s the secret: Even at 50, Sean says he sometimes feels like he’s just getting started. Give his Top Five Things a try, but more importantly, find what you like. Fitness, nutrition, trying new fun things, find what works for you, because you won’t know until you go. #BUBSWouldGo