With Health, everything is a source of pleasure, without it, … nothing else is enjoyable.

Earlier this month I announced a series of blogs about the 2009 metabolic balance congress.

My first selection from the congress, titled “Declaration: A Healthy Life” may seem a little off topic for an event that very much focuses on nutrition. However, we all know how important physical exercise is for sustained health. Thus, Prof. Dr. Klaus Baum shared some of his experience on creating an endurance program for the aging people. A professor at the German Sport University in Cologne, he has devoted his career to understanding the performance capabilities of adults. As a result of his work with professional athletes and heart patients, he has developed a training concept that focuses on people over 40. As we all get closer to retirement, we learn our own lessons in trying to attain any personal endurance.

Anyone interested in a healthy lifestyle is most likely already eating healthy foods and participating in some kind of physical activity. Thus, one could say that two pillars of a healthy life are Fitness and Nutrition. Sustaining reasonable endurance exercise is quiet easy in our 20's and 30's. However, once we hit the 50's it gets much harder, especially if you have never been a person who liked to “hit the gym” in the first place.

Sure enough, in Dr. Baum's training institute, both these pillars are addressed. He stresses, the importance for people of any age to do a sufficient amount of physical activity which they really enjoy – if it's boring you will not sustain it for a long time. Furthermore, not only the chosen activity must be sustainable but the surrounding we exercise in must be pleasant and comforting – the gym, the training facility, or the outdoor environment.

Missing physical strain, meaning the absence of exercise, causes the loss of endurance, strength and coordination in higher age. According to Dr. Baum, this results in a vicious circle where the loss of power (often accelerated by medical causes) leads to anxiety and further avoidance strategies. When this cycle of functional disability reaches critical levels, the physical deterioration and lack of mobility will result in the loss of self-dependence.

Thus, Dr. Baum stresses that exercise for us slowly-aging-Baby-Boomers needs to have the goal of preventing - or when necessary reversing - the loss of our physical capabilities and be solidly based on our individual abilities and limitations. This, together with an individually tailored nutrition a la metabolic balance^®, will allow us to build the foundation of health that, according to Arthur Schopenhauer, makes everything a source of pleasure.