Fun Physical Fitness Testing with Craig Ballantyne

fun physical fitness

Fun physical fitness to maintain your long-term health.

Hey, are you started to feel a little creaky in your joints, or have aches and pains that really need to get looked at?

Listen, I know the feeling. No matter how good your nutrition and exercise routines, we’re all getting older.

This year I’m turning 42, and it was time to do something I’d been putting off.

It’s something you should do, too.

You need to see your doctor and get the most extensive physical possible.

Last weekend I stayed in Toronto and invested in my health with a 4-hour physical examination and series of fitness tests.

It was fun and informative…and very reassuring.

Let me tell you about my discoveries, and then I’ll show you exactly what you need to do…

The morning started with some blood work and an ultrasound of my abdominal organs.

Then I frightened the staff.

You see, I have a shockingly low resting heart rate (it’s about 40 beats per minute), and I had one of the highest test scores they’d ever seen on the aerobic fitness test.

“You must do a lot of running,” the doctor said.

“Nope. I just say NO to cardio.”

(Heck, I wrote the 5-star book about saying no to cardio, The Great Cardio Myth.)

“But your blood pressure is 110/75, and you have the cardio fitness of someone that is 20 years old!”

“Thanks!” I said, “I have a few workout secrets that I use to stay in shape.” 😉

After the cardio test they measured my body fat (Yikes, I’m up to an all time high of 11%!), and then I dominated the pushup, squat, and core training tests they gave me.

Now listen, I’m not perfect.

In fact, I have several WEIRD things going on in my body…

1) I’m going deaf at low frequencies. My left ear is worse than my right due to a childhood infection, but my hearing in the human voice/conversation range is fine.

2) My fingernails look really weird. They always have. The doctor was very confused. … But don’t ask to look at them when we see each other at the TT Summit in June. I’m very self-conscious of my nails!

3) I have really poor circulation in my fingers. In fact, on really cold winter days in Denver or up on the farm in Canada, my middle fingers can go numb when I’m writing these articles for you. The doctor and I both hope it is just Reynaud’s (a condition of poor circulation in the extremities).

4) The nutritionist told me to stop eating so many protein bars… I don’t get it, what’s wrong with 4 protein bars per day. Haha! What can I say? Even my diet is not perfect. 😉

As the morning went on, I received even more good news…

a) My HDL (good cholesterol) is off the charts… the highest the doctor had ever measured in the clinic.

b) My eyesight is perfect (Thanks LASIK!)

c) And I’m 5’9! (I spent the first 20 years of my adult life thinking I was only 5’8. Ha!)

The only downside to the morning was when the personal trainer (who administered the fitness tests) asked me if I did Crossfit.

I was very insulted.

Just kidding.

But then I told her all about Turbulence Training, and how it allows me to stay as fit as a 20-year old without doing any cardio or wasting hours at the gym.

That’s my secret weapon. And it should be yours, too.

If you do 8-12 weeks of Turbulence Training before your physical examination, you’ll amaze your doctors, you’ll have low body fat, and you’ll have the fitness levels of someone 20 years younger.

So here’s what I want you to do right now:

1) Get started with Turbulence Training.

2) Schedule a physical with your doctor in the next 3 months.

3) Hire a personal trainer for TWO sessions. Do one session now and one session in 12 weeks. Have them test you for strength, endurance, and body fat levels. And do yourself a big favor and take Before AND After photos. You might be shy to do it now, but you’ll regret it later after you’ve made big changes.

No more excuses.

Get a baseline for your body so that you can compare your results year-after-year. It’ll help you live long and prosper, and it’ll help diagnose any conditions that could cause major problems in the future.

Taking care of yourself is the MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do for you and your family.

Speaking of living long, I’m off on another trip today. My sister and I are taking my mom to Miami for her 75th birthday.

The trip will be like “The Golden Girls Go on Vacation”… obviously I’m Sophia, the grouchy old one, and my mom is the Betty White character, and my sister is Dorothy (Bea Arthur).

We just need an exciting Blanche Ladevereaux to round out our group.smiley

I’ll tell you all about it next week!

Until then…

Get a physical, have a cardiovascular stress test, hire a trainer to test your fitness and take your body fat, and (if you’re over 45) get a colonoscopy. (I had one when I was 38 because of family history. It’s not that bad, trust me!)

Take care of yourself for your sake, your family’s sake, and peace of mind.

It’s just another disciplined action to make your life easier.

Talk soon,

Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer

PS – Add more discipline to your day to make your life easier.

Discipline and short-term pain equals progress and long-term gain, while long-term pain comes from lacking short-term discipline. If you sleep through the alarm, you regret it all day. If you get up with the alarm, you suffer for 3 minutes, but win your morning and own your day. You control your time and conquer the chaos of the world.

Grab a copy of my book to dominate your days

PPS – Bally the Dog Update!

Ol’ Bally the Dog has been copying me…

First, he had a physical on Monday, and aside from a little arthritis in his knees, the 11-year old poochie is doing very well. He still loves treats, chasing varmints, and going swimming in very cold water… as you’ll see.

Second, he even joined Instagram and gave you some advice on how to dominate your days with discipline this week.

Instabally