The Secret To Aging Gracefully Isn’t What You Think

As we age, we all have visions of what life in retirement will be like. Do we imagine ourselves drinking wine in Tuscany or hunched over a walker, barely able to navigate a supermarket aisle? Your quality of life as you age may very well be determined by a phenomenon called sarcopenia. If you’ve ever known someone who seemed to literally shrink as they aged, that’s sarcopenia in action. You see, sarcopenia is the permanent loss of muscle. According to WebMD, beginning at age 30, physically inactive people can lose as much as 3 to 5% of their muscle mass with each passing decade. But the good news is this: no matter how old or inactive you have been, no matter where you are in life, you can turn this deterioration around and build muscle and bone mass, that increases strength and balance by doing one simple thing: strength training.

Of course, that sounds easier said than done. The term “strength training” may conjure up visions of muscle-bound Goliaths, unwieldly free weights, or that corner of the gym reserved for testosterone junkies, Spandex-wearing gazelles, and MMA fighters. But that need not necessarily be the case. The creative folks at OYO Fitness (OYO stands for On Your Own) have patented a light weight, handheld, strength training device called the OYO Personal Gym that anyone, regardless of their level of fitness, can use to get stronger and burn calories anywhere and at anytime that is convenient for them.

The OYO Personal Gym uses SpiraFlex technology that provides up to 25 pounds of resistance that feels like the plate-loaded cable machines at the gym, yet it fits in the palms of your hands. It’s the same technology NASA has been using on the International Space Station that allows astronauts to strength train and stave off muscle atrophy. In weightless conditions, muscle loss is accelerated, so SpiraFlex technology has been mission critical to ensuring the crew returns to earth strong and fit. Now in the OYO Gym this same technology can be used in place of free-weights to perform over 197 exercises at home, in the office, outdoors, and while traveling. A NASA 16-week study showed SpiraFlex technology increased muscle development as much as the group using free-weights.

We’ve all heard the adage: use it or lose it. We know that by fitting exercise into our lifestyle we will look and feel better, while improving out quality of life, but our lives have seemingly never been busier. Recall the old Chinese proverb: the best time to plant tree is 10 years ago, the second-best time is now.

The OYO Gym is the excuse-proof device that anyone at any fitness level can use to tone and strengthen every part of their body. Just how strong? How about strong enough to carry your luggage up the stairs to your room at the Tuscan villa and hoist a glass of Italian wine—well into your golden years—but only if you start now.