Living an ageless lifestyle

Peter Bowes: Well, I really appreciate that. Thank you so much. And well, let’s go to one of the things that I mentioned, the old ideas about aging. What are those old ideas that you don’t particularly like about aging?

Nate Wilkins: Well, let’s start out first in terms of images, the images that we used to see or maybe we’re still seeing those images, right. That, you know, they’re depicting people and I won’t say like you and me, but people like me and my partner, they’re depicting us like we’re decrepit, like we’re we got one foot in the grave and and we don’t look so good. We we look like we are not feeling our best. And so we want to change the images. And we’ve actually worked on doing that. But, but, you know, if there are people who are in that place, we also invite them because we know that they can change. And then just the marketing pieces that you see in terms of the information, the wording, right, the jargon, old, you know, these kinds of things make a difference. And then, you know, this whole notion of ageism, that that when you get to a certain place, they’re supposed to throw you away. And by no stretch of the imagination are Shebah and I throwaway people. And Peter, I would assume that you’re not a throwaway person. Of course, you maybe you’re a little bit younger than we are, but I think you get my gist. Right. So these are the types of challenges or pieces that we want to be a part of correcting and also projecting out for people what the new what the new aging looks like in terms of the use of technology. And I know you can identify with that. And in terms of how we sleep and how we eat and how we interact, you know, after the pandemic, that we need a certain amount of things happening with us. And so these are the pieces that I think are are important. And I’ll talk more as we move on.

Peter Bowes: Yeah, that is very interesting. And since we are talking about age, it’s probably fair that we share our ages. How old are you?

Nate Wilkins: Well, I’m not old at all, Peter. I’m I’m actually 68 years young in the race. Race to reach 100. You know, I want to when I get to be 100, I want to look at 120 because one of my clients told me that it’s possible to reach 120. But but let me be clear, Peter. I’m not interested in being 100 and decrepit and I can’t have my own independence. What I’m talking about is this notion of active aging that I’m actually putting in the work right now to take care of myself. So when I get to be 100, I can still compete in activities, maybe not at the level that I used to, but competing is important. Having a certain sense of independence and being able to process my thoughts and not be out of it. I hope that makes sense.

Peter Bowes: It makes total sense and I’m 60 years old, so I’m not that far behind you. And I share exactly the same philosophy and ideas that you have just described, especially about healthspan. You want to get to. It might be 80, 90, 100 or even 110, but you want to be physically active. Mentally active. And involved in life at that age. And that’s why I talk a lot on this podcast about healthspan the number of years that you are healthy and involved and utilizing all the faculties that you have as opposed to a lifespan which doesn’t necessarily involve health. A lifespan could be 100 years old, but the final 20 years might not be so great for some people. I think that’s where you and I share the same goals and same ideas. The idea is to expand those years that we remain healthy and enjoy it.

Nate Wilkins: Absolutely. Absolutely. We like to think of it as adding quality to the years that when you get to be a certain age, you can look back and say all of these things that have happened, memories. But you also have an opportunity to look forward and say, But, but there is some opportunity to do some more. I haven’t used all my stuff yet, and so that’s what we’re looking forward to, using some more of our stuff. We want to be used up when we leave the planet.

Peter Bowes: And in your book, which is called Ageless Workout, you conclude that fitness isn’t a myth at an older age. And I think you say that because I think clearly a lot of people think that being older and fit and healthy is something that is beyond reach, that it is a myth, that it is something that most people don’t achieve and that you can’t be particularly old if you want to use that word or old, but still feeling and physically and mentally young that it’s it’s not possible where of course, you understand very well that it is possible.

Nate Wilkins: Oh, absolutely. Not only do I understand it, I sleep it, I eat it, I walk it, I talk it, I share it with everybody that’s around me. Sometimes I find younger people who can’t do the types of programs or movements that I can do. I’m still able to do push ups. I’m still able to do squats. But let me let me be let me be careful and say this is not the the thing that I that I’m really interested in per se what I’m really interested in. And I wanted to back up and say that health is at the corner is really the centerpiece of what’s important to me. I want to make sure I have my health. But along the way, Peter, I want to look good in my clothes. I want to feel good, I want to smell good, I want to talk good. All these things as I continue to progress through what this journey, it’s a journey that I’m on. So that’s what’s important to me. And so this whole notion of, you know, being old is just and not being fit. And, you know, if I could just show, you know, people that I still work on my muscles, right? Because muscles and bones are important. And I don’t have to tell you muscles and bones that are important. So I do the work to protect my muscles and my bones. So that’s a little bit different than me being, you know, sort of vain and working on vanity muscles. What I’m saying is that I want to have my independence, so I got to do some stuff right now. I got to take care of my body right now. So I have the muscles and my bones don’t break and my balance is there and I don’t slip and fall. I hope that I hope I’m getting I hope I’m talking to somebody right now.

Peter Bowes: Yes, exactly. I understand totally where you’re coming from. And I want to dig in a little deeper in terms of what your your methods are, how you deal with people, how you perhaps change some people’s attitudes and minds and help them along the journey that you mentioned. Before we do that, let’s just talk a little bit about your journey and what you’ve spent the last 60 plus years doing and what has led you to this point in your life and career? 

Nate Wilkins: Well, you know, that’s interesting. And thank you for that question. What I can share with you, Peter, is that like anybody else, you know, I wanted to have a an exciting career. I loved sports when I was growing up. My parents were military. So we traveled quite extensively all around the world, so to speak. I had a brush with with greatness when we lived in Atlanta, Georgia, and I got a chance to be baptized and meet King. But even greater than that, we had a chance to meet people from all over the world. And there’s something about travel, Peter, that actually changes your mind, right? Your perspective. And so I was able to get a different mindset. Not only that, I get a chance to travel around the world and meet new people, but I got a chance to live in places like Junction City, Kansas, Fort Riley. I got a chance to go to Manhattan that Kansas State Wildcats and get a bachelor’s degree in recreation administration. And then when I got a position in Topeka, Kansas, I realized that that wouldn’t be enough. So then I went back to school and got a master’s degree in public administration because I wanted to be knowledgeable, more knowledgeable, learn more, but also be able to advance my career. And so that led me into greater opportunities in Parks and Recreation. I worked in Kansas City, Missouri, as a superintendent of recreation. I went on to Cincinnati, Ohio and as their assistant director and later on to the National Recreation Parks Association. But mind you, Peter, in all of this, I didn’t take care of my body as I should have because I was having fun. You know, the life was moving so fast. And when I knew anything, I was up to 230 pounds. My heart was in bad shape. I was down on my, you know, on myself and looked around and had some heart issues. And heart issues led me into exercising exercises, led me into teaching teaching, led me into managing and managing led me into owning my own company. And here we are today.

Peter Bowes: That is quite a life. I just want to skip back a few seconds because you moved over it quite quickly. A brush with greatness, you said?

Nate Wilkins: Absolutely. You know, I find I find that as I look at life right now and as we move forward in whatever this is that we’re doing in this in this country, but around the world, a person like like a King or Gandhi or Mandela, these are the people that in my home now, this is me that I call great. I met Martin Luther King through his mother because I lived in the area. I used to sell papers up and down Auburn Avenue. And when one Saturday I went into the church because I love the piano, and there was a piano down in the basement of the church, and I was down there playing on the piano. And the mother King came down, asked me what I was doing and who I was, and invited me to church on the next Sunday. I go to the church on the next Sunday, a friend and I, and then the next two Sundays they say, Why don’t you become baptized? I get baptized when I get into the pulpit to be baptized. Who’s there but to do the baptism? None other than Martin Luther King. So I mean King I meet the mother. I meet the father and the children. This was this was in the sixties. Now, don’t don’t don’t try to date me. Peter, you’re here. You’re really trying. You’ve got some tricks up your sleeve. You’re trying to say, this guy, this guy’s been around for a long time. But look, that was my opportunity with greatness. But I’ve had some other brushes with greatness, too. And, you know, maybe on another podcast we can talk about that. But but that was the one that I think made a significant difference in my life, caring and helping people. Right. Taking it out for myself and putting it on somebody else. But but not saying that I didn’t have self care. What I said was that I was I was I learned how to take my eye off myself and put it on somebody else and help somebody else. Because the perfume of life is, you know, if you put so much perfume on somebody else, you can’t help but get something on yourself.

Peter Bowes: That’s a great line. I like that a lot. It conjures up a great image. So let’s talk about that point in your life. Then you said you you kind of realized there was an epiphany that all of a sudden here you were, you were overweight, clearly not that healthy at that point. How did you begin to turn things around?

Nate Wilkins: Well well, you know, we all go to these things. I think maybe you have it was you’re talking about epiphany. I was at a place I didn’t want to I didn’t want to check out. And I had sense enough to know that I had some pain in my chest. And so when I go to the doctor, they keep me and then they keep me for a longer time. And the word gets around with the people that I was working with that I was really sick and they thought that I might not make it. So they were coming to visit and I thought, Well, what are they talking about? What’s going on? So the first opportunity that got they sent me to a cardiologist, I go to the cardiologist one time. They give me nitroglycerin, they give me, you know, all of these other pills. Right. You know, we can have a conversation about pills. I just didn’t like it, didn’t like how it made me feel. So I needed to change my plan. I started exercising, walking. That’s where that’s where we want to encourage people. So you got to meet people where they are. You know, I didn’t I couldn’t run anymore because I was overweight. You know, every time I tried to move, I was breathing heavy. It was aches and pains, but but walking a little bit at a time, putting your shoes on a little bit at a time every day led me into maybe moving a little bit more. And then later on when I met some other people. That’s why we talk about this tribe notion. When I meet some other people, I get excited because I’m around them and they’re motivating me to go to spinning classes, to go to other types of classes that get my body in shape. And the next thing I know, I’m actually in the front of the class with an instructor who says to me, Nate, why don’t you lead this class? So he was teaching me how to lead a class. I ended up getting a class, and later on out of teaching those classes, people started to like what? Like what I was doing so much. They actually found a way for me to actually run a total fitness program. But. But, listen, none of that changed until I was able to change my mind. Change the way I thought about my body. Right? See if the mind and the stomach don’t agree. You don’t make those kinds of changes because you’ll continue to stay in that same place. And it wasn’t overnight. That’s the other thing I would share, Peter. It wasn’t overnight that I got these changes. It was over a period of time I started to see less and less of myself. Other people saw it before I did, and then later on the whole, everybody who saw me was asking questions. What is it that you’re doing? How are you eating? What are you drinking? How are you sleeping? All of these kinds of things. And this is not a new phenomenon. This is not unusual. And, you know, exclusive to Nate Wilkins. This is something that can happen to anybody who takes that first step.

Peter Bowes: This is the Live Long and Master Aging podcast. Our guest is Nate Wilkins, the co-founder of Ageless Workout. Nate, you’ve just been telling me in some detail, I think what we could maybe encapsulate as your enthusiasm, your motivation behind what you do. And clearly, initially, that was motivation to change yourself and to achieve new goals. But what you do now, I guess, with your clients and the people that you work with, you share that motivation because I suspect some people will come to you and they have self-doubts about what they’re able to achieve. How do you deal with that kind of person? What do you say to them to motivate them, to make them want to make that next step to fitness?

Nate Wilkins: First of all, you got to meet people where they are. And nobody really likes the word exercise, right? I mean, I like it. Maybe you like it because you’ve been doing it and you understand the benefits of that. But when some people look at exercise, they see this notion of, you know, torturing yourself to get to a place where your body looks a certain way. And maybe that’s not really not you, but you do it because other people talked about you or made you feel bad or or whatever the case may be. The doctor has said something to you about your health and you need to do these things. And so you go and and immediately start to try to change. And it doesn’t happen overnight. So what I share with people is my journey. Like, like we just shared, you know, I wasn’t always this way because people say to me, you, you’ve been exercising all your life. You’ve been doing this all your life. No, I haven’t. As a matter of fact, I was in a bad situation, you know, so so that gives people a chance to see that perhaps there’s a slim opportunity for them to do something. But then I also encourage them along the way that I say that you don’t have to get there overnight. Right. It’s little bitty steps, right? Inch by inch, anything’s a cinch by the yard is hard if you just make, you know, little bitty steps. Right. Small incremental changes in in the way that you see yourself, first of all, in the mind. But then putting the action with that, the first step might be putting the shoes, the workout shoes next to the bed. The next step might be putting your feet into those shoes. The next step is then taking a step or two and standing up and sitting down. Peter, I hope you’re following me that I’ve encouraged people just to move a little bit and if they feel some pain then or their discomfort, then we make some adjustments because everybody is different. We cannot use a cookie cutter model with with this new age of people who are sitting at computers have really been not as active as they they need to be. And so what we need to do is encourage people to take those little small steps. And if I can get somebody to take a small step, perhaps a stretch exercise or like we talked about a walk and walking, I mean, there’s all types of documentation and research about the benefits of of walking. But if we can get people moving that along that spectrum, then we can move them to other possibilities. Right? And so that is where I think we start. But it’s the noticing and naming that I do. Hey, look, you’re making some fantastic changes. Did you did you see that? Not not only am I doing that, but I also share videos with them of themselves and show them how they can correct their position and their posture and, you know, and give them some idea about what they can look like. So, you know, go back and get me an image of yourself, of what you want to look like. How did you look, you know, ten, 20 years ago. Do you want to get back there? These are the strategies that we put in place and continuing to encourage people. You know, it’s not the hand-holding that I’m talking about. It’s really when you talk about leadership, it’s really not tugging the rope is gently pulling the rope along the way and sort of leading by example because, you know, people actually pay attention to what you do, right? So it’s not necessarily caught, but it’s taught. They catch you in your times when you’re doing stuff. Are you are you are you really living the eating that you’re talking about? When do you work out Nate? And I tell them, man, I’m up early in the morning because I want to win the day and they do the same thing.

Peter Bowes: Now, you have just really preempted my next question because a lot of people will be inspired by you, I’m sure. So I’m interested. If you could tell me, tell our listeners, what’s your daily lifestyle like? When do you work out? How do you work out and how does that mix in with the work that you do during the day and the meals that you have during the day? What does a day in the life of Nate look?

Nate Wilkins: Well, let me just say, Peter, that I’m somewhat like you. I actually have implemented from time to time, depending on my situation, intermittent fasting or fasting in my diet. So sometimes in the mornings I don’t eat until about 11, 12:00, but then I get a get a full meal. But let me back up off of that and tell you that both Shebah and I are early risers and we don’t judge anybody for doing that. We’re up at 4:00 in the morning. This morning we got up. Of course, we get our regular coffee and we have animals. Right. This is a beautiful thing for people. You got we have a companionship with animals and so we have two little mini pinchers. And I take those mini pinchers out walking for about 15 to 20 minutes. And that is my time with the creator. That gives me a chance to smell the air and get the message from from the creator about here is a new day, Nate. Lots could happen for you. And so then I’m fortified and the next piece is going to the gym and we like to do workouts or movement exercises. That’s a push and a pull because of what we talked about earlier, the bones and the muscles. And then I’m off to teaching and sharing with other people in a different type of class. Most Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Peter, at 6:00 in the morning, you can find me in a boxing fitness class. Tuesdays, Thursdays, we’re working on functional training. And then in some instances we actually do when when the season is low, we actually do two a days. So here’s what I’m saying. This is our routine. The food that I put in my stomach is important to me. So we make sure that we eat lots of green. And I’m not saying that I’m a vegan. What I’m saying is that we’ve moved toward a plant based diet. The older I get, the less protein that I consume. But I still find protein a vital part of my diet. And then I’m also now, at this point in my life, adding a lot more supplements into my diet, whether it be calcium or magnesium. Man, I could go on and on. But what I’m saying to you is that the older I get, the more I have to have what I think are supplements to help fortify my body. And then the sleeping piece is important. I’ve had some challenges with sleeping, you know, 6 to 8 hours, but now that’s leveled out. And then time to myself, you know what some people may call relaxation? I call it renewal or maybe what may some call meditation. But these are the pieces that go with my life.

Peter Bowes: So much to dive into there. There’s a couple of points I’d like to pick you up on in terms of moving more towards a plant based diet. What was your main inspiration to do that?

Nate Wilkins: Well, the health is, you know, going right back to our initial platform, my health, because, you know, I was I was eating like I was taught. I don’t know how many people of color you have who are participating or have participated in your programs or will participate. But from from my community, a lot of what I was I was raised on was the more food you ate, you know, the more you loved your family. You’re more you loved your mother, especially around Thanksgiving or Christmas or, you know, holidays. They would fix and prepare food for days. And you would we would eat until we fell asleep. And that was that was the way we found love. And so what I’ve learned is that a lot of a protein in my diet, if I didn’t use it up, working out or training or what have you, would show up in my body. And so I needed to back away from that. Now, my grandmother taught me about vegetables and but, you know, being in a fast paced society like I was in remember I told you I was I went to get a degree. And so when I was working on the degree, hamburgers made a difference, French fries made a difference, fast food made a difference. And so these things show up. Not immediately. They showed up later on in in my blood test. This is how I get to the place where my heart is in bad shape. So if you want to do something, make something different, you have to do something different, right? You have to make some changes in your life. And so that’s how I get the plant based. You know, I meet some people and I see them doing more plant based eating than I was doing. And I started asking questions and doing research and reading and finding out that these are the things that I needed to do to to get myself back on track.

Peter Bowes: The other thing that you said just now that piqued my interest was sleep and how maybe you haven’t always been a great sleeper, but you’ve got to the point where you see sleep as, did you say restoration, a rebuilding process. It isn’t just zonk out and go to sleep. There’s much more to it for you than that.

Nate Wilkins: Absolutely. Here’s here’s what people should know. And then maybe they do. Muscles don’t change and grow when you’re we’re going through their activities, they change and grow. Your body changes and grows when you are restful. When you get a certain amount of rest and renewal in your body, your body starts to adjust and make changes. And that’s when the proteins or all of the other nutrients can actually take real effect in your body and make real change. And so if you’re constantly pounding and pounding, now we understand stress at a certain level. We’re not talking about that. But we were talking about is how do you renew, how you’re able to continue and be the best you that you want to be? And that’s really what our conversation is about today, right?

Peter Bowes: Exactly. Yes. One thing that you write about in the book, Nate, is living with a clear mind, knowing what makes you feel good. And I’d really like to explore that in terms of what you mean by living with a clear mind. I think I know what you mean, and I think a lot of people live with a lot of extra stuff going around in their heads, a lot of junk that we don’t need, and that having a more perhaps simple attitude towards your life and your activities can be hugely beneficial.

Nate Wilkins: Well, you know, I don’t think I could say it any better. You’ve already said it Peter. You know, simplifying, simplifying your life. Not so many complications, not so many negative situations. And people who bring, you know, negative to you because, you know, what ends up happening is when you’re around negative people, it becomes a part of your personality and you wonder why you feel the way you do and you can’t get that stuff off of you. That’s why mental health right now, mental health is one of the largest challenges that we’re facing in this country. We have gone through some upheaval in terms of health and wellness and community and economics. And so there’s a lot of that stuff circling around and, you know, and people have actually isolated themselves away from it. And you find that if you’re not around positive energy, then you can’t grow. Babies need human touch, but. But they need the right kind of human touch. They don’t need negative human touch. And so what I’m getting into is that we need some time just to say that’s okay. You know, I didn’t do that so well, but it’s okay. I’ll do better next time. You know, not so much pressure to be who somebody else has decided for us to be from. For me, Peter, I have actually had an opportunity to take a back step and say, here are the things that make Nate Wilkins happy and I need to do more of that and less of the stuff that, you know, is required of me, so to speak. I know I have rules and regulations, but when do I find some time to be who I can be? And that that makes me full and loving of the person that I see in the mirror. See, Peter, if you when you look in the mirror and you don’t see somebody you love, you’ve got some problems because you’re going to do some things to destroy that. You’re going to look at your body and say, I need to work hard. Maybe I need to take some steroids to get my muscles this way, as opposed to the real work that you need to do to fix your body. Man, I could go on and on, but let me just stop right there.

Peter Bowes: That’s hugely inspiring. And, you know, I started my day today Nate with my usual hike through the hills in north Los Angeles, three mile hike with my two dogs, despite the 100 degree temperatures that we have here in California at the moment. Now, I’m having this conversation with you. I started the day feeling pretty good. I feel 100% better now after this conversation with you because of your enthusiasm and your positive attitude towards the many issues that we clearly share in common. And this comes right to the heart of, I suppose, mixing with people and associating with people with that positive energy, which you clearly have in spades.

Nate Wilkins: Well, thank you so much. It is something and I think that you can find this in the book, Peter, what we say, it’s one thing. It’s one thing to get involved with health, wellness and healing, but it’s quite another one when it gets inside of you. When it gets inside of you, you won’t need an alarm clock to wake you up that you’ll be looking forward to another opportunity to get up and see what you can do with your muscles and what you can do with your body. How you can fix certain meals that taste good or around ingredients that maybe you never thought that you were like, Let me let me just tell you, Peter, I used to say I didn’t like okra until somebody put some okra in food for me and I didn’t realize it. But I love that stuff. And so now every chance I get, I’m eating okra as much as I can. Avocados would be another one that I can tell you I said I didn’t like. But now, I mean, I’m looking forward to having avocados as many times as I can because I know the benefits and and it actually tastes good to me. So I hope that answers the question that you just asked me.

Peter Bowes: Yeah, it does. This is Nate, as you know, a podcast about human longevity. It is about the stories. And we’ve had a lot of great stories from you, the science as well, which I know you adhere to and look at and respond to. And it’s about looking to the future and aspiring, as I mentioned before, to a great healthspan. How much of your time and you’ve already given me a flavor of this, but to what extent do you think about your future and what Nate will be doing in ten or 20 years time?

Nate Wilkins: Well, let me just be clear and say I’m actually working almost on a daily basis to live in the moment, to live right now and understand that all I have is right now. But if you were to come to my home, you would see posters or sheets up around actually writing and projecting out where I need to be working on plans and ideas around how I need to structure the work that I’m doing, who I’m going to touch. So maybe, maybe not 100 years out. Peter But maybe ten, 15 years out, I have actually looked at, you know, the plans for that. So I spend quite a bit of time in the future. One of the key concepts that I learned back some time ago, Peter, was to look back 10% of the time but look forward 90% of the time. So, you know, of course, we want to reflect on where we’ve been because we want to know where we’ve been, but we also want to keep our focus on where we’re going. So that is what I’m doing. So this kind of conversation with you gives me an opportunity to project that with a number of people, hopefully around the world, that that we need to look inward, first of all right now, but also be excited about what the future can be. Lots could happen.

Peter Bowes: Well, I think whatever you do and whatever you’re doing, you’re on a fascinating journey. And Nate, I wish you all the best with the coming years with your book Ageless Workout, the same name as your business. And, you know, I really hope I can get to Florida one day and see you in person.

Nate Wilkins: Peter, I’m going to hold you to that. You got to get to South Florida. I like you. I like your energy. I like the work that you’re doing. I’m so excited about the you know, what I’ve learned just right now about you’re doing intermittent fasting. I’m actually not necessarily intermittent fasting, but fasting, period. Right. And looking at longevity and so, you know, welcome to the tribe. We want to make sure that, you know, that you’re a part of the Ageless Workout tribe you have the qualities, the like minded thinking, the attitude, you know, the forward thinking that we love to have in our conversation. So thank you so much.

Peter Bowes: You’re very kind. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Nate Wilkins: My pleasure.

Peter Bowes: And if you’d like to find out more about Nate’s work, I will put some links into the show notes for this episode. You’ll find them at the LLAMA podcast website. That’s LLAMApodcast.com. This has been a HealthSpan Media production. In addition to the one you’re listening to us on now, we’re all the usual podcasting platforms, including this new one BuyMeACoffee.com. It’s a platform that also helps support the podcast. Only if you’re able to and feel that what we do brings you some benefit. Our goal is that this podcast will always be free for everyone to listen, on your platform of choice. But if you are able to make a small contribution towards the costs, it would be hugely appreciated. You’re not really buying the coffee. It’s just a catchy name, hopefully to remember and donate as little as it would take to buy a coffee or maybe one of those fancy coffees. Whether you do or not. We’ll be back soon and look forward to your company again as we explore the fascinating world of human longevity and good health. Thanks so much for listening.