As we enter another new year, I have a resolution this year that coincides with a “round” birthday coming up…
On Approaching 40 And Pushing For The Next Level In Life
I’m about eight months away from my 40th birthday and with the sobering realization I am no longer a young man comes a determination to work even harder to promote my physical, mental, and spiritual well-being…not just for me, but for those that I serve, including my family and my enterprises.
This run-up happens to coincide with New Year’s Day, but today marks the start of an aggressive program to jump to the “next level” in my physical fitness journey. I’ve had “abs” for a few years now and my Oura ring tells me I have the heart of a 28-year-old (probably to sell me more Oura rings), but I’ve hit a plateau in terms of both muscle gain and fat loss and it’s time to change that…or at least try.
I may look like a glutton if you only read my flight and hotel reviews, but I compensate by eating healthy at home…though even there I’m not militantly strict. For example, I take the kids to Taco Bell on Sunday nights after church and order a few items for myself. I’ve also been eating Christmas cookies this week. A lot of them…
Those sorts of regular “cheat days” will hopefully end, effective today, at least until my 40th birthday. I’m going to increase my protein intake to about 200 grams per day, hit the gym even harder, and see what happens over the next eight months.
I’m not making grandiose promises. I haven’t had any alcohol in many weeks, but I’m going to have Krug when I fly Emirates this year. I’ll still try the cheeseburger on an upcoming Alaska Airlines flight.
But the snacking at home will stop. I’ll skip alcohol in almost all contexts. The Taco Bell trips will go into hiatus.
What I’ve found already is that I quite enjoy eating healthy food: lots of greens, lean chicken or beef, and Skyr or Greek yogurt. I just need to be a bit more disciplined and see if I can trim more body fat while bulking up.
* * *
To some extent, to borrow the words of Ecclesiastes (my favorite book of the Hebrew Bible), this is all vanity. While physical fitness is an ideal stress-reliever for me, it’s certainly not the only nourishment I need…and aging well and gaining maturity is a far better alternative to pursuing eternal youth.
I fill my workouts and sauna sessions with religious dialogue ranging from Tim Keller and NT Wright to Alex O’Connor and Bart Ehrman. That diverse range of viewpoints, from evangelical to atheist, helps me to better understand and defend my own Christian faith.
I constantly study the law, staying on top of developments that may impact my businesses and my own practice…there’s always room for improvement there.
My businesses, some of which I’ve written about and others I have not, occupy an immense amount of time and I find myself at a critical point in navigating several difficult issues.
My dear family is growing fast…and despite my very busy schedule, my greatest duty of all is to nourish and nurture them…I hope to do a better job of that this year. Time is the currency of love.
As for the blog, I really have no idea how this year will look, but do have travel coming up this month and some very fun trips booked for later in the year. Almost nine years ago, I jumped from being an occasional blogger to a daily blogger, calling it the new “Great Leap Forward.”
It worked…and while there were many forces far beyond my control that shaped the success of this blog, the steady discipline of writing 3-4 stories per day, six days for week, without a single day off since 2017, at least played a partial role.
I hope to achieve the same level of discipline in all areas of life…
CONCLUSION
Every day is the first day of the rest of your life, so every day is the perfect day to make a resolution. But January 1st is a great reset point and I’m excited to see how far I can push myself this year. We should all push ourselves, for humans always have the capacity to surprise in a positive way. Let this be the year you pleasantly surprise yourself.
Nicely written. I sense thirst traps coming up as those “abs” further develop. A click is a click 🙂
We will see! Happy New Year, Anthony.
Matthew,
I don’t appreciate your religious references in your articles. I don’t care about your religious beliefs or religious observations. PLEASE STOP!
+
I’m not interested in religious things either. You know how I solve this? I skip over that content. I still get full value for the money I pay to read this blog.
All the best to you in your goals for 2026 and beyond, Matthew.
thanks for being a class act.
Thank you, Tim. Happy New Year.
I turned 40 in 2025, and it was the best decision I ever made. It’s funny to me that you say you’re no longer a young man. As a 40-year-old man, I truly feel younger than so many of my friends who are quite a but younger than I am. Age is mostly just a number, and as you’ll learn this year, 40 really isn’t a very big one. One nice perk is that people suddenly start taking you seriously, and virtually everyone you talk to who learns you’re 40 will tell you that you don’t look it.
As for weight loss, it’s indeed tougher. I go to the gym 5+ days a week, regardless of where I am in the world. I eat a diet healthier than virtually everyone else I know, yet the abdominal fat just seems to not go away. I hope your regimen works, but it might just be the reality of entering your 5th decade.
Your comment is both an encouragement (hopefully, people will think I look younger too) and a worry (will I quickly reach the point at which I stop burning fat as fast)? The goal is to look like Chuando Tan in my 50s, lol. Keep fighting the good fight, brother!
Two reasons men go to the gym: Good health, and vanity. No man wants to wince when he looks in the mirror.
Guilty as charged.
Matthew I think that the best years of my life were 35-45. I was on top of my professional game. I was a Corporate Travel Manager for PriceWaterhouseCoopers after having to retire from my Nursing career and pivot to my other love which is travel.
I was in good health and achieved my goal of returning to Florida to live.
I am 66 now and quite retired. I accept with what I hope is grace to the changes that come with aging.
I wish you success, health and faith in your coming years. Enjoy them !
35-39 have been, in many ways, the worst years of my life. Hopefully 40-45 will be much better…
Whether they are pushing 40 or not, here is a short New Year’s poem from me to interested readers of LIVE AND LET’S FLY:
As cruel time passes without compromise
Even though your hopes and dreams dwindle
May your travels always bring you joy and wisdom
– © Güntürk Üstün (2025) –
You’re doing it right, Matt. Also, I much prefer your so-called ‘Great Leap Forward’ over Mao’s famine…
Indeed, though looking back I probably should have used another image…
https://liveandletsfly.com/and-now-comes-the-great-leap-forward/
Nice mural and ‘Yes, I made this myself.’ commentary in the 2016 piece.
As long as you enjoy what (to me) sounds like a painful regimen then props to you for keeping it up. Perhaps I missed it but it seems like your family is not rapidly expanding unless you have a second wife or another offspring on the way. In any case, best wishes for success.
Ha. No second wife or concubine at this time. But we are pausing at two kids for now. There’s still time if the season changes. By “growing” I only meant growing older.
I’d recommend minoxidil, especially on the front.
I’ve been on finasteride for a decade…it seems to be working. Poor Prince William…
MSD’s wonder drug, finasteride (1 mg once daily), remains one of the most extensively studied treatments for male pattern hair loss, with evidence supporting its ability to slow progression and maintain hair density in many men. It is most effective when started early and used continuously. As with all medical treatments, individual responses can vary. This drug is only approved for men; it is not approved or recommended for women, and doesn’t appear to work on women.
Love this – as a fellow frequent work traveler (~150k BIS in 2025) would really appreciate updates throughout the year on wins, challenges, and learnings!
Twenty five years ago when I was 40, an older guy asked if he could give me some fitness advice and I said yes.
He told me to work hard through my 40s and 50s as staying fit and keeping muscle toned and where necessary building a bit more because when you get to 60 you suddenly need 150% of the effort to achieve the same things.
All I’ll say is he was right so stay fit Matthew.
Best wishes, Matthew.
I’m also coming up on a round (50) birthday this August. And am in a similar boat of prioritizing consistency and maintenance. Consistency is the secret sauce.
We have a toddler at home and I want to be skiing with him in my 60s! And to show him what patience, virtue and spirituality look like.
Good for you! Best wishes in achieving that.