Another health, fitness, and medical myth went out the window this morning.

My friend, Terry, alarmed me by text about his recent hospitalization. He told me how the doctors helped him get his heart rate down to 65 beats per minute – from an all-time high of 245.

Terry’s a tough Irishman from Pennsylvania, who thought his uncomfortable feelings would soon pass, as he sprawled across his bed in a full-body sweat. Thankfully, his girlfriend won their argument, convincing him to go to the hospital.

What Terry thought was “no biggee” turned into a pacemaker to regulate the electricity moving through his body. Remember: Your body is more than skin, bones, and muscle.

Now let me tell you, I sure was empathetic, as well as slightly sarcastic when Terry and I spoke after I received his text.

“It’s all your fault for running all those damn Pittsburgh marathons,” I said. “Especially the ones where you crossed the finish line with a Guinness.”

He laughed as he read my vibe correctly – and proceeded to give me the full story of how he finishes off two cans of Guinness over the course of the last five miles. What’s funny is that other than when he completes a marathon, Terry rarely has a sip of alcohol.

Anywho, I let Terry know I love him and am glad to know he’s still in the land of the living.

Then I got into how we’ve been told that a human’s maximum heart rate is 220 – and how we should train at 65-80 percent of this max, to get into condition and be healthy.

Well hell, I guess we’re in need of some updated math because based upon what I learnt over 40 years ago, a person’s maximum heart rate is 220 minus his current age. Terry is 64 – so that would mean his heart rate shouldn’t be able to go beyond 156 – yet there it was at 245. Yikes!

At any rate, I guess I’m doing things wrong because I don’t make elevating my heart rate above 100 part of my training protocol. And if I ever do elevate my heart rate above 100, I relax and cool off.

All that elevated heart rate stuff is for the young birds. I’m an older, wiser gander now – one who humbles himself daily with lazy crane workouts that produce radical results.

In short, I love getting sumthin while I appear to be doing nuthin.

I enjoy working with nature instead of fighting against her. This means I relax into and use the force – instead of forcing the force with more and more force.

This may sound antithetical in our western whirld, but it makes lots of sense to me after it got passed down to me in my ongoing study of martial arts.

Beat yourself up all you want when you’re younger – then wise up as you get older.

Learn to use the force instead of forcing the force.

How do I recommend you begin applying what I’m rapping about?

First of all, if you don’t want to train the way I am suggesting, I’m not going to force it on you.

But if you do want to give it a healthy whirl, there’s plenty in store for you inside my most recent courses.

I welcome you to click here NOW and take a look.

Matt Furey