The older you get the fatter you get is a simply stupid statement — don’t you believe it. Perhaps a more accurate proclamation might be the lazier you get the fatter you get.

As I have written in the past, unless there is an underlying medical cause, there is no reason, aging or any other, for one to become obese. Obesity is a result of poor eating habits and lack of proper exercise.

Because more strength is more muscle and more muscle is more calories burned, strength training lowers body fat, strengthens joints & bones, increases cardiovascular fitness and much more.

Below are some helpful pointers to keep in mind:

• Focus on Strength. More strength is more muscle. More muscle is more calories burned. Focus on strength whatever your goal is. Start light and add weight systematically. You should lift more today than 1 year ago.
• Use Free Weights. Free weights force you to stabilize the weight, allow for natural movement patterns and build functional strength. The bulk of your routine should consist of free weight barbell exercises.
• Use Compound Exercises. Exercises that hit several body parts at the same time stress your body more. Your routine should include Squats, Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Bench Press, Pull-ups, etc.
• Use Proper Technique. Decreases the risk of injury and allows for more weight. Bad technique is acceptable on heavy attempts, but build good habits from the start by learning proper exercise technique.
• Eat Whole Foods. Supplements make your life easier, but whole food is better. Eat proteins, veggies & fruits with each meal. Carbs for energy. Plenty of water. Eat every 3 hours starting at breakfast.
• Don’t Be Perfect. Junk food is ok 10% of the time and bad workouts happen to everyone. Train hard 45 weeks/year & eat healthy 90% of the time, you’ll be muscular with a healthy body fat.

Black Friday, 2011. While $11.4 billion was being spent at retail stores and malls, some over-enthusiastic customers decided to make things even more interesting:

• At a Walmart store in Porter Ranch, California, a woman fired pepper spray into a crowd in an attempt to clear a path to an Xbox. 20 people were treated for injuries.

• Gunshots were fired in a parking lot outside a mall in North Carolina around 2 am. While no one was injured, many shoppers were sent into a panic.

• Believing he was stealing a video game, security guards at a Walmart in Arizona left a 54-year old grandfather bleeding heavily from his nose after slamming him into the ground. The grandfather claimed he put the game in his pants to keep it safe while trying to protect his grandson from getting trampled.

• A shopper was shot outside a Walmart in San Leandro, California at 1:45 am after members of his family resisted two armed robbers attempting to steal their purses. The wounded man was in critical but stable condition.

• After punching another shopper while waiting in line to buy video games, a man was stun-gunned by Police in order to subdue him.

• At 1:15 am, customers waiting in line outside a Hollister store in SOHO were a bit upset after learning that that particular location was not opening until the next day. They got tired of waiting for the door to open and broke it down instead, looting the store in the process.