It seems to happen on the same day every year…I turn 27…again. This time wasn’t terribly different than the year before, I worked since my wife is working and my kids are both in school this year. It was nice too since one of the people who visits me with her dog even brought me a slice of cake with a candle. We went out for Thai which I love, but hey that’s not actually the point of this post.

A while back I picked up some books by a coach named Dan John who picked up a tip from physical culture legend named Clarance Bass who would take an annual photo shoot around the time of his birthday. He did this in order to keep himself accountable for his health and physique. When I turned 40, knowing that we often start to lose muscle mass unless we actively do something about it and in order to stop myself from getting out of shape, I started doing the same thing in the form of a bathroom selfie.

Now you notice there isn’t a dramatic difference right? That’s kind of the point actually. You see people don’t get out of shape overnight. It creeps on a little bit at a time. Looking at this and knowing I have to do this every year helps me maintain the physique I’ve already built. Taking bathroom selfies is something I recommend to all people who come to me for training that want to transform their bodies.

You see that subtle change that happens overnight is hard to see. And when someone goes through a body transformation they are always looking for signs of progress, but every time you look in the mirror it resets that mental avatar you have of yourself and you won’t see it. I tell people, you don’t need to show me or anyone, that is purely there for you so you can see how far you’ve come. I know just from looking at the training numbers how far they’ve come but the mathematics behind it is something for another time.

I’m not going to lie, I was a little worried how it might turn out since I’ve gotten a taste for Manhattans and the various things I do with my Friday night chemistry experiments. Turned out better than I was expecting so I’m happy about that, I can continue doing what I do and living life to it’s fullest. Here’s to another year as a 27 year old 😛

One of my clients likes to quip that he wants to be old and agile, not old and fragile. We are all going to get older, but if you want to age with strength, I offer a free trial at my personal training studio on Main Street in Boonton. Just text me at 973 476 5328.

Eric Moss is a personal trainer in Boonton and moonlights as a world-record-holding modern-day professional performing strongman, author, and motivational speaker. In the tradition of the strength performers more common during the turn of the century, he performs feats of strength such as bending steel and breaking chains as part of a live show and travels across the country doing presentations on goal achievement for conferences, corporations, associations, nonprofits, and government entities as well as for schools and universities. His personal training studio is located on Main Street in Boonton New Jersey and is close to Mountain Lakes, Denville, Montville, Butler, and Parsippany New Jersey.