Steve Nash on how to live the good life, longer

NBA Hall of Famer Steve Nash was the only 40-year-old player in the league in 2013.

An eight-time NBA All-Star with two league MVP awards under his belt, it took years for Nash to find his stride, entering the league at 22 years old and eventually putting up his best performances by the time he was 30 -- a late bloomer when it comes to NBA stardom.

As a Canadian whose first sports were ice hockey and soccer with a dream of becoming a professional basketball player, Nash says his story is full of failures.

“You’re not supposed to be from the west coast of Canada and be 6’1 1/2” and 180 pounds and play in the NBA,” Nash said. He accepted the only college scholarship offered to him and lied to his college sports information director about his height to impress the scouts.

As a testament to his skill, fitness and dedication to the game, Nash, who spent 18 years in the NBA, now has a mission to help others stay in their game, from professional athletes to people just dipping their toe into physical and mental fitness to take control of their healthspan.

“Healthspan represents your good health years,” Nash explained. “Healthspan is when you’re active, relatively pain-free, avoiding chronic disease, essentially living a good life and enjoying yourself.”

Over a year since launching the fitness platform Block Training, Nash was invited to speak at the Idea Salon, a quarterly fireside chat inviting Valley creatives to hear from the brightest minds in Arizona. Nash spoke of the importance of failure and forming healthy habits.

Defying the odds

As a young player with a passion for playing professional basketball, Nash was always faced with “maybes.”

Maybe he can play college basketball, but not Division One.

Maybe he can play Division One, but not at a major school.

Maybe he can play overseas, but not in the NBA.

These expectations fed into Nash’s fear of failure, which he learned to use to his advantage, focusing on the daily routine of becoming great instead of wondering what success looked like once he got there.

Defying the odds is what Nash was good at - from his relentless work ethic and training, sleep schedule and diet, Nash modeled how an unconventional player can achieve greatness, eventually paving the way for many more Canadian athletes after him.

Nash was selected in the first round of the 1996 NBA draft to the Phoenix Suns - one of the most illustrious drafts in NBA history featuring players like Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen and Stephon Marbury.

As his journey through the NBA began, Nash said he always learned more from the losses than the wins.

“Failure is an imperative part of our journey as human beings but also an incredibly unavoidable ingredient of success,” Nash said.

Living the good life

The average lifespan in U.S. adults is 77 years old and climbing, Nash says. Healthspan on the other hand - the length of time one is in reasonably good health - is plateauing around age 63. From boosting cardiovascular health to managing weight loss, incorporating movement into a daily routine is proven to be one of the most effective ways to promote long-term health.

“Science indicates that it doesn’t have to be 30, 45 minutes in the gym,” adds Nash, who has coined the Daily Eight - eight minutes of low-intensity movement and stability workouts that improve and maintain joint mobility, stability, balance and overall coordination.

“Why eight minutes? Because we all have eight minutes,” Nash said.

Mental health is also a big proponent of healthspan, Nash says, who adds starting small like taking short intervals of deep breaths to wake up the system, clear the mind or relax before bed is the bedrock of a healthy and relaxed headspace.

“Instead of speaking to a counselor or meditating which are two wonderful things, try 30-, 60- or 90-second breathing protocols to reset your mind, alleviate stress and anxiety,” Nash said.

Apart from daily movement and mental exercise, Nash says quality sleep, a balanced diet and strong social connections are keys to living a long and healthy life.

“Each one has an effect on the other,” he said. “How can someone go on a movement journey or become more fit if they’re not emotionally well, don’t eat well, don’t sleep well and their mental health is suffering?

“You don’t have to be elite. All you have to do is have balance,” Nash said. “That’s what gets me out of bed every day is to try to give people a nudge to continue to improve, grow and do all the things they want to do in their life and not be limited because they were afraid to go on a journey of improvement.”

What is The Idea Salon?

With a goal of “emancipating innovation,” The Idea Salon aims to assemble a collection of personalities to inspire fresh perspectives, promote community and stimulate conversation.

The Idea Salon is the brainchild of Rose + Allyn Public Relations President Jason Rose, IMI Design CEO and Principal Designer Anita Lang and Horizon Strategies Managing Partner Jessica Pacheco.

Find out more about Block Training on the Google or Apple app stores or by visiting blocktraining.com .

We invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Cyrus Guccione can be reached at cguccione@iniusa.org.