You’re over 50. No sense talking to you about what happens when you get older. You’re there. You’ve been around the block; been there, done that.
Now you’re thinking you’ll get in shape but when you come home after a long day you’re too tired. Excuses have become your specialty. Sure, once you were in shape but that was when you had no troubles, or fewer troubles. Maybe you were never in shape. You’d like to be but you don’t know where to start.
There is some good news but you have to turn off the TV. That insidious box is stealing your life away. Before you know it, you’ll be dead and you’ll be sorry. Turn the life sucking, brain vaporizing thing off. You may need a week or two to decide. That’s OK but make the decision. Does it mean you’ll never turn the silly thing on again? No, of course not. But it does mean it gets last priority. LAST priority. We’ll pretend you made the decision to pull the plug and move onto the next decision. It’s about your attitude. It sucks. I know, you’re 50 years old or maybe even worse, 60. Could it be you’re 70? Egads.
Who cares? Nobody but you. If you were looking and feeling like Jack Lalanne you’d be proud of your old age. It all starts with a great attitude; not a good attitude, a great attitude. Some of you take solace in being like Garfield and his dark depressed humor. I think he’s funny too. But, when it comes to getting into shape, I’ll kick his little cat ass every time.
So we’ll make believe again. You turned off the TV and you made the decision to get fit. Your attitude is not great yet but you’re willing to work on it. It will get better. Who feels great when their body is falling apart?
What are your goals? Is your goal to lose 50 lbs.? Maybe your goal is too get off insulin or blood pressure medicine. Whatever your goal is, write it down. Write it down. When do you want to reach your goal? Remember you didn’t put the weight on in a week, so don’t expect to take it off in a week. Figure losing about a pound a week if you’re doing it right. Doing it right means losing the fat but keeping the muscle. Kabish? Since muscle weighs three times more than fat, it ain’t going to be that easy to lose 50 lbs, right? That’s all right. If your blood sugar is down and your pressure along with it, and you’re fitting into those 36 to 38s, then you’re doing all right. Nonetheless, we all like the scale to lighten up a little, y’know.
Ok, so if we’re going to lose 50 lbs. and it takes a week a pound your goal statement should look something like this: “I am losing 50 pounds by March 1, 2010.”
Now you can rest. Yeah, right.
Now you can get to work to make this happen. Forget about every “try this, try that” solution out there. Here’s your plan. Exercise more and eat less. Do you understand? Exercise more and eat less.
The details should flush out something like this. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper. Drink 8 glasses of water throughout the day. Eat your fruits in the morning and veggies in the afternoon. Walk 1 hour at least 4 times a week. Now, here’s the tough part. Get a partner. I walk with my daughter. With 16 year old girls being what they are today, I don’t expect you’ll have much success. I started years ago so she’s brainwashed by now. How about your spouse? You can talk….or not. After a few months you’ll need a partner. Get one.
There’s lots more but those are the basics.
Here’s the wrap up: I live in health care whether I like it or not. I have been in the healthcare industry for 20 years first as a personal trainer who owned a fitness center and then as an owner of ten multi-disciplinary clinics. Now I run a personal training company run a training association for health care trainers. My head hurts. Let me tell you that your health care coverage is going to get worse, a lot worse. Your health care plan is going to start encouraging you a lot more aggressively to get into shape because health care costs are going through the roof. You better get in shape. Yeah, I know, it’s funny how you’re allergic to exercise and all that but it ain’t too funny when your doctor tells you that you have diabetes or you better not get too upset because your blood pressure is so high that you’ll risk a heart attack.
Get into shape. You’ll love it and once you’re half way there your family will love it to. Get off the couch, turn off the TV and start moving. One more thing, eat less, but not too much less. A little bit over and over again.
