I'm 56 years old, and I am as fit, healthy and happy as I have ever been.
 |
| Kevin Eb, September 2024, Hull, MA |
As a young person, I was somewhat active, but not particularly athletic. And like other young people, I could eat whatever I wanted, and not gain weight. Of course, that changed as I slid into my 30s. For my 30's and 40's I was borderline obese. I'm 5' 8" At my heaviest I tipped the scales at 200 pounds.
In the last few years I have shed forty pounds. A long with losing the weight, I have gotten fit. I bike, swim and run. At first, I was only riding my bike, but building up my strength. After a while I incorporated swimming and running. When I began incorporating running into my fitness routine, I could barely run. I would run on a track near my house. I'd go down the 100 meters of the straight-away and then I couldn't run anymore. I needed to stop because of the pain in my ankles or shins. Now, a 5k run is in my comfort zone. My longest run is a half-marathon. I can bike forty miles comfortably. I love open water swims (and surfing!). I have participated in two sprint triathlons. I am as fit, healthy and happy as I have ever been.
This change has not gone unnoticed by friends and family, who have been wonderfully supportive and enthusiastic about my progress. I get asked, "How did you get fit?" After enough people have asked me this question, I thought it would be helpful to share what I've learned. Here's my response.
The number one thing I would say is, lower your expectations. Don't try to get fit. Getting fit will be a long journey. Focus on getting healthier. If getting healthy is your focus, there a lot of things you can readily do, and a number of them have immediate benefits. You probably know most of them already. The challenge is to put them into action and to keep up the effort. Here are my ten steps to a healthier and happy life.
1. Begin
I mean that literally. Just get started. Don't be so impressed by the challenge, that you don't get started. The only way to make progress is to begin. Don't even think about it as "day one." Think of the right now. Make right now the moment you set an intention to improve your health.2. Get moving
Even a moderate amount of physical exercise, a brisk 20 to 30 minute walk five days a week, will make you healthier. Our bodies are built for moving. Our bodies are also very efficient at storing energy and avoiding any effort at all. Like most of the steps in this list, the science is clear, a moderate amount of regular exercise (walking!) has measurable health benefits. Get moving!
3. Push past your fear
Getting healthy can be daunting. It gets harder, as we get older. We bear the emotional scars of diet failures, and abandoned exercise plans. Fear of injury is real. We step gingerly in fear of twisting an ankle. As we get older, we are more aware of the frailty of our bodies, and get yet more cautious. Push past your fear! You will experience discomfort. Don't let discomfort be your master. You can take it. You're stronger than you know. Injury and pain can happen whether or not you make any effort to exercise.
Don't be afraid. You have the power! You can do this!
4. Listen to your body
Our minds are built to focus our attention on one thing at a time. This is necessary in order for our executive function to work. We need to ignore all kinds of information from our bodies and our surroundings, so we can focus on whatever needs our active conscience attention. Your body is the temple of the mind. It's where you live. Give your body the attention and respect it deserves.
5. Improve your posture -- This is the start of your fitness plan
You deserve to be here! Whatever state your body is, hold your head up high. Sit straight, and walk with your head up. Your posture will bolster your sense of well-being. There are different ways to improve your posture, and begin to put together a fitness plan that meets your needs. Start your fitness plan with exercise that is low impact. You don't need equipment or props. Your breath animates your body and your mind. Be mindful of your breathing. Your intention is to develop a fitness program that is more than doing push-ups, or leg stretches or any other activity that focuses on a particular muscle group. What you want to do is to begin a fitness program that integrates your mind, body and breath. Yoga is an excellent way to do this. I'm saying "yoga," but it doesn't have to be yoga. Yoga is an excellent way to do this. You can start wherever you are at--including chair yoga. Pilates is also good. Whatever exercise you choose to do, aim for a full-body experience: mind, body and breath.
6. Track what you eat. Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.
Tracking what you eat, is not dieting. It is being mindful of what you are putting into your body. Whatever you eat, record it. The only goal you should set for yourself, is to actually record what you eat. If you maintain diligence in recording what you eat, you will inevitably begin to make better decisions about what you decide to put into your mouth. Hat tip to Michael Pollan for, "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much."
7. Weigh yourself daily
Weigh yourself daily, but don't pay too much attention to how much you weigh on any particular day. Body weight can fluctuate significantly. Our bodies can store a lot of water. Water is heavy. It is not uncommon to gain or lose five pounds in a day. Even without a big body weight swing of five pounds, body weight fluctuates. A more accurate measure of your weight is probably some kind of running average over your last few days. So, don't much attention to how much you weigh on any particular day. But, do record your weight everyday. Make it part of your daily routine. Weigh yourself, even when you don't want to know what you weigh. It's really an exercise of personal accountability and mindfulness. It's not difficult to step on a scale. It is difficult to make yourself regularly accountable and take stock of where you're at.8. Sleep
Of all the things on this list, sleep is arguably the most important. There's really no more important thing we can do for our mental health, and concurrently, our physical health, then consistently sleeping well. This is science. If you are not sleeping well, see a doctor. Fix that shit. It's a bit ironic, that sleep, "doing nothing," plays such a big role in our physical health. But it does.9. Rest, Recover, Strengthen
As you get into a more active exercise routine, rest and recovery will be grow in importance. I do think "rest and recover" doesn't really speak to what's happening. Yes, your body is "recovering" after exercise. Inflammation is processed by your body and soreness recedes. But, the sometimes neglected point of recovery, is that is necessary to actual grow muscle. You can't grow muscle while you are using your muscles. They need to rest in order to strength. Kicking your ass with your exercise routine? Rest, Recover, Strengthen.
10. No matter what happens, be kind to yourself
You are going to have bad days. You will have days when you miss all of your goals. Days when you eat too much and don't exercise. Don't beat yourself up about that! Just don't. You only live once. If you indulged, that's okay. Gloat over your indulgence, and move on. It doesn't really matter what you did yesterday. What matters is what you decide to do next. In order to be more healthy, you have to set your intention to be more healthy everyday. That's a challenge, but it is also a blessing. Everyday we have the opportunity to start over. Everyday we have the opportunity to make new decisions and head in different directions. It's miraculous that we are here at all. Every step we take is a blessing. Be grateful for the health and wellness you have. Be kind to yourself. You deserve it.
No comments:
Post a Comment