After completing the whole 30 I have been carefully contemplating what would be next for me. Do I mess around with foods from my past that may be OK to eat or should I simply keep doing what is working for me? The bottom line here is two fold. First I can’t say that I am displeased with eating nothing but healthy foods each day. I actually enjoyed it. And second I am not completely satisfied with where my body fat ratio is right now. I truly believe that with just a little extra effort I can still burn off an additional 10 lbs of fat over the next several months.
The mirror tells all as I stand naked gazing into it after a shower each morning. Although I have certainly trimmed down in certain area’s there are still others that need additional work. This work is in the form of exercise but successfully achieving the goal of fat burning can only take place with a strict diet. So activity levels must rise slightly each day while carbohydrate intake must stay low. I must work on this balance to allow my body to get back into it’s natural form that displays it’s own balance of good health.
Yea, I know… I am 56 years old and I should be happy where I am at based on the condition of most men at my age, but I say fuck that. If I can reach the goal of optimal health at my age then why shouldn’t I try to attain it?
So here we go. Build muscle, Burn fat. Avoid all foods that are not in the best interest of basic human health. Everything from natural sources without the chemical assistance of ranchers and farmers who use additives to produce these foods for larger profits. Each day, just one day at a time broken down into perfect workouts and meal plans.
In the past few days I have been concentrating my early mornings on weight lifting and putting off the cardio until the end of the work day. So far this hasn’t worked out well as I have nixed off the cardio each day. This is going to change as I am adopting a new thought pattern towards it. I have these beliefs that I need to perform at least 30 minutes of cardio after work each day and because of that I don’t believe that I have the time to do this each day so I just don’t do anything at all. For now on my thoughts are going to be towards just getting on that old treadmill for just 10 minutes each day. If I end up doing more then that is good and if not that is OK as well. Something is always better than nothing.
Why am I striving so hard to reach the point of optimal health? Way back when I promised myself that I would find a way to battle Type II Diabetes naturally without the assistance of medications. I knew that by not addressing this problem there could be certain hardships involved like loss of eye sight, leg amputations and reducing my life expectancy by 10 years. Excess sugar running through my veins does and will reap havoc on my body and too often leads to a heart attack. Sorry folks, but I am not ready for any of these symptoms, especially death.
I know that my own personal health is my responsibility and falling into a state of poor health can be blamed on no one other than me. It is me an only me who has the power to make significant changes in the ultimate outcome of my own health. Getting older is not an easy path to walk and I know will come with certain complications but I also understand that I can reduce the effects of these complications by simply becoming the best physical version of me that is attainable.
I’m with you. I refuse to accept a nearly 49 year old bod. I know I have muscles in there and as for cardio, I found an awesome mini stepper. I’ve trained myself that I can only watch a favourite show or movie if I get on it. It’s tiny and easy, so the 60 minutes just flies by.
That’s awesome! I watch all the highlights of baseball while on the treadmill which also give me a little more inspiration.
Taking that responsibility is huge. I’m 61, have done Whole30s, have type 2 diabetes, and do a fair job of dealing with diabetes, but I struggle with personal responsibility every single day.
That is exactly how I feel as far as being the same age as you and striving for optimal health…why not be the best me I can be?! You keep it up, you’re doing a fantastic job!
Well
Thank you Kim
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