Fitness in Your Forties
I have reached the age where the saying “use it or lose it” starts to be more than just words. Things like diet and fitness have always been at least a little important to me. I would exercise about two times a week and try not to eat too much junk. Recently, I had a wellness checkup. My doctor took my entire medical file and summarized it for me. He said you came in 15 years ago and you weighed this much and your cholesterol level was this much. You came in ten years ago, you weighed more, and your cholesterol was higher. He went down the line until today. He said, “You now weigh more than ever, and your cholesterol is too high. You are going to have to change.”
With my wife’s help I started eating better. It helps to have a wife who can make a low fat diet taste good. I take that back. She makes it taste great. I have not missed all the red meat, cheese, etc. at all. One thing that has helped is those Kashi granola bars. They have replaced junk food like chips and pop tarts (Yes, I actually ate pop tarts.).
I started excising at least five times a week alternating aerobic and anaerobic routines. I’ve grown to like the thought of challenging myself. A little saying I often tell myself before a workout is “the behind you kick today may be your own.” Goofy, I know, but it works for me.
After six months I went back for another blood test. I had lost 20 pounds, and I felt about ten years younger, but had my cholesterol gone down? I felt like I was back in college about to take an exam. My doctor came in smiling and he said “you are not the man you used to be!” My bad cholesterol had gone down about 20%, and my good cholesterol was up. Moreover, he told me upon further examination my bad cholesterol was mostly the fat and fluffy kind, and that is good. Apparently, there is fat and fluffy cholesterol and small tightly wound cholesterol. The small stuff is what causes heart problems. I left the clinic with a smile as big as my doctor’s.
Have any stories about how you improved your health? I would love to hear them. We can help motivate each other to “use it or lose it.”
Doug Reed
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Doug,
I used a program called "Body for Life" to lose 25 lbs. in about 5 months about 4 years ago and felt so much better.
The basics were eating six small meals in a day (food measured by servings within categories), an aerobic workout 3 days per week and lifting weights 3 days per week. One day a week you could rest and pretty much eat as you wished. Yet, it seemed foolish to throw away progress, so there was a good degree of restraint. Eating more one day a week in a flexible way helped my schedule. If I wanted to have lunch with someone I could do so without creating any awkwardness. It also prevented my body's natural mechanism of storing food from kicking in. (As you know, the body naturally starts to store food as fat if weight comes off too quickly. It is a natural defense against starvation.)
I am starting to work out again so that I can get back on the program. I want to strengthen my body so that I can actually do the workouts properly -- they can be intense.
You are so right about going slow. I am starting to run a little bit again, but I worked out on an elliptical trainer for two months before my feet hit the ground. I am very glad I did. It has really minimized the pain of starting over.
Doug,
What are you doing for anaerobic exercise?
I use a Total Trainer. It is the same thing as a Total Gym, but you don't have to subsidize Chuck Norris' salary, so it costs less than half as much. I have been using it for over two years and I am still not tired of it. It is a great piece of equipment.
Doug,
I've seen the Total Gym on TV. How long do you work out on it, and can you work your legs on it?
I usually go 30 to 45 minutes. You can work your legs, but I prefer walking or running.
How do you vary resistance? It seems like it uses body weight. Is it only by changing the incline, or is there more to it?
You can vary the incline and get considerable resistance. With the Total Trainer on the highest setting using the pulley you are lifting 40% of your body weight. Without the pulley, you are lifting 70% of your body weight. If that is not enough, you can add the regular weight plates you can get at any fitness store.
Sounds like more than enough.
What do you do regarding food?
I focus on cholesterol, but the result is a low fat diet. Little or no red meat, no butter, egg yokes, etc. Lots of fish and chicken. I have found I feel better when my diet is weighted much more with vegetables than fruit, but that is just me. Oh, and lots of oat based granola bars.
My wife has re-introduced me to oatmeal. It's surprising how good it tastes when fixed right, and it keeps me from feeling hungry without that weighed-down feeling.
I am not good at sticking to an exercie regimen or a strict diet, and so my hat is off to those of you who can do that. But in recent months I seem to be doing well with a gentler plan. I offer it for those who fail at strict plans.
Six months ago, I made my first visit to a new doctor who asked how my blood numbers were.
I said, "When I was last tested nearly three years ago, my bad cholsestrol was low enough, but my good cholestrol was too low. I know that this indicated a lack of exercise. For a variety of reasons, I have not been able to correct the exercise problem until recently, but we purchased an energetic puppy, and that seems to get me out and moving."
The doctor replied, "Okay, we'll give the puppy plan a little longer to work before we test you."
The puppy and I walk down and back up one of those long Ozarks hills almost daily and throw in some running play on some days. The key is to get an active dog who insists on the exercise.
My diet has been low in red meats and high in fruits and vegetables for years now. I try to avoid large quantities of bad fats and bad carbs. I have recently substituted some soy products for some dairy products and I work harder at making sure that I get enough fiber.
I now have the best numbers I have ever had on triglycerides, bad cholestrol, and good cholestrol.
John,
I think this is very sound advice. Exercise has to be something you enjoy doing. Find something that interests you and do it. I think it is important to know that when you are starting a new type of exercise, you may not enjoy it at first. You may even say "What was I thinking!" Yet, if you stay with it, you would be surprised at what you can grow to love.
Btw, I envy your blood numbers. I have a little hereditary problem that makes keeping my numbers down a lot of hard work.