Always have a toothpick handy!

This is the second in the series on weight loss and fitness.  Try to read the following articles first.

Losing weight is simple but not easy

Eat this

For me, aerobic exercise is the most fun part of the weight loss formula.  There are many types of aerobics but running is my “drug” of choice.  You can bike, play a sport, take a aerobic class, swim or just about anything that gets your heart pumping as long as it is something you enjoy.  I love the solitary time spent doing aerobics because it gives me time to think and reflect on whatever is important to me at the time.  

The real benefits of aerobic exercise are achieved by increasing your heart rate and breathing hard for an extended period of time. During this  activity your body produces more energy and delivers more oxygen to your muscles.  Your heart beats faster and increases the blood flow to your muscles and then back to your lungs.

Aerobic means “with oxygen” and your body’s aerobic system is your heart, lungs, blood vessels and muscles. The benefit of aerobic exercise is based on how well your body can deliver oxygen to your muscles and use it for energy. Regular aerobic workouts increase your ability to take in and transport that oxygen and improves your aerobic capacity. 

A good aerobic exercise program can help you live a longer, healthier life and enhance your well being. You get a multitude of benefits if you do your aerobic workout on a regular basis even if the intensity is low or short in duration. It’s fun to keep a log of your workouts that track your progress to see how far you have come in your pursuit of fitness.  You don’t have to train for a marathon to get the benefits.  You can start slow by walking if necessary.  Just push yourself to go as far as you can without overextending yourself and then go just a little bit more next time.  You can get great benefit from just three 20 minutes sessions each week.  I am doing 6 sessions per week because I enjoy it and want to see the benefits quicker.  If you are a social animal there are always running clubs or biking clubs in your area that you can join and workout with others of a like mind.  As an added benefit, once you get hooked you can enter weekend races and fun-runs and walks to further enhance your sense of accomplishment.  I always used to use those events as an excuse to travel to a new area to both get a great workout and explore a new city at the same time.

The bottom line is to start an aerobic workout that you enjoy and look forward to doing on a consistent basis. Aerobic activity is fun and it doesn’t require a lot of concentration. It’s like anything….you get out of it what you put into it.  So listen to music, watch TV or listen to educational tapes while you are performing your aerobic exercise program if you don’t want to spend the time thinking.

Aerobic workouts make you feel better about yourself so you can enjoy life more. It boosts your mood, strengthens your heart muscle, helps you maintain your weight and can even lower your blood sugar levels. It can help increase your stamina and help you manage stress. A session of aerobic activity can help you relax after a stressful day at work. It can even improve your sexual performance.  AND, if you ever get to that point in aerobics they call the “runner’s high,” you will find that euphoria to be even better than sex!  (Well, almost)

If you maintain a regular aerobic exercise program as you get older, your muscles will stay stronger and help you avoid fractures and falls. This will help keep you independent and on your own longer. People who engage in exercise and cardiovascular fitness appear to live longer than those who don’t.  I have seen folks in their 80’s running marathons.  Remember this whole deal is about burning calories to lose weight so in addition to your workout sessions try to walk whenever you can or take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Every little bit helps.  I have to just laugh when I go to the club to workout and I see people circling the parking lot in their cars trying to get a space closer to the door.  Seems to defeat the whole reason for being there!

Aerobic activity comes in many forms and you can benefit from the time you spend in doing them. The benefits of aerobic exercise are good for your body and your mind and will help you to lose weight,  make you live longer, stay healthier and feel dynamite at the same time! 

When you add those benefits to diet and weight training there is nothing that can stand in the way of the goals you have set for yourself.

“I run because I can!”

I did it!  I stepped on the scale in the locker room after my workout today and was ecstatic to see the counter weight settle in at 179 3/4 lbs.  That is the first time in over 30 years that I have been under 180!!   My goal is 175 which I will reach within the next 6 weeks but the 180 mark is a personal milestone that means alot to me. 

A little background.  I am almost 62 years old and am 5′ 10″ tall.   This is the chart that the AMA puts out on ideal height/weight ratios for men.  I have a medium frame and you can see that I should weigh maximum 163. 

I haven’t weighed 163 since high school!  Good thing I don’t have a small frame!  As an adult I have always had no problem carrying 180.  You would think with all the excercise I did that I would weigh less….and you would be right except for one small problem.  I love to eat!  I ate alot!!  But, because I exercised so much I never gained weight.  I was so fit I could eat a bathtub stopper and not gain weight.  I know there are alot of folks out there that manage their weight the same way that I always did.  And that weight maintenance plan works great when you are in your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and maybe your early 50’s.   Unfortunately, things start to change as we get older. 

First off, let me say that I have never been what anyone would call fat or overweight.  I have been a “jock” my whole life and have always exercised…many times to excess!  I have run over 20 marathons and was a top tournament handball player for over 25 years.  I tell you this not to impress you, but to impress upon you, that no matter what level of fitness you have right now or whatever your current weight is that Father Time is constantly at work behind the scenes undermining your best efforts.  He is like the great and wonderful Oz behind the curtain!  However, instead of dishing out courage, wisdom and heart, he is dispensing fatigue, weakness and the inability to do things that you used to do so easily.

I have always prided myself on my fitness but I had noticed lately that the old engine was starting to show its age and my weight was starting to head north of where I wanted it to be.   I also was not exercising as much as I had due to arthritic hip replacement surgery and a blown achilles tendon.  (If I had been a horse they would have shot me!)  Unfortunately, I was still eating the same.  The bottom line is that my weight had slowly crept up to 195!  I was, according to the charts, 30 pounds overweight and not at all happy with the way I looked or with how my clothes were starting to fit.  I decided to take the action necessary to get it all under control again. 

Hopefully, You are still reading this mea culpa because you want to change the way your body looks and feels or you just think that I tell a great story.  And that is both brave and bold. It takes guts to face your body and decide that it is time for a change.  Millions of people simply choose to ignore their bodies. (See Motion creates Emotion). You don’t have to.  It is a simple process but it does require effort.  It’s about the choices we make.  We can chose to love ourselves by taking the time necessary for exercise or we can choose to spend the same amount of time on the couch or at Starbucks.  Also, I might add, if you are a baby-boomer and think it is too late I am here to tell you that it is not.  The human body is tremendously forgiving.  All it takes is your commitment and a little time.   The rewards will be life-altering and will spill over into all other areas of your life. 

Weight loss is a very achievable goal. You can have the body you want much sooner then you think.   I am proof.  Imagine having a tight and toned body; a body that feels as good as it looks.  Imagine being able to watch your waist line shrink. Permanent weight loss is just around the corner and I can show you the way.   

The most compelling reason for weight loss is the way it makes your body feel.  When you start to lose weight your body begins to respond in a positive way. It’s exciting.   As you lose weight and gain muscle your confidence soars, your energy goes up and you will feel better about yourself than you have for years.

You have seen hundreds of diets, fad exercise routines, gimmicky eating plans and really unhealthy diet supplements.  The internet is filled with sites that promise you the world and consistently fail to deliver.  They exist only to separate the desperate from their money. Let’s face it, they insult your intelligence with their infomercial style sales pitches.  We all know what it takes to lose weight in a healthy manner and keep it off.  It’s doing it that is the challenge.  These are the 3 things that you positively, absolutely must do!

1. Watch your diet

2. Aerobic exercise

3. Weight training

 I started my program on December 17th, 2007.  Just 9 weeks ago!  As of this morning I have lost 16 pounds in 9 weeks thanks to the above mentioned 3 disciplines.  I set as my goal to be at 175 on March 19th.  In my next 3 posts I will cover each of the 3 absolutely necessary things you must do to achieve the weight and fitness level you desire.  Stay tuned for the keys to your magic kingdom.