Fit After Fifty
Russ Knight, CEAP, CACII, SAP
“The young person squanders their health
in search of wealth, while the old person squanders their wealth in search
of health” Author Unknown
Around 1971 I heard about a diet that would
allow a person to eat high volumes and still lose weight. This amazing
plan was called the Air Force Diet and it was basically the same diet that
Doctor Robert Atkins would later write a book about and rework enough to
call the Atkins Diet on his way to riches as a popular author. This diet
had some things in common with all other diets. They are all designed
to give some strict rules to allow someone to achieve their goal of weight
reduction. Most diets will meet this objective. Another common part of
all popular diets is overlooking what happens once the diet is over.
For years, the perfect diet has been as
elusive as the Holy Grail, the fountain of youth, the pot of gold at the
end of the rainbow. People truly want to find the magic diet, pill, shot,
surgery or spell that will allow them to continue believing the same things
that put them into their unfit condition. Most diets if followed
will result in lost weight, but they are not something that anyone wants
to keep up for life. People embark on these diets with a denial about what
will happen after they stop following the diet rules. Some will say, “If
I can just lose the thirty pounds, I will be careful and not put it back
on.” If that person ends the diet with the same beliefs that caused the
weight to initially be put on they will gain the weight back on and usually
some on top of that.
Similar patterns seem to abound with exercise
and workout goals. Observe any community gym in late January through
mid February. Throngs of people will make a resolution to work out, walk,
run, lift and crunch with an unrealistic dream of what will be accomplished
and the same belief about reaching a goal and then “just being careful
to not get back out of shape.” They will attempt a painful and unrealistic
schedule with the hope of quick results. By March, 99% of the resolution
maker’s will disappear from all the gyms, in no better shape than they
were in January.
After watching this phenomenon for years,
I realized there was a much smaller group of people that did make permanent
changes that allowed them to become fit and enjoy a lasting quality of
life well beyond what their peers achieved. There are a growing number
of people that have learned the principles that help them to become more
fit and enjoy a fuller life for a longer period of time.
The mistake in all of the diets as well
as the January exercise and fitness resolutions is that they call for drastic
changes for a short period of time. They are based on the false belief
that if a person can make this huge sacrifice for a period, everything
will be magically fixed. Successful long-term fitness takes the opposite
approach. Successful people learn to make small changes that will
last for life. The changes can be as varied as each individual’s
varied preferences.
Rather than join the gym with the resolution
to work out strenuously for 4 days a week after years of inactivity, look
for a change that could be made “for life.” Whatever the change,
make it small enough to keep up indefinitely. A person who is 35 pounds
overweight and has been inactive for years may start with cutting out one
type of food and committing to work out 3 hours per week. The weekly
workouts could consist of a combination of resistance training, walking
and stretching. Gains in strength and endurance will come in time.
Very small reductions in caloric intake accompanied with increased caloric
expenditures will result in weight loss. Make the changes small enough
that you believe you can keep them up indefinitely. In time these changes
will become a normal part of your routine. Once the results are seen and
appreciated, the natural decision will be to make a few more very small
and doable changes.
It is important to look for changes that
will be fun and positive and not things that will be seen as a big sacrifice.
If you just hate to run, try cycling or brisk walking. Most gyms
have elliptical trainers that are wired to TV’s and movies. Playing tennis,
swimming or basketball on a regular schedule can be great for endurance.
Find something that you like now. Your likes may change but if so, you
can change with them.
Once the successful person makes the small
changes, they will work out with: Persistency, Consistency and Intensity.
Persistency- People who will work out only
when the weather is good, when there isn’t something major going on at
work, when their family members aren’t keeping them busy, when it isn’t
the holiday season, when they aren’t tired, etc., are not going to be successful.
The people who are successful at becoming fit make it a priority. They
realize that over time, they will be better spouses, parents, grandparents,
employees, church members, students, etc., if they become and remain fit.
They make take a short break from exercise for illness but will quickly
return and not let other things become a bigger priority than their remaining
fit and healthy.
Consistency- Workouts and/or exercise can
be varied. The consistent part is in doing it several times a week,
week after week, month after month. If it becomes less fun, the option
is to change what you do, never whether you do. The possibilities are endless.
If you have a short term illness such as the flu or a bad cold, take a
break, but come back as soon as you are better. If the illness or condition
is long term, find an exercise that you can do. People with no legs learn
to play basketball from their wheel chairs; people that cannot see run
marathons. If I say I can’t, I am probably in denial.
Intensity- Improvement will come when I
push my limits, causing my body to respond and adapt. Every day won’t be
a “push my limit” day. Some days I am simply having fun and maintaining
my level of fitness. Other days, I know it is time to go a little further
than is completely comfortable. If I usually cover three miles in 35 minutes,
trying to do it in 33 minutes will not feel terrible, but it will require
intensity. If I usually cannot bench more than 280 pounds, asking someone
to spot me and while I attempt 285 will push my muscles and cause them
to try to adapt to be able to accomplish the task. Attempting small goals
for improvement can cause the body to make improvements that will never
be made at a totally comfortable level. Intensifying the effort just a
little bit can result in continuous gains.
Russ Knight is Regional Vice President
for First Sun Solutions, and is currently serving as District Director
– Upstate for the SC State Council of the Society of Human Resource Managers
SHRM.
