Good thread topic. I don’t have suggestions for you but I’ll use this as an opportunity to put down what I’ve been up to and am about to start. Maybe you or someone else will see/hear themselves in this and help them too. For me, this is more about just putting it out there to make it more real.
Me: 44 (B-day is in April so almost 45) years old, 5’9", and 239lbs. I’m mostly sedentary and work from a home office and travel for business. I do enjoy physical activities, snowboarding in the winter being the dominant one. I used to play volleyball from spring through fall in a league. Now, I’m just fat and out of shape and with little motivation for physical exercise.
What I’ve done:
My wife and I had to change our eating habits. Not a diet, just eating healthier, cooking at home and not eating out for dinner almost every night of the week. We could afford it but I’d also be lying if I didn’t say it was becoming a ridiculous unneeded expense. Eating at home was always a challenge. My wife is cooking-impaired. I can cook but would easily fall into a habit of making the same 5-7 items over and over with little variety. Digging into cookbooks and picking dinner menus for the week, collating a shopping list, etc., seemed far too much work for our very busy life and it was too easy to say “Fuck-it, let’s go out!”. Or we’d buy a bunch of food at the grocery store with no real plan for what we are going to make each night and end up wasting half of it.
A friend told us about The Fresh 20 (www.thefresh20.com) over 6 months ago and we gave it a try. We love it and have been fairly consistent in using it for our dinner planning/cooking Monday through Friday of the week. We’ve not made the same meal for dinner in over 6 months! On the weekends we still eat out a lot but at least 5 days a week for dinner we are cooking amazing food at home made of healthy organic ingredients. I feel good about this. Really good. We still get a bit giddy sometimes that we are making meals that we previously would have thought neither of us could ever pull off. There is still room for improvement on our diet for breakfast and lunch but this was a huge step for us.
What else I’ve done:
I started going to yoga once a week, beginning about 6 weeks ago. As I mentioned above, I’m 5’9" and 239 lbs and not exactly very flexible and have little core-strength. So I’ve been going to a slow-flow class that is probably still very much “yoga 101” to anyone who has been practicing for awhile. For me, it is challenging at times and also very relaxing/centering when I can get out of my own head. 99% of the time, I love it. I do get frustrated when my limitations are exposed in the harsh light of reality but overall I try to use it as a first step towards better fitness. With the extra weight, I do have some lower back problems and feet/ankle problems and this is helping in a small way. Starting tonight, I’m going to begin going 2x a week.
What I’m about to do:
I’m starting cross-fit next week. To be specific, I start my on-ramp period - 4 weeks of introductory 2x a week work-outs and training on the exercises, proper form, and evaluation. After that, then I’ll start actual cross-fit workouts. My wife just finished her on-ramp and is in her first week of regular cross-fit workouts. To be honest, I’m intimidated. My wife is 9 years my junior and although not particularly athletic she was not overweight. Sexy but not “in shape”. I’m 44 and way, way overweight for my height but in the past have always been fairly athletic. Now, I get winded over the littlest physical exertion. My feet and ankles hurt every day. My lower back too. I’m positive this is from carrying this beer-keg where my stomach used to be. I think those things will resolve themselves with conditioning and weight loss. I can accept I’m going to be sore after the work-outs, that they’re going to be hard. I’m more concerned/discouraged before I even start that I’ll physically be unable to do it and be embarrassed/frustrated. I’m afraid of looking weak in front of my wife (after all, I’m her “Big strong man!” to her but I feel fat, weak, and like crap most of the time). I’m also afraid of being this fat, lazy guy sitting on the couch as she is getting motivated and physically fit. I need change, I’m so disgusted with myself. I’m going all-in with cross-fit because I feel at this point something this intense is going to be necessary to shake me out of this rut. I don’t want to be this guy anymore. I want to be the guy who I see in my head as me.
What I still need to do:
Quit smoking for good. I used to be a heavy smoker. I’m now one of those continually quitting smokers. I cheat, a lot. I go a few days and then sneak ciggies when no one is around. To be honest, I just did it this morning - ran out to the store and bought a pack. I’ll have to toss them by 5PM and shower again because that is when my wife will be leaving work and heading home. Yes, I feel like crap for doing this. In a way I’m lying to her, although I do believe she knows I cheat. I also feel like crap because the smoking is making me physically feel that way.
So there ya’ go… I got a LOT of work to do. I’ve tried to motivate myself in the past to make these changes but always put it off, made an excuse, or half-assed it for a few weeks and then quit. I’m 44, overweight, and probably a prime candidate at this point for a very early death due to heart disease, lung cancer, or a host of other medical problems from my neglect of my own health. I love my wife, my friends, and living - I want to be around for a lot longer than I’m currently on target for. I just got to start and not quit.
MeanJoe
and my stomach is a million times flatter. And I really like the taste!