ArcticDiver
Contributor
Last March after a time of comparing my strength and fitness to others and deciding that I was doing OK I woke up. I realized it wasn't that I was doing so good; it was that most people were doing so bad. Then I remembered some years ago when I had no trouble at all running 10 or 12 miles just for the solitude and fun. I ate right and exercised right and kept my mind on focus. Somewhere that all slipped away. I was still above average fitness, but that, in today's world, isn't very good.
So, I started a spinning class and polished off what I knew about eating. Over the summer I've cycled, or spun just about every day. Today I'm 23 pounds lighter, back in the same size jeans I wore in high school, cardio fitness immensely better, free weights are down a couple percent but reps are up. Blood pressure is down and mental attitude is way up. Wonderful!
What have I learned, or re-learned?
-The most important part of the body for fitness is the brain. Fitness is first and foremost a decision followed by the attitude to live right for the rest of your life.
-Unfit people don't like to be around fit people. It must give them guilt feelings. Or, at least trigger their excuse gland.
-Diet is a Dirty Word. Diet in our society means something a person does for a short time then goes back to "real life". Good eating isn't a short term thing.
-Nutrition is a life long practice to eat right.
-The longer the contents label on food the more likely it is to be killing you slowly.
-Beware industrial food; most of the stuff in the supermarket. It is cheap up front. But, the poor health over the long haul isn't.
-It is Good To Be Hungry. It keeps you in touch with your body and helps you eat for health, not emotion, including boredom.
-All exercise is good. More exercise is better. Intense exercise is best.
-Rest is important. When a body and mind are well rested they are happier and so is the person.
-Almost all diet and exercise books are good for one thing; making money for their authors. They take advantage of the human desire for a short term "magic pill". Reality is that there aren't any magic pills. Us humans were made to work our brains and bodies.
-There are lots of "tricks" to help a person get on track to being fit. None of them work unless the person has decided that The Fundamental Foundation of Life is being physically and mentally fit.
-The basic rule is: Take Care Of Yourself First, Or You Won't Be Able To Take Care Of Anybody Else. Taking care of yourself first isn't self-indulgence. It is the action of a person who is a responsible member of society.
I hope some folks will see this and say: "If that guy can do it so can I".
So, I started a spinning class and polished off what I knew about eating. Over the summer I've cycled, or spun just about every day. Today I'm 23 pounds lighter, back in the same size jeans I wore in high school, cardio fitness immensely better, free weights are down a couple percent but reps are up. Blood pressure is down and mental attitude is way up. Wonderful!
What have I learned, or re-learned?
-The most important part of the body for fitness is the brain. Fitness is first and foremost a decision followed by the attitude to live right for the rest of your life.
-Unfit people don't like to be around fit people. It must give them guilt feelings. Or, at least trigger their excuse gland.
-Diet is a Dirty Word. Diet in our society means something a person does for a short time then goes back to "real life". Good eating isn't a short term thing.
-Nutrition is a life long practice to eat right.
-The longer the contents label on food the more likely it is to be killing you slowly.
-Beware industrial food; most of the stuff in the supermarket. It is cheap up front. But, the poor health over the long haul isn't.
-It is Good To Be Hungry. It keeps you in touch with your body and helps you eat for health, not emotion, including boredom.
-All exercise is good. More exercise is better. Intense exercise is best.
-Rest is important. When a body and mind are well rested they are happier and so is the person.
-Almost all diet and exercise books are good for one thing; making money for their authors. They take advantage of the human desire for a short term "magic pill". Reality is that there aren't any magic pills. Us humans were made to work our brains and bodies.
-There are lots of "tricks" to help a person get on track to being fit. None of them work unless the person has decided that The Fundamental Foundation of Life is being physically and mentally fit.
-The basic rule is: Take Care Of Yourself First, Or You Won't Be Able To Take Care Of Anybody Else. Taking care of yourself first isn't self-indulgence. It is the action of a person who is a responsible member of society.
I hope some folks will see this and say: "If that guy can do it so can I".
