Things I Gnome for sure …
Looking in the mirror I thought to myself, you look as dumpy as a garden gnome. I did look dumpy and frumpy and bloated and most of the other seven dwarfs – except Doc, I’m not good around blood. It’s been ten months since I decided to get what was my rapidly growing ass in gear and reduce its heft. With consistent effort I managed to do that to the tune of 40 pounds. Along the way I’ve learned several valuable lessons. For what it’s worth, I thought I’d share a couple.
Getting in shape is not that hard. One of the problems with being out of shape is that we’re soft, physically and mentally. If there’s a master list titled, “the hardest things to do in life”, getting in shape isn’t on it. Putting your dog down, ending a relationship, suffering through a disease, going to rehab, starting over in a new country, crocheting a space shuttle, are all hard and on the list. Taking a brisk daily walk, doing some body weight exercises, and watching what you eat, will get you in shape and, I’m sorry, but they do not qualify as hard. If you’d asked me 10 months ago, I would have had a different opinion. In my view they all would have made the hard list but today I recognize that they’re easy.
The problem with these easy things is they’re easy not to do. It’s easy to skip the walk, blow off the exercise and have an extra cookie or three. It’s easy to not worry about that 5 or 10 or 20 extra pounds. A recent Harris Poll found that 61% of adults (US based) reported their weight had fluctuated in the past year. Those who had added weight, gained an average of 29 pounds. TWENTY NINE pounds! Think of it, these people are carrying around the equivalent of a huge thanksgiving turkey – a big ass butterball. Hell, I was carrying around a second grader before I decided to drop the load. No, the easy thing is to not change. The good news is, you’re one decision away from a different life.
The way to turn it all around isn’t hard. It starts by making the decision to change and then heading out the door for a brisk walk. That’s exactly what I did. I made the decision to change, and I started to walk. I walked hard every day. Slowly I added elements to the mix. Once I had a decent level of fitness, meaning I wouldn’t keel over from a heart attack, I added some running to the walking. Next I added some simple body weight exercises to the routine. Then, I decided to monitor what I ate. I did some research and decided to try intermittent fasting.I built all of this up slowly over months until I found myself running most days, working out every other day, eating only two meals a day and missing forty pounds of fat. It took determination and consistency, but what it wasn’t was hard.
Being consistent is the key. I’m a regular guy with at best, average skill, and ability. No matter how hard you squint your eyes you’d never confuse me for an athlete. I’m not fast, or strong, or particularly co-ordinated. What I am is consistent. I do the same thing pretty much every day. I eat the same breakfast/lunch every day. I exercise daily. I go to bed at the same time every night. Being consistent is what has helped me get into the best shape I’ve been in for as long as I can remember. Being consistent is what enabled me to lose 40 pounds. Being consistent gives me loads of energy daily. Being consistent takes work and discipline. It forces you to identify your priorities. I had to decide that my well-being and health were the most important aspects of my life. Without them what do I have? That’s why I make exercise, eating well and sleep my main priorities. I take care of these things daily. Are there days that I mess up and miss something? Of course. Situations arise whereby I can’t exercise, eat perfectly or get to bed on time. That’s just life. But I try not to miss two days in a row. I simply try to be consistent.
Diet is fundamental. Before I started this journey I wasn’t overly concerned with my diet. It wasn’t that my diet was bad, but it wasn’t good either. I pretty much consumed whatever I wanted. I ate three square meals a day and would snack between them. If I was on the run, I’d grab whatever was convenient – a hamburger and fries, slice of pizza or burrito. I’d have a bunch of beer and some chips while watching the game. A glass of wine or two with dinner and dessert was the norm. I used to eat for how I felt in the moment with little or no thought as to how I’d feel later or what impact these choices would have on my long-term health. It was all about the now. But changing this mind set has been more challenging than exercising daily.
When I discovered how important our food choices are to good health, I soon made some substantial changes. I went down to just two meals a day and no food between dinner and lunch. I also based my food choices on how I’d feel later and their impact on my overall health. Now I have to say the pandemic lock downs gave me a real advantage because the easy fast food I used to feast on was no longer available. In this case change happened to me rather than me changing. But I managed to build on that bit of luck and by monitoring the content, quantity, and quality of food I consumed, I not only felt better but dropped a boat load of extra weight. Again, in the context of “Hard things to do in Life” this wasn’t one of them. Don’t get me wrong, it is a challenge, and my record isn’t perfect, but I aim to make good food choices every day.
This past year has been one of massive change that has taken me from being dumpy, frumpy and grumpy to feeling and looking better than I have in years. While I’m bound to face some of the harder things on that list (we all do), I feel like I’m better prepared for when they hit. I’m a little harder, both physically and mentally. Of course, I still stuck with a couple of the 7 dwarf personas including Sleepy, Dopey and best of all…Happy.
If you enjoyed these thoughts, found them mildly amusing or even got something out of it, please feel free to pass it along.
With thanks
db