Just move....

Staring at a new year often brings hope for renewal but also breed some regret. I recently made a new friend who is a cardiologist. He is 78 years old and still practicing. (I did not know this at the time I met him and would have guessed he was in his late 50's.) I have worked in healthcare/human performance for 30+ years with much of that in the physical rehab realm with a focus on holistic health. Admittedly, I have a fascination with people who are outwardly healthy in the 70 - 90+ age bracket with little to no Rx meds and I try to understand what they have done to maintain.

I knew my cardiologist friend had started utilizing a physical therapist/coach to design a daily/weekly routine and I was curious. My philosophy with movement/exercise at any age follows the K.I.S.S. principle. He does some form of movement daily 10 - 60 minutes depending on the day and adds in resistance work 2-3X/week.

He shared from what he has learned from so many years practicing medicine is you are only as healthy in a decade of life as how you entered it. In other words if you entered your 60's healthy and happy with where you were and you maintain that course - diet, exercise, and mental health you should enter your 70's in a similar fashion. Consistently he has seen people 70+ have a medical incident (isolated) and never recover because they chose not to push through and simply "MOVE".

This was encouraging to me but there are a lot of factors that go into this. My goal is to move more in '23 than I did in '22. I don't believe in resolutions but do attempt to improve year over year & day to day. I don't own a 'smart watch' but track movement on my phone. With a history of diabetes in the family tree I also try to be careful about what/when I eat.

Anyone else making significant changes?

I've lost 94.2 pounds now since 9/1/21. Moving is important, but so is diet. I eat a single serving size of protein at a meal and then eat a boatload of low calorie, nutrient dense fruits and vegetables. I try to eat 4 to 5 sides with my protein every meal...squash, green onions, asparagus, sweet potatoes, avocadoes, radishes, beets, cucumbers, mushrooms, nuts for healthy fats, beans, etc. I try to eat a variety to keep things interesting. Foods play a bigger role in our health than most people realize. Foods that contain processed sugars are very inflammatory and damaging to the body inside out.

So, yes, move. I spent 2.5 to 3 hours a day 6 days a week from June 6 to October 15 in my pool walking, swimming, etc. I now walk most days along with lifting weights or use resistance bands. Foods, however, trump it all.

Eat less, move around more.

That plan works 100% of the time.

85% of weight loss is diet. Exercise is super important too but will not work alone.

Side effects of a good diet and exercise are less health problems, longer life and higher quality of life.

Good work Lonestar, you are right sugar is the devil!

Interesting percentage.

Congrats on your progress and awesome testimony. Could not agree more....you will never out work/out move your fork.