Most men have an inward desire to be in shape. Being in shape and presenting a good physique is a sign of discipline. It is something that the world will look at and understand that it came with hard work. But let’s be honest, life happens.
As we get older and take on more responsibility (jobs, family, etc.), life can get in the way. It doesn’t mean that we are not disciplined but what it can be a sign of is that we are not focused. As I am writing this, I am about 6 weeks away from turning 50. I still can’t believe it. I don’t know where the time has gone. Approaching this huge milestone has also caused me to reflect on some things and if I am being honest, I have had moments where doubt tries to creep in discouraging me from still working to be fit.
I have a daughter who is an incredible gymnast and who has been competing for the last five years. Her training regimen is hard to even imagine with her putting in upwards of 20 hours a week in the gym. I have a son that turning 16 in a few months and doesn’t even realize the potential that he has with his physique. He plays soccer but I also know that he needs me to give him that extra push so that he can realize and then maximize his own potential. I said all of this to say, I don’t have any viable excuses. I need to get on top of things in my health.
Workout with my son and Brian Mack
About 18 months ago, I went through a stressful time which caused me to lose a lot of weight. I dropped from about 245lbs to 220lbs in a couple of months. Although I received the kudos for losing the weight, most didn’t know what came with it. But the truth is, I liked being at that weight and now needed to figure out how to make the actual lifestyle changes to maintain it.
I am currently around 233lbs and have a goal to get to the 215 lb mark. So what’s the plan and what tips can I share if you may be on a similar journey? Let’s talk about it.
LIST YOUR OVERALL FITNESS GOALS
What is the overall fitness goal? To lose weight? To gain muscle? To eat better? For me, it was really all of the above. I want to lose weight and gain muscle.
TROUBLE AREAS
For me, my trouble areas that I need to address are my midsection and chest. Without question, I know the midsection will be addressed through my diet. Chest development is going to come with focused weight training for that body part. I also want to improve my overall cardio. I do A LOT of walking for work but it needs to be more intense for my overall cardiovascular health.
FOOD IS THE CULPRIT
Controlling that fork would bring so much success. I know it, you know it, yet it is still one of the biggest hurdles when it comes to getting in shape. For me, the main culprit is SUGAR. Sugar is in everything and it is so addictive. A big help for me is limiting the amount of sugar that I drink in juices, sodas, etc.
I am cutting sodas and if I do happen to drink any juices, I will be watering it down to cut the sugar intake.
Let’s also talk about eating schedule. I am not a big breakfast person. I unknowingly began to do intermittent fasting before I even knew what it happened to be. Intermittent Fasting (IF) is the process of only eating within a certain window of the day. Most people start with an 8-hour feeding window and try to cut it down to maybe 6. So what that may look like is you can start eating at say noon and have your last meal before 8 pm. This has been extremely helpful for me. You will be surprised at how much you can go without overstuffing yourself once you get on a good regimen. What you want to avoid is eating and then lying down to go to bed shortly after. So with that, you may want to adjust your eating window based on your schedule. If you are someone that works different hours, adjust for that too. You need to make sure you are keeping your energy levels where they need to be so that you can be functional for your day.
What issues do you have with food? Whatever they are, write them down and be honest with yourself about them.
GIVE YOURSELF SOME GRACE
I know firsthand what it is like to want to go hard at the beginning and then flame out. The muscles start hurting, your energy is off because of the diet change, etc. I have also thought it best to cut out 1 or 2 of the foods that are your vices when you start and slowly move to cut down more along your journey. Going cold turkey usually doesn’t work for an extended period. You have to prove to yourself that you can trust yourself to be consistent and to meet the goals that you set. Make sure you are setting ACHIEVABLE goals. Start small and then make the goals bigger as you build the better habits.
THINGS WILL HURT
Inevitably, if you are on this journey as an older father, there are going to be some parts of your body that are already bothering you. It’s not an excuse to not put forth the effort. It just means that you are going to have to make adjustments, one of which could be putting your ego aside. Your middle-aged ego will have you going to the gym and grabbing weights like you’re 21 again. That’s not going to work LOL.
One thing I am sure most of us could afford to do more of is STRETCHING! I am making an effort to stretch in the morning and evening, even if it isn’t for long periods, just something to stay functional. Lack of stretching also leads to more injuries as you get older.
BE ACCOUNTABLE
Find an accountability partner. Find someone that you can share your goals with and who ideally may want to join you on this journey.,.It is very easy to fall off if we think we can get away with it because no one knows what’s going on.
Lastly, let your children motivate you to do this. Of course, you must do this for your FIRST, but let them see you put in the hard work. It will encourage them. We should all strive to become the best versions of ourselves.