It was almost two years ago that I took a straightforward review of my naked body in the mirror. Weird, I know. It looked okay then; maybe just a little bit larger than it was the last time I checked; and when was that? Probably the last time I went away on vacation:
to a lake house, with my family, where I wore a bathing suit…in 200?
The fact is, I don’t spend loads of time checking out my body in the mirror. Usually I find just enough time each morning to shower, fix my hair and make-up, put on some clean clothes and begin my day. So imagine my surprise when I decided to do an accurate assessment of my body recently. Something(s) changed over the past few years (biggest hint… my clothes weren’t fitting properly) and I wasn’t pleased.
Fortunately, I’ve always been interested in the benefits of proper nutrition and exercise. Those are the core ingredients of longevity. However, as we mature (which sounds nicer than “age”), our bodies go through a series of changes. These are inevitable. Not even Joan Rivers can deny that fact. My focus is on what changes need to be made and how I plan to accomplish these changes. I’ll start by affirming that everyone is different and no diet or exercise plan is right for each person. In addition, physical ability, medical condition, environment, emotional health and even financial position are issues that must be carefully examined prior to selecting an appropriate plan if one is to achieve long lasting success.
It took me a decade to be where I am today; and I dutifully earned every spot and wrinkle that may appear to the naked eye. The changes that took place within me did so gradually so I can’t expect a miracle overnight. I needed to assess a few things before embarking on this journey into developing a method of making a committed change; similar to the “Biggest Loser” but without all the drama and fleeting fame and fortune attached. Personally, I want to lose about 15 lbs. and tighten/strengthen my muscles. But these pounds have been difficult to lose so far and I’m currently unable and unwilling to spend money on a gym membership.
I researched countless diets, meal plans, online programs and the like for a long time and have found all these plans to be lacking in certain areas. Very few of them are individualized. It may be well to divide people into categories for age and health conditions which the majority of programs do but that leaves out some crucial factors that, without given proper consideration, puts followers at a disadvantage.
I subscribe to numerous newsletters regarding this subject however I did not expect to discover the massive amount of propaganda marketed to the public. On one site alone (I won’t mention the publisher), they had 210 books, journals and DVD’s, in their media repertoire. Here are only a few of the titles I found:
- Big Book of 15 minute workouts
- The Belly Melt Diet
- Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight
- Slim Calm Sexy Diet
- Turn Up Your Fat Burn
- Grill This Not That
- The 17 Day Diet Expanded Edition
- The Vitamin D Diet
- The Carb Sensitivity Program
- Eat This, Not That! 2013
- Cook Yourself Sexy
- 7 Day Slim Down
- The Hunger Fix
- Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight Journal
- The Paleo Diet for Athletes
- The New! Abs Diet for Men
- 400 Calorie Fix
- Walk Off Weight
- Turn Up Your Fat Burn
- Flat Belly Diet
- And so on – 210 total!
- LL Cool J Platinum 360 Diet and Lifestyle
The Diet Detective’s All-American Diet offers a “Build-A-Meal” approach to selecting food from supermarkets and restaurants and they say, “It’s that simple: Readers can simply go to the supermarket and start shedding pounds.” https://www.rodalestore.com/weight-loss/the-diet-detective-s-all-american-diet.html Wow, what a statement! Can you imagine the overload sifting through the remaining titles?
Please don’t get me wrong; I’m not advocating boycotting these diet plans, I’m only cautioning you to take a good, hard look at YOU; your age, health condition, exercise motivation, occupation, family background, financial position and the like. There is so much more to achieving health and fitness success than following directions in a book. Plus, what the heck fun is that? I know from personal experience that the key factor for success in any plan is motivation. That’s not achieved solely by following orders. How to achieve it is another topic which I’ll be posting soon.
My health and fitness directive is in its infancy and will be featured in upcoming posts. I’ve been researching with experts in the dietary/nutrition/medical fields and I’m brainstorming for now. Most of my ducks are in the water and I’m on my way to achieving my goals. I hope those of you who would appreciate a different approach will follow along with me!
“Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” ~ Mark Twain
Fun and Fitness at Fifty 