6 Rules To Improve My Health

Eating better and having an exercise routine have always been important to me.  In my teens and twenties, it was important because I wanted to look good.  In my thirties, it was because I wanted to see if I still got it.  In my forties, it is because I don’t want to lose it.  In my fifties, it will be because I want it back and in my sixties, it will be because I want to stave off death.  But I get lazy sometimes, and I really love food!  After I eat chocolate chip cookies, I’ve been known to cross my eyes while I drink my milk.

As of right now, I can best describe my body as a dad bod.  The dictionary describes the dad bod as a male physique that is relatively slim but not lean or toned.  I don’t know about relatively slim because when I bend over to put my shoes on, I quit breathing.

Reality set in last summer while I was at a waterpark with my kids.  It was the reality that I had neglected my diet and exercise routine for far too long.  There I was with my three kids standing on one of the hundreds of stairs that led to the top of a massive water slide.  There were a couple of girls that were just a few years older than my nine-year-old daughter.   My two boys who were seven and four stood there gazing at the girls.  My oldest son whispered to one of them, “I love you.” I told him to stop because that was awkward and that he doesn’t even know her.  But he continued to look right into her eyes and turn on the charm.  My youngest son who was probably somewhat influenced by his big brother, looked at me, touched my nipple and said “dad, I love your boobs.”  Everyone around us broke out in laughter, including my kids.   Shortly after that, a guy behind me said“hey man, you have a huge loogie on your back.”  I couldn’t reach it and no one would touch it, so by the time I got to the top of the slide, it had dried.  It even survived the ride itself.  I finally had to run to the wave pool and run my back across the floor in the shallow water to be free from the latched loogie.  As I laid there on my back, I decided that I was going to change things.  It wasn’t going to be for a few more months.  But that was the day I decided it.

I’ve done all kinds of diets from Atkins to the Whole 30. I’ve gone from P90x to Insanity and back again.  Some of the weight loss plans have been pretty good and on the others, I thought I was going to die.  Here’s the deal.  Most of the weight loss plans out there I find are quick fixes and the others I find hard to maintain long-term as a lifestyle.  I mean my idea of a lifestyle is not going to four different grocery stores to find a brand of hot dogs that I never knew existed so I could avoid soy.

I became a professional at failing with diets that weren’t realistic with my life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juFN1By53Yw

But during that time, I learned a lot.  If I could just have some rules to live by every day, I knew I could have a good foundation for a healthier life and build off of that.

For me, it’s all about balance, moderation and just having common sense.   

So I put together my 6 rules to improve my health:

1. I am going to count calories – For my age and weight, I should be eating around 2000 calories in order lose around a pound per week.  That also accounts for me being relatively active.  Counting calories over the years has helped me to realize just how much I eat in a day.  When I am not mindful of the calories I am eating, I usually end up taking in well over the 2000 calorie mark.  I’m surprised at how unaware I would become by scarfing down unnecessary calories that never even made a difference as to if I felt full or not.  As a side note, I will be more aware of eating healthy calories as opposed to just any calories.
2. I am going to watch my carbs – Based on of my 2000 calories a day plan, I should be eating about 250 carbs a day.  But I counted a few times and I was eating in upwards of 400.  Eating fewer carbs will help me to burn fat.  If I just eat fewer calories and not watch my carbs, I may lose weight, but I may not lose much fat.  So watching both my calories and carbs is essential.
3. I am going to eat at least 3-6 times a day – For me, this really means eating breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack and dinner.  Eating several times a day will help control my appetite which ultimately will help me eat less.  As a side note, I won’t eat anything after 7 pm because my body is more likely to store those calories than burn them.
4. I am going to do cardio – This one is easy for me!  I love cardio.  I love to run.  It helps clear my mind.  I burn calories.  I sweat.  I increase my endurance and improve my cardiovascular system.
5. I am going to do weight training – This one is hard for me.  I don’t really like to lift weights.  But it is essential, especially at my age to build muscle.  The older I get, the faster I lose muscle, thus the dad bod.  So I need to chisel up and turn those boobs into pecs.
6. I am going to drink more water – Ok, I thought weight training was the hard one, but it’s really drinking water.  I love soda.  But if I have cold water from a bottle and right after a workout, I will start to crave it.  I should be drinking half of my body weight in ounces of water a day.  That’s almost five 20 ounce bottles a day.  And the benefits of drinking water are endless.  Drinking plenty of water promotes weight loss, improves skin complexion, flushes out toxins and a host of other things.

In the end, no matter how effective the weight loss plan might be,  if you don’t stick to it, you will never see the benefits anyway.  But these 6 rules to improve my health are hard to argue with and I think they are realistically something I can do and build on long term.

What’s your weight loss plan?