Fitness 2012 — how’s it going?

Many people — perhaps you, too — set fitness goals for 2012.

If you are like most people, your dieting and workout regimen started out great! You were enthusiastic, eager to shed those pounds and unveil a new, thinner you.

The first few pounds came off easily as your body got used to the initial shock of decreased calories and increased movement. But after the 4th day, you’d plateaued, and all this hunger and exercise didn’t seem worth it any more. Then the weekend arrived and your friends were all going out for pizza and beer….

And here you are.

That’s okay!

You have not failed … yet.

Taking the weekend off is fine. The problem many people have is getting back into the fitness program on Monday. Back on the diet. Back into the exercise.

Being fit is not easy, it takes effort, sticking to a program.  We’re adults, we can do that, right?

  • Have you decided that you need to get off that blood pressure medication? Then you need to get fit!
  • Have you decided that you are sick of being out of breath after one flight of stairs? Then you need to get fit!
  • Have you decided that carrying around those extra pounds makes you look like a fat tub of goo? Then you need to get fit!

You had already come to one of the above — or another more personal to you — conclusions only a few days ago. Was your resolve so weak that here we are 7 days later and now you are thinking, “Well, really, it’s okay for me to be fat / have high blood pressure / gasp for air / [insert your own challenge here]”? I’m guessing you are not thinking that.

So get back on it.

If you stick with it, you can create a new, fit lifestyle for yourself, a lifestyle where it’s weird if you have dessert after a meal, where it’s odd if you skip a workout, where it’s strange if you eat that whole pizza by yourself.

You can create a lifestyle where you feel good about the way you look and feel. As they say, ain’t nothing to it but to do it.

People get way too hung up on age

I just read a status update on Facebook about someone being (jokingly) upset that someone else had exposed her age.

This is actually quite a common reaction among people — especially women for some reason — but why is it even a factor in our way of thinking?

There are only a few ages we really need to care about in the United States.

  • 5-years-old – Start school
  • 16-years-old – Get a driver’s license
  • 18-years-old – Vote
  • 21-years-old – Legally drink alcohol

That’s about it.

Outside those ages — except maybe 50-years-old, when it’s time to start getting colonoscopies (yikes!), and 40-years-old for women and mammograms — nothing else matters.

So why are we so obsessed with age?

This obsession can paralyze us, because, yes, as we get older, we do seem to have more medical problems. The problem is that we just tend to accept this fact: Older = More Medical Problems.

  • Of course I have high blood pressure. I am old! (That was me.)
  • Of course I am overweight. I am old! (That was me.)
  • Of course I have type 2 diabetes. I am old! (That was almost me.)

ENOUGH!

Stop using “old” as an excuse. Your body may not be as resilient at it used to be, and you may need to take it a little easier — at least at first — but you can still push it.

Even if you can’t move very well, put down the donuts and ice cream and start eating right. Turn the damn tv off and get some steps in.

I tell you this stuff, because that was me! I was at the point where I knew I needed to get into better shape, but I thought I was just too old.

I was not too old to get fit and neither are you.

Yes, as we hang around this planet longer, something is bound to creep up on us. But it’s time to stop worrying about what you can’t help, and start doing something about what you can — and stop worrying about your age already!