I made some edits to this post on 11/07/21.
As a 56 year old American male who weighs about the same that I did in 9th grade and can fit into the same Levi's, I thought I would make a list of things I do and don't do to stay fit and active. I'm not saying my methods or habits will work for anyone else, but they work for me.
First I will point out the totally obvious thing. Americans typically eat way too much food and there just aren't enough hours in the day to work off the excess calories. If you want to be fit it has to start with eating right. The good thing is you can eat any of the foods you like, just not too much or too often. But you can't go on plowing through super sized meals thinking you can work it off at the gym later. It doesn't work like that.
What I DON'T do.
- I don't eat breakfast. I might have a spoonful of Greek yogurt, some pecans or a piece of fruit but not for a few hours after I wake up.
- I don't eat a meal for lunch. maybe some veggies and nuts. I do have a weakness for dark chocolate chips, I finish off a whole bag in a couple weeks time by sneaking a few here and there.
- I don't have a gym membership, go to any gyms or use a treadmill. I have a short daily workout at home.
- I don't take protein supplements, slim-fast type mixtures or prescription drugs other than antibiotics very occasionally.
- I don't have different workouts on different days of the week. Its the same routine, 7 days a week.
- I don't ever try to max out to see how much I can lift or squat. Why risk injury to see how much you can lift?
- I don't sit much ever. I have used a stand-up desk at work for years and even now working from home I stand just about all day long.
- I don't eat or drink things with a lot of sugar. Sugar is low grade poison. Get it out of your diet as much as possible. Leftover Halloween candy is my weakness
- I don't spend useless hours arguing on Social Media. It's one thing to make a comment or say your peace. Its quite another to get into long drawn out pointless arguments.
- I don't watch cable news except for occasionally. Maybe a half- hour spread over a week. When I do it is for the information, I am not much interested in the commentary.
What I DO.
- I drink large amounts of black coffee starting early and right up to dinner. About 10-12 cups a day. Yeah I know.
- I eat a large dinner of real food which may or may not include meat, but only occasionally red meat. Processed foods are avoided for the most part. When you only eat one meal a day you can cut loose. I've found that 1 large meal per day is more satisfying than 3 skimpy meals per day.
- I walk a lot. 10,000 steps at least and as much of it as possible outside to get fresh air and sunshine. My 12-month rolling average is currently 11,900 steps per day.
- I complete a 5 minute workout every day that includes 25 reps with a 25 pound weight for arm exercises and squats, 2 minutes of planking, and 10 reps bench pressing 165 pounds. Its a quick but challenging workout, I'd guess maybe 1 of 100 men my age could do it. But I recover fast and I'm back to whatever I was doing before in no time. I added a time lapse video below that shows the entire workout in 22 seconds.
- I donate blood to the Red Cross as often as I can. For whatever reason I feel more energized in a way after donating blood, I think the turnover does your body some good. Anyway, its a good way to get your vitals checked, you get a free Covid-19 antibody test, you get a granola bar and some cheeze-its and oh by the way someone out there needs your donation. I'll reach 50 units in a couple more months.
- I avoid eating anything for at least a 12 hour period every day, and try to eat most my food at dinner, around 5 pm.
- I listen to loud music, play my guitar(s) and sing rock songs (as in belt it out) every day and I have for decades. Music soothes and exercises the mind even if it is hard rock or techno at 130 bpm and singing forces you to breathe fully in ways that you will never do in normal conversation. I have no idea why I have still have excellent hearing unlike most of my siblings, but there is no question that I have been exposed to much more loud music and industrial noise than any of them. I know ears don't develop immunity to loud noises, but there must be some explanation.
- I watch episodes of the MTV show Ridiculousness as often as possible, binge watching is not unusual. Laughter is the best medicine. You need a dose everyday and there is nothing else that works for me like this show.
- I read books. Long detailed books from different genres. It resets your mind and changes your perspective slightly when you read books. My experience is that people who read books think at a deeper level than people who don't.
- I sleep well at generally consistent times. The more you get good sleep, the more you want to make sure you get good sleep.
- The latest change to my routine is that I jump in the shower as soon as I turn the water on instead of waiting for it to heat up. I started doing this after a trip to the Upper Peninsula this past Summer when I discovered diving into Lake Superior and how 45 seconds of cold water resets your entire perspective on the day.
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