This post will tell you why!
Imagine the scene...
I am once again travelling around Scotland.
I really do love the place.
Mainly due to its amazing scenery.
It is the Easter break and I have managed another trip.
I am exploring areas in the west, and not for the first time, I stop in Oban, to grab a shower in the leisure centre there.
Once refreshed I head back to the car park which is 3 floors down.
I open the door, head down the stairs and then, just one floor below, I see it.
There it is.
I don’t recall seeing one for ages.
For some reason I am excited.
A proper weighing scale.
There, right in front of me. (The big round type with the massive pointer).
I've always loved these.
My digital scales at home are unreliable so it has been a good while since I have stepped on them.
Over 6 months.
I am confident.
These type of scales are accurate.
So, I pop in the 20 pence coin and await the news.
Mmmmmmm!
Describing the news?
Mmmmmmm!
Describing my reaction?
Okay.
Well to be honest, the news has me looking around. It really does.
Over my left shoulder then over my right.
Behind me.
What am I looking for?
What do I think is there you may ask?
WELL! I was looking for the rhino that had put one of its feet on my scales.
Surely it was around somewhere! Unfortunately for me, it was not. Several thoughts were passing through my head.
I have never been this heavy before!
I knew I had to face it
There was an elephant in the room and it was ME!
The dilemma
Well. I am on holiday.
I plan to be away for 2 weeks and this is only day five.
I usually over indulge a tad when I am away so the news is not good.
I have numerous Scottish fish suppers planned as well as beers in the pubs.
Not forgetting the odd glass of red wine while relaxing.
Please do not judge me.
Remember...this blog is aimed at life balance!
So, I make a decision.
There is not much I can do about my current weight revelation right now without seriously jeopardizing the extent to which I will enjoy my vacation. So, I, in my usual fashion, decide to put off any deep thought into the matter until I return from my wanderings.
After all, I am probably doing much more walking than usual as I have had a very sedentary winter. True.
I tell myself it is undoubtedly the reason for my expanding paunch.
So that is what I do.
Post return...
So how am I going to go about this? Let's explore the options.
Option A- The fast track
This would involve drastically cutting out many things that I regularly enjoy putting into my body. Examples include, wine, beer, desserts, sugar in coffee etc.
Plus following an exercise program.
Option B- slowly slowly catchy monkey
This would involve not cutting out all of the things that I enjoy but reducing them.
Plus following an exercise program.
The decision was easy. I knew that I had a better chance of maintaining option B.
Mainly because there is absolutely NO WAY I am cutting wine from my diet!
In fact, I really cannot comprehend why I ever thought of A as an option in the first place.
PLEASE NOTE!
I am not a health guru and I am not a doctor but I have spent years getting to know myself and I am pretty astute when it comes to the issue of what I am capable of.
Trust me.
Option A was a non-starter.
And...
Yes I know that there are loads of people on the internet and in books talking about quick ways to loose weight and I am sure they would implore me to try option A.
But lets be honest, most people who have my sort of diet would prefer option B.
At least some chance of success, I reckon, rather than setting the bar too high and failing early on.
I am looking for sustainability.
So here is what I am trying...
Exercise
There were some decisions to make.
Home or gym?
How often?
What type of exercise?
Home or gym?
I contemplated joining a gym but quickly realised that I have done that before in the past. I kept up routines in the summer months but failed dismally in the winter. Plus, I live in a more rural location now and the local gyms do not get brilliant reviews.
I decided to stick to exercising at home.
Frequency
I knew this had to be manageable.
So some research was necessary.
Well...
...it's a minefield!
Aerobic v anaerobic, high intensity v low intensity, cardio v strength training and the list goes on.
Suggested workout times can vary greatly.
The common factor seems that none of them advocate drinking wine!
But another theme seems to be the need for some form of rest between workouts to allow muscles to relax and grow.
That bit sounds good!
So I have decided on exercising 3 to 4 times a week for about half an hour.
It's a start, which is the hardest part, after all.
Apparently, it takes between 2 months and 3 months to form a new habit.
This was a figure reached by a peer review journal in 2021 which I found in an article on PsychCentral.
This does obviously vary for different people.
'Starting small' is also mentioned as being a key to many people achieving success.
What exercise should I do?
A big factor for me when considering this was related to what equipment I possess.
Not a lot really. A couple of very old dumbbells and some resistance bands.
So, basically, I will be taking a low tech approach.
Luckily for me, this is not as strange as it seems.
An article on the 'health' website suggests 4 potential routes to take for home workouts.
High-Intensity Interval Training
At-Home Strength Training
Dance for Weight Loss
At-Home Yoga Workout.
None of these require lots of equipment.
I can narrow these down quickly.
I'm no dancer.
I used to do yoga many years ago. I loved the breath aspects...BUT....I am not at all supple so I actually found it quite painful.
High-Intensity training sounds, quite honestly, INTENSE. Maybe something I can work up to.
So, At-Home Strength Training is where I will start.
Reducing what I put in my body
Never easy this one!
For me, that is mainly because up until I was about 40 years of age, I could eat and drink whatever I liked and my weight would stay the same.
As time has passed I have seen a seven pound increase every 5 years!
I am not really interested in why this is happening unless I can rectify the situation.
So what does "the science say" ?
Well it did dispel part of what I thought I knew about age related weight gain!
Metabolism myth!
I just took it for granted that we gain weight as we age because our metabolism slows down.
However, in recent years research has shown that while it does indeed slow down, there is not a significant drop off until post 60 years of age.
So I can't blame all of my weight woes on this!
What about testosterone?
Now I may be onto something.
In a 2022 article on the pharmica website it does mention this as a factor.
After the age of 40, testosterone levels in men drop by between 1-2% a year.
As testosterone plays a part in regulating fat distribution, muscle mass and strength, it means the body is not so effective in burning calories.
To add insult to injury , at around the same time, the production of growth hormone declines, which makes it harder to make and maintain muscle mass.
Oh to be 20 again!
Age-Related Muscle Loss
This surprised me.
Apparently, at around age 30, the amount of lean muscle on our body begins to drop.
Plus, if you are not physically active, you can expect a drop of 3-8% a decade in muscle loss.
So in relation to food and drink I have come to a conclusion...
I know that my everyday diet is no worse than it was in the past.
In many respects I think it is better.
I have not increased what I eat over the past decade.
However, I can see that my body just isn't the same machine that it used to be.
In terms of burning calories and gaining muscle, it needs more help from me.
The bottom line
Without being too scientific...
I am just not active enough!
This is echoed in a 2017 article in the Independent, which also down plays the metabolic effect.
The article concludes that age related weight gain comes down to a 'simple but changeable truth.'
As we get older, we get less and less active.
I have highlighted other factors throughout this post but please read the previous sentence again!
It truly is the bottom line.
Which is pretty much what I initially thought, after stepping on those scales.
Something else to consider...
Due to the issue of reducing muscle mass as we age, the consumption of enough protein rich foods is important.
This is a fact highlighted on the healthline website. This can also help with the slower metabolic rate as the body burns more calories while consuming,digesting and absorbing protein rich foods. It is known as the thermic effect of food.
The article also mentions two of the forms of exercise I have previously mentioned as being effective.
i.e. Resistance/Strength Training and High-Intensity Interval Training.
What is out there that can help?
I think you can see how I basically think about exercise at this time in my life.
I probably need to do more now than I have in some time.
Maybe you can identify with this.
But, as I said before, I want whatever I do to be sustainable.
A lot of programs I see online are not really pitched at what I am looking for.
Mainly because they are geared to more motivated people who want a 'six pack in a month'.
Or there is a stricter diet regime than I intend to follow.
I did find a few that may interest people...
For women
This one focuses on 7-10 minutes a day workouts which involve movement patterns that burn fat, tone the body and restore metabolism.
For men
This program focuses on less repetitions to maximise workouts while using basic exercises at home.
This one is similar in terms of reps and maximisation. It is targeted for over 40's.
I had to include this next one, although I intend to start more slowly, but hey, this guy is looking really good for his age and you can do it at home. You do not need a gym. For 40's, 50's and 60's.
Thanks very much for reading.
This post is all about my personal reaction to the passing of time and the effect on one's body.
I hope it has been in some way helpful.
We all look in the mirror and wince sometimes.
I'm just happy I'm still breathing :)
Thanks very much for reading
Please feel free to get in touch via the contact page if you feel so inclined.
Or add a comment.
Wish me luck
Best wishes to you
Paul
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