Fit In My 50's

Scary Health Implications of Being Overweight

Stephen Bolin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:42:07 +0000

Weighing too much may well increase your risk for developing various health problems. If you are overweight, you may be at risk for:

*increased blood pressure levels

* Hypercholesterolemia (elevated cholesterol levels)

* Joint and knee problems

* Knee replacement surgery

* gastro-intestinal problems

* social struggles

* Low self-esteem

Being overweight is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases. Even a small reduction in body weight can decrease your chances of developing the most common chronic disorders as you get older. If you already have a health problem, losing weight can help you manage your condition. In some disorders, weight loss can help reduce and even eliminate the need for medication.

Hypertension is one of the main causes of cerebrovascular accidents that could result in having an enduring medical problem and loss of life. You can reduce your risk of developing hypertension and hypercholesterolemia if you keep your weight within a healthy range. However, you also need to know where your body stores fat. If you are like most people, your body stores fat around the abdomen, and a large amount of abdominal fat raises your likelihood of developing heart disease. Working out regularly is a sure-fire way of losing belly fat. And if your waistline is over 40 inches, you are more at risk of having hypertension.

Your body mass index is another important indicator of heart disease risk. Strive to maintain your body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9 for optimal health.

Excess weight can place additional force on your joints, particularly on your knees, hips, and lower back. Because of this extra pressure, the cartilage, which is the tissue that cushions and protects the joints, gradually wears away, causing a form of arthritis known as osteoarthritis. Over the years, the damage to the joint may be so extensive that the joint must be replaced surgically.

This type of injury is lasting and irreversible. Tendinitis, or swelling of the tendons, is also widespread among those who are overweight. Tendons, particularly the Achilles tendon that extends from the calf to the heel, could swell and get irritated even just from walking. Losing weight decreases the stress on your joints and tendons and reduces wear and tear. Losing weight can also ease the aching and swelling caused by osteoarthritis.

Now if a person is overweight the excessive fat in the abdominal cavity increases the pressure inside it. This causes the contents of the stomach to travel up into the gullet. Loss of weight reduces stomach acid reflux.

Those who are fat usually don’ t think much of themselves. Low self-esteem can affect many different aspects of health and behaviour such as social adjustment, activity engagement, and goal direction. Being picked-on is a very cruel thing and it can severely hurt the self-esteem.

People who are overweight know they have a problem. They understand that their figure or shape is not what it is supposed to be. They also know that they eat more than they should.

The problem is that they may not know how to stop this conduct. Food consoles them. They might consider themselves useless since they cannot overcome their weight issues.

But then, they might not have the necessary equipment and the much needed encouragement. They might be around people who have no problems with their weight and really cannot understand or relate to what they are going through.

These are only a small number of ways that excess weight can harmfully influence the well-being of a person. The good news is that society is becoming increasingly aware of the problem of being overweight and how to get help for it.

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3 Keys to Getting Motivated and Get Going Again

Stephen Bolin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:43:51 +0000

Motivation – what a huge subject. People have written whole books about the subject and still there is a lack of general knowledge about how you really get motivated.

So this will not be a “do all & end all” article where you can suddenly “whip” your lagging motivation into shape and right away find it easy to get in shape. No, this is more about understanding a little about how you can move in the direction of getting motivated and possibly actually doing that.

Key #1. If you are trying to break a habit, like smoking, eating and being overweight or getting off the couch and exercising, here is one simple piece of advice that will work in your favor. If you have never “tried” to quit or change a habit that is bothering you, then by all means start trying. Set a date when you will quit smoking. Set a date when you will walk for a mile. Then when the date arrives, DO IT. If you fail, don’t be hard on yourself. You are one step closer to victory. Remind yourself of that.

Key #2. “Count the cost” of your habit. You need to do this both ways – the pleasure you get from continuing the habit, and the price you are paying for diminished health by not being motivated to change. Let’s use smoking again for an example.

What kind of pay-back do you get by smoking? People say things like pleasure, relief from nervous tension, better concentration and a general feeling of well-being. Now figure out what it is costing your health. How much is it shortening your life? Are you prone to lung cancer or emphasima? What about your breath and the way people avoid you because of your “smell?” What kind of a fire danger have you already been the cause of?

If you want to be successful at quitting smoking, for example, your loss of health would need to be a stronger factor than the pleasure and the general sense of well being (though temporary) that smoking gives you.

Key#3. Dig up some good old FEAR! Yes, fear is a tremendous motivator. Fear of loss. You might lose your life, lose your spouse, lose your job, lose all your money, lose your sight, lose your sex drive or be diagnosed with cancer, diabetes or a bunch of other debilitating diseases.

If you think real hard about the health issues you face if you DON’T get motivated to start eating right, exercising, losing weight or stop smoking – what kind of fear does this create? This possibly could be the very best way to get motivated and to stay motivated.

One thing that I find that helps me a lot is the Slight Edge. I wrote about this in another post. You can read about it here: The Slight Edge

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The Slight Edge – So Easy to Do – So Easy Not to Do

Stephen Bolin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:21:18 +0000

The slight Edge is all about doing little things every day that add up over time to become big things. The problem is this: these little every day things are very easy to do. They are also easy NOT to do. There lies the catch.

Jeff Olson makes a big point about how we in the USA as a society can let our health suffer the way we do. Obesity is rampant, as is diabetes. We are a lot more obese as a culture than we were 10 years ago. How can we do this to ourselves? We do it because we don’t have a system like “The Slight Edge” to slowly bring us back on track and into being vibrantly healthy again.

Without committing to small DAILY rituals that will make a big difference down the road, we will continue on our downward spiral and wake up when we are 50 or 60 and wonder if it’s too late.

It’s never too late to start the “Slight Edge.” There are a number of different angles you can tackle – exercise, junk food, more sleep, going to the doctor, etc. But don’t bite off too much to start with. Simply start with a simple thing like a decision to have a salad instead of a greasy cheese burger.

Now are you going to feel different right away. Probably not much, if at all. But what if you keep doing this “slight edge” day after day after day. Do you think in 3 months you will see a slight difference? I think so. I believe you will be feeling different too, with more energy.

It’s your body, your life, your health, and your decision. It’s my goal to assist you in getting fit and getting more healthy every week. I just turned 61 years old, and I think about these “slight edge” things a lot.

I will be sharing more of how I am using the “Slight Edge” and my struggles and victories. Please share what you are going through too.

The “Slight Edge” is in book form and also on CD.

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Sugar Addiction – Part 1 – The Sweet and Deadly Killer

Stephen Bolin — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:45:44 +0000

I was at Little League baseball practice with my son, and on a Sunday afternoon, it was a great time to be with the boys and also with their fathers. I was in the outfield with another father named John, trying to be helpful shagging balls.

John is a retired psychologist, who specialized in ADHD. One thing he said about sugar just stopped me in my tracks. We were talking about ADHD and he said that ADHD medication has been saving thousands of people’s lives because they are no longer self-medicating themselves with sugar. Wow! I’ve never before thought about that connection. How many people who don’t know they have ADHD are still medicating themselves with soda, candy bars, ice cream and doughnuts? People are trying to cope any way they can, but little do they know what kind of a price they are paying for their addiction to sugar.How many other people are using sugar to mask the pain of failure and guilt? They use alcohol and drugs too. But sugar addiction is so rampant and so universal, that no one even thinks there is a problem. Even the medical community keeps quiet.

My conversation with John, out on the baseball field, produced in me a desire to take another look at a subject that I have been very passionate about. And that is learning how pervasive the addiction to sugar has become in the United States and the increasing threat that this addiction is to the overall health of our population.

This website is not about the masses, but it is all about your health and mine. So my focus in Part 2 will be:

A. How sugar addiction is literally killing us and taking years off of our lives.
B. How our addiction to sweets is negatively impacting the daily quality of life. You’ll learn how sugar robs you of the currency of life – your energy.

In Part 3 we’ll take a look at the Mega Sugar Industry, and how they have hunkered down and are ready to fight anyone who dares to say that sugar is bad for you. The sugar industry is all-pervasive in their reach, impacting not only our whole food industry but our work and leisure activities as well.

In Part 4 we’ll learn what some of us want to find out – a sure-fire and “easy” (well, no, I can’t say it will be easy method to break our addiction to sugar. We will also learn some great tips to replace the sugar with healthy and nourishing foods. Some experts have said that kicking the sugar addiction can be harder than quitting smoking. A real neat thing to think about is that the longer sugar is out of your system the easier it becomes.

Look for Sugar Addiction – Part 2 – The Sweet and Deadly Killer – coming to this blog soon.

Three Life-Changing Fitness Results

Stephen Bolin — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 04:44:54 +0000

I just read a great blog about a 50 year old man who has been running for 15 years and still runs frequently. He ran a half marathon a few weeks ago. Does he still have a struggle in his mind about “getting off the couch?”. You bet he does. Check it out here: Running Over 50

Even though he still has a mental battle, he gets out there and runs because he will FEEL better. This is #1 of our Life-Changing Results - You FEEL Better, a LOT Better.

He doesn’t just “feel” better, his whole brain has been supplied with a generous supply of endorphins. These are chemicals that your body manufactures when you do strenuous exercise. These chemicals block sensations of pain and produce overall feelings of euphoria. WOW! Talk about getting high! This is a definite antidote for mild depression and an “upper” when you’re feeling down.

Life Changing Result #2. More Energy – A LOT More Energy.

Have you noticed how so many people are constantly complaining about how tired and run-down they feel? It’s called no energy. I’ve heard it said that “energy is the currency of life.” When you have energy, you have life, and when you don’t have energy – well let’s just say you don’t get much done and you complain a lot.

A regular 3-times / week aerobic exercise program (combined with some basic healthy eating changes) will give you much more energy currency to be able to DO the things in life that you WANT TO DO. Beats collapsing on the couch every night.

Now we get to the most exciting part. Life-Changing Result #3. This one is simple. You will LIVE Longer – A LOT Longer! I can’t guarantee you this, but statistics tell the story. Stay active – keep exercising aerobically – eat healthy food – and you will add many years to your life.

This doesn’t mean much to a 25 year old. But it means EVERYTHING to a 50 or 60 or 70 year old man or woman.

So there you have it. 1) You will Feel a lot better 2) You will have tons of Energy to be able to stay off the couch and 3) Your chances of living to the century mark are vastly increased.

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The Myth of MultiTasking

Stephen Bolin — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 06:49:52 +0000

I recently took an internet course entitled “Wake Up Productive” taught by Eben Pagan. One of the first things he taught was how critical it is to STAY FOCUSED on one thing at a time.

Yes, yes that’s all good and dandy. But what about all the many things I need to keep juggling every day, just to keep my head above water?

Tony Schwartz(author of The Power of Full Engagement) says the same thing. Multi-tasking isn’t working. It works IF your goal is to get further and further behind.

What does this all have to do with fitness and exercising?

One thing Schwartz teaches is to think of your exercise program as a “ritual.” A ritual is something you do come hell or high water, right? Developing a ritual helps to remove the need to “think” about whether or not you should exercise – you remove the need to procrastinate!

The beginning of building this ritual is the difficult part – until you can embed it into your heart, and it becomes a habit. This takes a willingness to see it through until the habit takes root – at least 4 weeks minimum.

OK, back to multi-tasking. I know in my situation, when I try to juggle 20 things at once, I get stuff done, but I also leave a lot of stuff undone – and a big one I leave undone is my exercise program.

The key here is to focus on one project at a time, keeping the distractions to almost zero. It’s amazing how much work you can get done. When you put this same intense focus on your fitness program – It will be much easier to turn your focus into a ritual.

Here a cool video of Tony Schwartz giving a talk at Google. It’s about acquiring lots of energy and sustaining high performance.

Happy Holidays with Ralph Waldo Emerson

Stephen Bolin — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 05:29:22 +0000

Happy Holidays to all of my friends and family!

2008 is almost over. It has been a year controlled by the media – sending fear throughout this great land of ours.

My recommendation to you is QUIT LISTENING to the news. Put your energy into focusing on HOW you are going to make 2009 your most remarkable year.

James Earl Ray has said it this way: “Energy Flows where your Attention Goes.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of my favorite authors. Here is a tremendous quote from him:

“Without AMBITION one starts nothing. Without WORK one finishes nothing. The prize will NOT be sent to you. You have to WIN it. The man who knows HOW will always have a job. The man who also knows WHY will always be his boss. As to methods there may be a million and then some, but PRINCIPLES are few. The man who grasps PRINCIPLES can successfully select his own METHODS. The man who tries METHODS, ignoring PRINCIPLES, is sure to have trouble.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

That certainly give me an earful. And it is worthy of my study and application. This reminds me of another saying that goes like this: Don’t wait for your ship to come in — swim out to meet it!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday. Let’s look forward to 2009 being a much more promising year.

Why No Motivation to Exercise?

Stephen Bolin — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 03:34:24 +0000

Ok, I know! Don’t beat myself up for not getting out and running or walking in 15 degree weather. After all, we’ve only had 30 inches of snow in the past week.

So that’s my excuse. If I lived in Florida or Arizona I would be out there getting my exercise – at least that’s what my brain is telling me.

So, what exactly is my brain telling me? If you really want to know, it’s telling me what I want to hear. Let’s take a look at this from a different angle.

What kind of a picture do I have in my mind about getting up real early next Thursday morning to go to a 7:00 am business meeting? I actually picture myself getting dressed, eating a quick breakfast, and driving my car to the meeting. You’re wondering now — So what?

Here’s what’s interesting — I picture myself actually doing the driving, actually “doing” the getting dressed. I am very much involved. I am seeing the action through my own eyes.

What kind of a picture do I have when I get up at 6 am and put on some warm exercise clothes and a warm coat and go out for a 2 or 3 mile walk at 6:30 am? In the snow? When it’s 20 degrees out?

You won’t believe this, but I don’t picture myself actually doing any of this!

What?? That’s right. I’m not involved. It’s more like I’m an outsider looking in on a movie of me getting dressed and putting on my cold weather warm-ups. So when the alarm goes off — I just roll over and get another few minutes of sleep, knowing that since I don’t live in Florida —- blah blah blah blah.

So here’s what I’m going to do. Put myself in the “driver’s seat” when it comes to visualizing myself exercising in the cold weather. How do I do this? I actually picture and FEEL what it’s like to pull on my long wool sox. I push myself to FEEL the biting wind on my face as I round the corner on my walk. I feel the snow underfoot, and I also FEEL the excitement and thrill of victory, because I have beaten my old way of thinking. I am a winner today. Tommorrow I can be a winner again.

And that’s all it takes is one day at a time.

I encourage you to spend some soul searching and see what’s going on in your head. You are probably wired much differently than I am, so don’t expect the same pictures to work for you. You have your own movies to watch, and to discover why you don’t have the motivation that you really want – and that you really deserve.

What are your thoughts about getting “unstuck”? I’d love to hear what’s working for you and any challenges you are facing.

Bicycling to Work

Stephen Bolin — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:16:52 +0000

Bicycling to work, huh? This summer I pulled out my old bike, and checked it out. It was still in excellent shape and the tires were just a little soft. I bought the bike about 20 years ago, and paid over $800 for it, so it is still a nice road bike – just not up to date! I filled the narrow tires up and checked the seat height.

I work 3.5 miles from home, so riding a bike to work is not that difficult. In fact, the more I got into riding, the more I wanted a “longer” ride to work. I enjoy riding “too” work more than coming home. It is the added traffic at 5:00 p.m. that makes it more annoying and slower going.

One thing I am getting very excited about is bicycling a LOT more next spring and summer. There are bicycle clubs in most cities, and they sponsor rides almost every weekend. To ride with them, you will be required to sign a release and you MUST have a helmet. If you join their club, you will only sign a release once a year.

The two biggest concerns I have about cycling at my age is my knees and my back. These are the two biggest physical concerns for all cyclists. I will go into more detail about how I am trying to keep my back in shape for riding – in another post.

I wouldn’t go out and buy a new bike until you know this is what you really want to do. If you get half-way serious about biking, you should expect to pay around $1000 for a good quality entry – level road bike.

Too bad I live in Michigan and my bicycling is coming to an end because of winter. Now to get more serious about walking and maybe running – again!

Any bicyling wannabees out there, or bicycling nuts?

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Are You More Out of Shape at 50 than at 40?

Stephen Bolin — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:59:09 +0000

I know in my heart, and in the way I feel if I am “fit”. Staying fit is a challenge, and even more so, each year I get older. My mortality stares me in the face each time I pick up the Holland Sentinel, from the little town where I live, and view the obituary. It is almost shocking to see how many people in their 50’s are dying.

There are many reasons to staying fit, and I think the biggest one for me is knowing inside that I am a winner, that I can do what I set my mind to do. It is not easy walking, running or riding a bicycle when it is cold out, or when I just don’t feel like it. I don’t like restricting my diet, and actively pushing myself to eat what is healthy. Some very smart people have said that the way to build self-esteem is to be consistent in developing new habits that are positive.

This Fit In My 50’s blog is first of all a story of my challenges, and what I am going through to have a better life, physically and mentally. It is also about you, because if you are over 50 – or ANY age, and you have a desire to get fit and stay fit, this blog is your story also. Please chime in and let us know what your biggest challenge is to staying fit.