By the time you reach your 50’s, your health care regimen should be established. If not, guys, it’s time to start taking care of yourself!
As a cis-gendered, gay, white, male, lawyer in America I really have nothing to complain about. Seriously, by all rational standards I’m at the top of the heap of society and like most of my friends I still find reasons to complain.
One of the standard complaints is that I’m over 30 and no one will look at me in “that way” like they used to, if they ever did. It’s been easy to ignore my personal health and fitness for the past 30 years. Nothing too bad has gone wrong and overall, I’m in still functional shape. The plumbing is still working, although there are midnight wake-up urges that didn’t happen before.
I’m just as useless now at 9:30 p.m. as I’ve always been, but I do find that the mornings are actually a bit easier and more productive.
But 50 did hit, and with it came the realization that 70 is as far off today, as 50 was when I was 30. If I want to still be in serviceable condition, then I better start doing a bit more maintenance. So, it was off to the general practitioner, and after a high blood pressure scare I got some new friends in my life—the cardiologist, the nutritionist, and a personal trainer.
I haven’t worked out regularly since high school.
There’s always been brief periods of exercise and diet maintenance, but followed always by relapse. I’m in decent enough shape thanks to giving up smoking in 1995 and drinking in 1999. Both of which I highly recommend both for financial reasons (have you SEEN how much cigarettes and martinis cost these days?!?!) and the reduction of toxins into my body.
Now I know I’m no Abercrombie model and never will be, but little children don’t run away from me crying either. So, with the intent that I will tone up the foundation, lose some fat and work the cardio harder, I began hitting the gym more regularly in August, a month before my 50th birthday.
I also began a modified Paleo diet, under the supervision of a nutritionist, and found that I can give up bread, pasta and rice with a little bit of willpower and the recognition that these are a lot of empty calories that translate into time on the treadmill. Time I want to be as productive as possible and that means not undermining myself with loads of rice and pasta. This is not easy for me. As a young boy, my family had pasta for dinner three times a week at least. I love my pasta. But it doesn’t love me.
What I’ve noticed over the past four and a half months is that without the heavy carbohydrates in my diet, I am more energetic, I don’t have that mid-afternoon nap time craving and I actually eat less when it’s mostly vegetables and lean proteins.
The other big benefit that I’ve noticed is how much more productive the weight training has been with a protein-rich diet. I’ve noticed huge gains in performance and tone. I have limited my weights to under 30 pounds for dumbbells when I’m doing shoulder, arms, and chest work. That’s enough for now to bring back some good definition and increase the metabolism to help burn off some of the fat my new friends want me to lose.
I’ve also noticed an improved outlook as I’ve started to see results. My pants are fitting where they should; my Polos look a heck of a lot better on me and I’m starting to get comments like: “You’re looking great! Are you working out more?” Yes, yes I am. Those ego strokes are really nice to have, especially as I walk through this life change.
This new sense of accomplishment has led me to actually flirting with men that I never would before—a sure sign that my fragile male ego is developing some strength in areas that I had not intended. Which is a good thing, as the increase in testosterone is having other side benefits as well…
As someone who sits in front of a keyboard most of the day, it’s easy to get sedentary and to feel that I’m doing enough by walking the dog every two hours. But that’s not reality. I need to do more as most of us do. I fooled myself for many years by telling myself that “I’m only in my 40’s. I”m still in good enough shape. I have to work on my career.” Well, I’m not in my 40’s anymore. I wasn’t in good enough shape, and what I’ve found is that by hitting the gym, i’m starting to feel much better about myself. I wish I had started sooner. My career is my career. I’ve never missed a meal yet (clearly!) and I’m not likely to ever.
Hitting the weights and doing the cardio has made me feel better not just physically but also mentally and emotionally. By taking care of myself, I’m putting my needs in front of others, so that I can be there to help them. As men, we often fall into faulty thinking that our job is to sacrifice ourselves for others, by work, by not taking care of ourselves, by putting their needs ahead of our own.
I want to encourage others to start taking care of themselves. It’s not nearly as difficult as the “lazy brain” tell us and it doesn’t mean becoming a gym rat either. Just a regular schedule, with some weights and some cardio, drop the bread and rice (mostly) and you’ll be on your way to seeing a better, healthier you.
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