Generally, my health is good. Twenty five years ago I weighed 200 pounds and was overweight for my size. I was not physically fit and very immature about a healthy lifestyle. I was a young husband and father of two preschoolers. My job was very demanding with many hours required. I basically ate anything I wanted and exercised very little.
Today, I am physically fit. I currently run four days per week and average 25 running miles per week. I try to lift lite weights twice per week. My weight regimen consists of a light bar weights, barbells and resistance bands. My average pace of running is 9:30 per mile. I run outdoors in my neighborhood and through the years have developed many routes. In the last few years I have kept my running route mostly to neighborhood streets with very little traffic, the reason being not so much the traffic hazards, but the exhaust fumes. I love my running. In the early years I ran in many 10k races and events. However, now, I only run alone and for my own enjoyment and fitness.
There have been many temptations to run in half and full marathons, however, at this stage of my many years of running, my knees are maxed out. Football injuries and patella tendinitis has taken its toll on my knees through the years. I ice them as needed after runs and try to maintain good knee health. I plan to try a regimen of glucosamine / chondroitin soon. This will be done not only for my knees for other joint injuries. My running injuries through the years include a broken elbow, sprains, and plantar fasciitis. My other injuries include a torn shoulder rotator cuff from organized baseball, softball, and tennis during and after high school and college, nerve issues in one foot, and a broken hand and fingers from snow skiing. Obviously I have always enjoyed sports and fitness. I enjoy cycling with my wife and granddaughter. I grew up playing sports, hunting and fishing. After graduate school my career relegated me to a more sedentary lifestyle and the pounds gradually came.
In 1985 I began to realize my unhealthy habits would eventually lead to health problems. My father died of a heart attack at age 64 and my mother died of breast cancer at the same age. Since their deaths, my oldest sister died of lymphoma at age 60. (Thankfully, my other (older) sister and me have had health challenges, but thus far have maintained our good health). I attended a work-related convention that summer and participated in a seminar led by astronaut Jim Irwin who walked on the moon in 1971. In successive years Jim had led a quest to find Noah's ark on Mount Ararat in Turkey. In 1985, Jim Irwin had already experienced two heart attacks. This man was physically fit, yet due to other issues, he had serious heart problems. He was the eighth of twelve astronauts to walk on the moon in August 1971. In this seminar Jim Irwin spoke of his health challenges, including his personal battle with heart disease. At this time (1985) he had recovered from these health problems and was doing well physically (he later died of a heart attack in 1991). He shared openly about his health issues and some of the steps he took to improve his cardio health, including the Pritikin Diet plan of eating.
I came home from this convention with a commitment to changing not only my eating but my lifestyle. Consequently, by following the Pritikin plan, I lost up to 40 pounds and have maintained this weight for the last 25 years. There is nothing magic to the Pritikin plan. Basically, it's an eating plan that encourages lowfat foods including fruits, vegetables, grains, and exercise. For me, it was not a change in diet, it was developing a new lifestyle. As many others have said, diets are a temporary solution to a permanent problem. To get healthy, one needs to change their attitude about food and their lifestyle permanently. If not, a cycle of dieting including weight loss and re-gain will harm one's health, not enhance. I am thankful to say that through developing healthy eating habits (including the correct foods, regular meals, and metabolism monitoring) and exercise, I have maintained a healthy and level weight for the last 25 years. My weight never fluctuates more than 2 pounds and I have maintained my target weight of 170 pounds. I am 6'2", and my waist size is 33 inches. I also try to drink 92 ounces of water per day, a key to my daily health.
I do have bad habits. I work in my profession too hard at times, skipping meals and occasionally eating the wrong foods out of convenience. I need coffee in the mornings to "get me going" and aid my low metabolism. I stay up too late and don't do enough back exercises for my chronic aching back.
In my next post I'll give more details about my GERD battle.
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