Originally posted on Facebook HERE
I have no idea what I’m going to write about today, but this is how it starts every week I guess… take a photo and start writing. Seems to be working ok to this point. Last day of 2017. We can’t get this year back. No do overs. The people and things we lost will not be there for us except in memory in 2018 and beyond. No more Tom Petty. No more David Cassidy. For us, no more Cosmo 
. I’m convinced that the older you get, the faster the years blow by. And life is a terminal sexually transmitted disease, no one gets out alive. So, with the passing of every year, the end becomes more and more real. I’ve been thinking a lot about fitness lately. One of my favorite quotes comes from Animal House: “fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son”. I have certainly never considered myself stupid, but I have done, and continue to do, things that I second guess myself on. When I drank, I really did some things that lead me to have low self esteem. “Why did I say/do that?”… the question can become an obsession that leads to self loathing and back in the day, more drinking, which in turn lead to less fitness and even lower self esteem, and once you’re in the cycle of unhealthiness, it can be very hard to break out. For me, I had to get sober first, I’m an alcoholic and an addict, and I needed help, and still do to this day and forever. It took years for my thoughts to change about who I was and what I’m capable of. Very tough to let go of the things you’ve done that you’re not proud of. Not sure we ever really do. A month after I got sober, I quit eating meat. 29+ years ago and I’m still vegetarian to this day. Very little dairy (no milk, no cheese), absolutely no food with a face. I didn’t do this for health reasons, but for me I truly believe the vegan lifestyle is by far the healthiest way to go. I am not asking you to believe it. For myself, I ate meat for 29 years, and I’ve been a vegetarian for 29 years. It’s not even close, vegetarian is healthier (IMO). Just because someone is a vegetarian doesn’t instantly mean they’re eating healthy, though. The first four years when I was still eating cheese and drinking milk, Doritos, cheese pizzas, and diet sodas were mainstays in my “I’m the unhealthiest vegetarian on the planet” diet. So, whatever your personal choices are regarding food, look at exactly what, how much and when you’re eating. At one point a few years back my weight hit 195 pounds, I was a vegetarian and at the time ran 2+ miles seven days a week. Nutrisystem came out with a vegetarian plan, I signed up and in three months weighed 165, eventually bottoming out at 155. PORTIONS. Their plan laid out specific portion and eating less five times/day (breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack). Changing what and when I ate made a huge difference and fast. I kept running 2+ miles/day, something I did for years. I work out differently now and incorporate strength training more, but the older I get the more I realize the importance of not only eating right, but doing something physical at least six days a week. When my weight balloons, my mind gets sluggish. The older I get, the less I feel like working out that much, but the more important it is. There’s a fantastic book on this topic called “Younger Next Year” for those of you over fifty that I highly recommend. So, I’ve set some goals for myself fitness wise. Goal #1 set earlier in the month when my weight hit a new multi year high of 188.2 was to get to 180 by tomorrow. I’m 181.2 today (so I’m going to run this afternoon and not eat the rest of the day 
) – Down 7 pounds just by really watching what, how much and when I eat and adding a bit of running back in. Goal #2 is 175 by end/January. Goal #3 = 170 by end of February. I’ve done it before, it just needs to be a focus. For me, I need to run regularly to get there. Running is the best cardio activity for me, I do also use the stepper and/or elliptical on strength training days as well to break it up. There is a body/mind connection. You control what you eat. You control what you do physically. If you’re unhappy with your physical self, it’s hard to be happy at all. There are many cases of people who overcame insurmountable odds and got healthy. Change your thoughts about what’s possible. Find a plan, and a goal that works for you and start to work towards a new healthy you. Because if you’re unhappy with where you’re at, without making a change, where will you be next year at this time?… wishing everyone a great and healthy 2018 and beyond 
