2006 06 Diet and Exercise

Diet & Exercise

Volumes have been written on the important subject of diet and exercise. But they all make it seem so complicated that many people find it hard to stick to either part of this important life regimen. So here is a poem on diet and exercise which some may find useful. Commit it to memory. Use it daily when you eat and exercise! Maybe it will help keep off those pounds and make your life more productive and enjoyable!

Calories consumed!
Used? or not?
Be trim? or ballooned?
That’s food for thought!

This year like so many others, I made a resolution to lose weight and start an exercise program. In many years past, I have started and then given up on this project. But this year it seems to be working. What is the secret?
First, there is a bet. I am partnering with a friend. Our goal is very specific: By October 31, be at x pounds. We have set the goal at losing about ½ pound per week. The bet by itself would not be very effective unless it really hurt to NOT succeed. So if we fail, each of us has chosen to make a significant contribution to a charity for which we have deep convictions that they are doing the WRONG thing. “Wait”, you might say. “I thought charities were supposed to do good in the world”. Well, some people would answer that is not always the case. Take the National Rifle Association for example. Many believe that their agenda is too confrontational, that guns kill and that the NRA agenda is evil. Another example is Planned Parenthood. Some would argue that birth control through abortion is killing babies. The Sierra Club preserves wilderness, right? But they also prevent reasonable development. The California Teachers Association protects the rights of children…But they also ignore the broader problems facing our state government. The list is endless, but that is not the point. The point is that in our bet, each of us must support a charity we do not like if we fail to reach our weight goal. The support must be significant enough to hurt in the pocketbook. That is a powerful incentive to succeed.
Next is the desire to look and feel healthy. Now that I’m over half a century old, the pounds have gradually loaded on in the last fifteen years. And the way in which the weight is carried is embarrasing. The ponch is prominent above the beltline. Standing at ease, it was no longer possible to see my toes over the horizon of blubber. A ring of fat surrounded my middle like an overgrown hula-hoop. So in order to regain the youthful appearance, it became a necessity to make some changes in old habits. Many of those habits started at the dinner table at a very young age.
Most mothers (and fathers) want the best for their children. They especially want them to be nourished and grow. Parents commonly use ploys to encourage high calorie intake such as…”If you want dessert, just take three more bites of __________”. While young people eagerly burn off the calories, the food intake habits of childhood do put on pounds later in life as we slow down our output.
Another common habit learned at childhood meal time is “Don’t waste food! Those poor children in Africa don’t even have the food you’re throwing away. Finish your plate!” That is one of the most difficult habits I have had to overcome. The time to stop eating is when I’m full, not when my plate is empty. That habit is especially hard when I know that the cook has taken great pains to prepare a special meal. The home baked garlic bread, the special pastry or some delicious morsel which is simply too enticing to leave on the plate when I’m satiated. A good friend of mine once advised that it is good manners to leave something on the plate because it says to your host or hostess, “You overwhelm me with your generosity” not “I didn’t like your food”.
Another problem is eating out at a restaurant. I live in a part of the world where it seems like one of every ten businesses is a restaurant. So the temptation to eat away from home is very high. Besides, I’m a social person and enjoy the company of others in a social setting which often centers around food. When you pay for something, you want to obtain value for your money. And when it comes to food, that means you want to eat what you paid for. Restaurant portions, similar to mother’s portions are decided in the kitchen and do not take into consideration how much food you actually need. They also tend to ignore the food groups suggested by our government. A meal out starts with a drink (either alcohol or sugar or both). The meat and potatoes are the big portions and the fruits and vegetables are the tiny portions. Desserts are high in sugar. So when I do eat out, I realize that the equation has to change. Where is the value in the meal?
By a simple change of mindset, the value in the meal is the time spent with people you enjoy and not so much in the food. So the value in going to a restaurant is the interaction with others. That has a very high value, so I’m not wasting dollars on food. The food is in fact a small percentage of the price of the meal.
There is another value in eating less…a longer life expectancy. So in advance of eating a meal out, I visualize on my plate what would be a reasonable portion. Usually it’s about a quarter to a third of what is offered. Then, I rationalize that by not eating the big part of the meal, I’m actually buying a longer life!

Calories consumed!
Used? or not?
Be trim? or ballooned?
That’s food for thought!

So I’ve looked at the calories consumed side of a trim body. What about the “calories used” side of the equation? The exercise part. When I went to start the exercise program this January I first analysed the failure of my past efforts. The gym memberships, the purchase of exercise equipment, the sore muscles, the laziness of continuing a plan, and the complicated nature of keeping track of upper body, lower body, aerobics, stretching. I determined that whatever I do to exercise must be simple enough that I can do it without much thinking about it. So I went to our gymnast son for advice. (It’s great when your children are experts and you can ask them for advice). My last attempt at a regimen involved aerobics on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, an upper body workout on Tuesday and Saturday and a lower body workout on Thursday. Sunday was a day of rest. The following week, the aerobics was the same, but the lower body workout was switched with the upper body workout. All this required tracking on a daily chart which was way too complicated. So I said to my son, “E, what exercise program can I set up which is simple and that I don’t have to chart or practically even think about?” He replied that the lower body doesn’t need as much time as the upper body because during your aerobics, you’re working your lower body anyway. A light
Fitness 2006

MWF--Aerobics
1 Set (12) crunches
10 Minutes trampoline
100 jump ropes
5 minute trampoline wind-down
1 Set crunches

Tu/Sat—Upper body (alternate every two exercises between crunches)
1 Set crunches (done at each *)
Bench press dumbells: 1 set @ 8#, 2 sets @ 10# alternating with—
Curls: 1 set @ 8#, 2 sets @ 10#
* Incline bench press: 1 set @ 8#, 2 @ 10# alternating with—
Incline pectoral flyes: 1 set @ 8#, 2 sets @ 10#
* Iron cross: 3 sets @ 5# alternating with—
Same: Front, chest, side, chest, down @ 5#
* Pushups on bench: 3 sets
Bench dips: 3 sets
*

Thursday—Lower Body: Start w/ 1 set crunches*
* Leg extensions alternating with—
Dumbell squats 10# each hand
* Dumbell lunges 10# each hand alternating with—
Toe raises 15# each hand
Lying leg curls 30# alternating with—
1 set Crunches January, 2006
bulb went off in my head! We eliminated the upper body/lower body switch in the second week of the program. Here is the workout we devised using a bench, weights and a small trampoline:


Once a month I have looked at the progress and modified it slightly to increase the weights and the number of aerobics repetitions and even the type of exercises. That way as my body has become more trim I have been able to work on muscle groups I might have forgotten. I don’t have to keep track on a daily basis of what I did the day before. So far it is working. If I miss a day due to a busy schedule, I just get right back where I was. As of this writing, I’m up to 400 jump ropes, and 15# on the curls. I’ve also added some stretching to limber up.
So what is the end result? A trim body and longer life…I hope.

©Frank Bliss 2006 All rights reserved
June, 2006