Fit at Fifty — Day 21, Impossible!
Are you curious about what the day 21 number is? 93.8 Kg or about 206 pounds.
Hold on a minute; that is a 3.2 kg drop in 21 days or .15 kg per day. An astounding reduction of 1,155 calories per day. That can’t be right, and I know for certain I am not exercising that much, nor am I cutting that many calories.
Impossible.
Further evidence that the first day I weighed myself, I was retaining water from all the salt and indulgence of the holidays. Let’s stay focused and move on. I will continue to keep track, and I am sure it will all balance out.
On to the Fit at Fifty part. One of the key elements of my exercise routine has become stretching. Honestly, it is more important for me to stretch than to exercise these days. If you are approaching 50 and anything like me, please don’t skip the stretching part of the exercise. If I were to run even a 3k without stretching, not only would I be sore the next day, but I would likely hurt myself. I have had muscle strain and tears in the past and am not interested in having them again.
What type of stretching? Well, yoga-ish stretching. A couple of reps of Cat Pose, Cow Pose, Hamstring stretch, and overhead reaches for 10 to fifteen minutes. Makes all the difference. I am not a Yogie, but I have been watching my wife and adopting what works for me into my routine. She does what I describe as “Power Yoga” (for lack of a better term) as a warm-up for her Bowflex M3 workout. More on this later. The M3 works, but I hate it and avoid it if at all possible. A quick search on Yoga for runners will give you more than enough to get started; adapt to what works for you, and you are off. Start slow and listen to your body.
Where from here? The path is straightforward: high-nutrient foods in reasonable portions, no sugar and regular exercise. I also plan to run more when the weather warms and continue with the supplemental strength exercises. Running is much easier when I am lighter, and I can really feel the difference even just 5 kg makes. Lighter is faster and easier on the body.
That’s it for now. See you in seven days. :-)
