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I
decided not to weigh myself for the first couple of weeks (other
than the introductory BEFORE weigh-in), and that turned out to be a
really good idea.
I
ultimately decided to go with Dr. Colbert’s
plan. I decided to add
to it as well…trying to double his suggestions as much as I could.
Taking a page out of some of the Lincoln area runners' and walkers'
books, I have been striving to run two miles a day. In addition, I
try to walk another mile or two at the least. I have added 50
sit-ups a day and a lightweight workout in the mornings to the
running program.
Dr.
Colbert says that the body is like a machine and that you need to
get it started well. The workout coupled with a full-size breakfast
gets the engine revved up. If you will then eat a moderate lunch and
a sensible dinner, you will eventually see the results.
I
have lost over 20 pounds on this plan so far. I also feel
healthier and seem to have more energy during the day.
I
will warn you that there are a lot of obstacles to overcome in
making this regimen work.
First
you have to get up… That is not hard for me, but I realize that it
is more difficult for most people. My challenge would be to try it
for a couple of months. I think you will feel better and then that
"feeling’ will get you up. If you absolutely cannot wake up,
find another time during your day to exercise.
As
far as deciding if you are going to walk, jog or weight lift,
don’t get hung up on that decision. Just start doing something.
Commit yourself to walking to the park and back or around the block
at least three times. The important thing to remember is to JUST GET
STARTED!
Another
obstacle is getting up on days that you don’t feel well, are
overly tired or on bad weather days. Those days are the most
important ones to complete your workout. If you finish your work on
those days, it will be easier to complete your exercise all the rest
of the time.
If you absolutely can not run or exercise on a given
day, don’t sweat it. One day off of the plan is not going to kill
you. You won’t gain all the weight that you lost just because you
skipped one day of training.
However,
one word of warning: Once you have skipped one day it becomes much
easier to skip two. I do not recommend skipping any days of
training. Even during the fairs.
If
you have a job that requires out of town travel, just let the front
desk know that you are going for a walk or for a run and get some
advice from them as to where you should go.
(To
top of second column)
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Even
on vacation there is no reason to abandon your exercise routine. If
your family likes to sleep in, get your workout done early. If the
family likes to nap in the afternoon, exercise then, or if they go
to bed early, get your road work in before you go to bed.
When
you stick to the plan for three to four weeks, that is long enough to
make it a habit. Do not let discouragement of any kind thwart you in
your quest.
Don’t
let the heat get you down. Actually, the added perspiration will aid
your cause.
Sometimes
well-meaning friends may bring you down unintentionally. Do not let
them sway you from your appointed task.
One
of my biggest hurdles to overcome was that I didn’t feel like I
was losing enough weight fast enough. Stay the course. Health,
fitness, weight loss and wellness will come in due time. If it were
easy everyone would be doing it. You will be participating on your
own Survivor Island. If you stick with your original strategy and
endeavor to persevere, you will attain your goals.
Some added
blessings along the way
If
you put your hand to the plow and go all out in your workouts, some
cool things may happen to you besides losing some weight.
You
probably will start eating better. You might even begin sleeping
better, even during the summer.
You
will also enter a large, ever-growing fraternity of Lincoln-area
walkers, joggers and exercisers. Roam the streets early some
morning. You will see people of all ages going in dozens of
different directions working out in a variety of ways. It is an
encouragement to see so many walkers, bike riders and runners. There
is a camaraderie that you don’t often see in any other activity.
In
addition, if you exercise while you are on a business trip or on
vacation, you may get an added blessing. While on vacation this
summer with some friends, we lodged near the famous Wisconsin Dells
on beautiful Lake Delton. While everyone was sleeping I got up and
ran around the lake. It was great running with such a gorgeous view.
Earlier this summer I ran in Texas and in Louisville, Kentucky. It
is fun running in new environments.
I
was so sure that I would not enjoy an exercise activity that it even
kept me from starting sooner. Sometimes it’s a struggle. Sometimes
I want to quit. I think about all the good things that have happened
to me since I started exercising regularly, and hopefully they will
get me up tomorrow morning.
Hope to see you on the streets as well!
[Jeff
Mayfield]
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I looked into the mirror and was appalled by what I saw. I know
basketball coaches are famous for all the banquets that they attend,
but apparently my full calendar of them was coming back to haunt me.
There was something hovering over the belt line of one of my
favorite pairs of bermudas. My gut and my hips were disgusting; in
fact, I almost hurled right at my image in the mirror.
I am sure I
had seen myself all winter and had not done one single thing to stop
the "eating monster" inside of me. However, on that day, I
made a decision. I was at least going to try to get back into shape.
Or if I couldn’t get back into shape, I was going to try to get
into better shape than I was in.
The best thing to do when one finds himself in the kind of
predicament that I found myself in would be to hire a personal
trainer. You can tell a personal trainer exactly what you would like
to accomplish, and then they set up a program that will help you
accomplish your goal(s). Since I didn’t have the available funds
to hire a professional, I was left to my own devices. A scary
thought under the best of circumstances.
I have watched hundreds of walkers, joggers and runners go by my
house the last 20 years, but I secretly hoped that I would never
become one of them myself. And one day late in the spring I joined
their ranks.
It is not easy getting up somewhere between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m.,
but if you want to exercise during the coolest part of the day
(especially during the summer) you have no other alternative.
The next step was trying to decide how far to run or for how
long. It was my good fortune that at about the same time I was
becoming disgusted with myself, I began to come across some articles
on fitness.
(To
top of second column in this section)
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In the summer edition of New Man magazine, Dr. Don
Colbert gave what appears to be good advice regarding the topic of
exercise. Dr. Colbert lists eight keys to weight loss, and the most
significant one seems to focus on physical activity. He suggests
that people need to exercise three times a week for 30 minutes or
four times a week for 20 minutes. He added that in his opinion, the
best form of exercise is brisk walking. As slow as I run, my jog
would probably be hard pressed to qualify for his definition of
brisk walking! Dr. Colbert also pointed out that people should never
overexert themselves.
He talked about what you should eat and when you should eat it.
For instance, he mentions that breakfast is much more important than
any other meal, and that eating late at night is the perfect
combination for gaining weight, not losing it.
Like many of our loyal readers probably are right now, I was
surprised to find out all of this information. About everything he
was suggesting was just the opposite of what I had been doing. No
wonder I was gaining weight. I had done exactly the things the good
doctor warned against, and I had been practicing that lifestyle for
years. No wonder I kept putting on the pounds. And no matter what
type of exercise I was doing, it was overridden by eating all of the
wrong things at all of the wrong times, especially at night.
Who knows how much damage I was doing to my heart and lungs? I no
doubt was hurting my arteries, muscles and bones as well.
But perhaps the hardest act in stopping the snowball rolling
downhill is just to take action. When you decide to take control of
a situation like this, at the very least, you stop the accident. I
was determined not to get any bigger.
[Jeff
Mayfield]
(Note:
In the concluding section of this article, Jeff will share his
inspiring experiences losing…???) (To
Part 2 of this article)
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