Paleo Marine

The biggest number of messages I receive from people deal with motivation, or the lack of it. Everyone understands that the calories you expend must be greater than the calories you eat. People, for the most part, also understand the difference between the quality of calories: 100 calories of a Three Musketeers bar will be different than 100 calories of raw apples. Not as many people understand that diet has a larger impact on weight than exercise, but I’m doing my best to change that, and it’s not what we’re talking about this time. Right now, we are talking about motivation.

People ask me, “How do you stay so motivated?” The truth is that it’s not so much that I’m always motivated; sometimes, it’s more that I set a goal and I don’t want to fail. I tell a lot of people my goals, and that puts pressure on me to not let anyone down. Some people would feel that telling others would add too much anxiety; I get it. We’re all different. Other times, I do rely on my own motivation and my own desire to reach a goal, whether it’s a weight goal or a time on a run or a road march. Either way, that’s what I do.

But what do I do on the days when the motivation tank is empty? Well, it’s at those low points that I rely on dedication to get the work done. There are plenty of times when I don’t feel like exercising, or I just want to relax. What I do, however, is I make exercise compulsory to my daily routine and I make it a priority. I do not accept skipping a workout for any reason except for injury. Muscle pain from the last workout? Too bad; suck it up and get out there. Feeling tired? Oh well; you should have gotten more sleep, E.J. It’s too hot out? Oh well; you’re going to sweat.

In the past four years since I started exercising, the only times I have not exercised were when I had an injury or when I was on a vacation and it wasn’t practical. Otherwise, I’ve been running and/or weightlifting the entire time.

But I know that it’s hard to get to the point I’m at now. It was hard for me, too. But the burning desire in me to make progress, to get fit, and to get back into the military fueled my drive to consistent fitness. Not everyone has that. So, here are some things I suggest:

• Have a workout partner. Exercising with someone else makes it more difficult to skip a workout. If you don’t have someone local to you, there are plenty of virtual apps or even Facebook or Facetime to keep you accountable.
• Make a realistic plan and make it your priority. Do not allow yourself to skip for any reason. If something comes up, make plans around your workout (and your recovery/shower/etc). I’ve never had an issue with planning around my workouts. Ever.
• Set realistic goals. Losing 10 lbs/month is not realistic. Even when I was losing 10-12 lbs/month for a year, I never set that as a goal. My goal was to eat right. Period. The weight loss was bonus. It’s easier to accomplish goals when they are realistic which in turn motivates you to keep going.
• Don’t overdo it. Working out 5-6 times a week, especially for someone not used to it, will cause a lot of pain and possible injury. The more discomfort you feel, the less likely you are to keep with it.
• Be honest with yourself and make health and fitness your priority. When you do this, motivation comes more easily. But, if you see it as an evil or something you don’t like or want to do but must do it, your chances of success are decreased.
• Commit to the lifestyle change forever, not temporarily. Embrace the foods you can eat and stay healthy and avoid those that, while delicious, are killing you. If you decide to make a permanent lifestyle change, it makes it easier to stick with it rather than thinking, “Only two more months or 30 more lbs until I can eat cheesecake again!”

It’s not always easy, but nothing worthwhile is. If losing weight and getting fit were easy, everyone would do it. The fact that being fit is not common says a lot to the difficulty level it has for people in modern society. We have so many distractions, responsibilities, and things pulling us in all directions that make it difficult for us to focus and stay motivated. You need to do what works for you to keep you motivated and on-track. I’m fortunate in that I’ve found what motivates me, and what keeps me going when I’m not motivated. Find what works for you and stick to it with all your ability.

They say that if you can keep the weight off for over three years, you will likely succeed. I remember when we hit the three year mark, Sherry and I had a very muted celebration that went something like this:

Me: “Hey, Sherry, you know we hit three years with the weight loss, right?”
Sherry: “That sounds about right.”
Me: “They say that if you keep the weight off for three years, you’re more likely to be able to keep it off.”
Sherry: “That’s what I hear.”

Really exciting, right? There was no huge cheat meal, no alcoholic toasts, or anything like that. It was literally just a conversation next to our coffee maker in the kitchen.

There are a few points I’m trying to make. First, it’s that for Sherry and me, Whole30, Paleo, and exercise have worked. We dedicated ourselves to a permanent lifestyle change which has led us to far better health. Second, it’s that these milestones are important, but they are not finish lines. They are nothing more than mile markers on a long road.

This health journey is just that; a journey. I don’t know when it ends (and hopefully not for a long time!), but the entire time I’m on it, I’ll be eating well and getting my exercise in. At this point in my life, it’s not something that I just like to do; it’s something I need to do.

I enjoy feeling physically able to handle anything that life throws at me. This past weekend, for example, I needed to cut fire wood into smaller pieces. I pulled the axe out of the back of the 4Runner and chopped it all up. I joked with Sherry that I was going to be sore the next morning, but guess what? I didn’t have the slightest hint of soreness. All that weightlifting and PT I’ve been doing prepared me for the wood chopping and I was able to get it done without any pain or soreness afterward. Even my hands didn’t get blistered due to the weightlifting I do without gloves.

As for the lower weight, it is much easier climbing up the ladder to our rooftop tent, and for me to climb the stairs in our house. It goes without saying that with me being in the National Guard, I need to be able to do things like pass the Army Combat Fitness Test and to do road marches (carrying a 48 lbs pack, a rifle, and wearing a helmet) in boots. Of course, not everyone at my age needs to be able to do these things, but I do, so I keep working hard at my fitness.

Will I continue my fitness after I leave the military? Absolutely! The benefits far outweighs the time I put into exercise. Once I got into shape, exercise becomes more of a time investment than anything else, as the post-exercise pain becomes nothing more than a comfortable feeling of knowing I am staying fit. My muscles feel it, but it’s not pain. It’s a warmth; that’s the best way I can describe it.

So, it’s been over five years that we started the new lifestyle, and here we are. To say that my life has changed for the better is an understatement, and I honestly don’t recognize myself in old pictures anymore. I look and feel so much healthier now, and even my medical exams would agree with that; I have fewer health problems now than I did 10 years ago!

Just remember: weight loss happens in the kitchen and fitness happens in the gym. Don’t confuse losing weight with fitness. You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. I lost 130 lbs without a single drop of sweat without suffering or starving. I used no surgical procedures, powders, pills, or paid plans. It was just a change in my diet for a year followed by adding gradual exercise. Feel free to message or email me if you have questions, need help, or want some motivation. I’m happy to answer!

I just watched a clip from the last Rocky movie (Rocky 23, was it?) and there’s a quote in there that I love (and I’m going to paraphrase it just a little bit): “It’s not about how hard you hit, it’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done. You have to be willing to take the hits and not point fingers saying you’re not where you want to be because of him, her, or anybody.”

This applies to taking on a new lifestyle of eating (also known as a new diet), tackling a new fitness plan, or any other challenge in life. Taking the hits with a diet is not caving in to temptation or cheats (or, as I call them, sabotage). Taking the hits is when people try to entice you to have “Just one bite” of a sweet or non-compliant meal. Taking the hits is when someone calls your diet “Weird” or tells you that it didn’t work for them or it won’t work for you. You just keep on going; keep on putting in the work, stick to the discipline, and persevere.

Taking the hits in fitness is getting out there even when you don’t feel like it. Taking the hits is working through the muscle pain and stretching to get ready for the next workout. Taking the hits is getting on the road even if it’s cold out (or hot out). Taking the hits is getting out on the street or into the gym even when you know you don’t look your best (or your body image is poor). Get in there, and get it done.

Perseverance. That’s the name of the game. Don’t let ANYTHING or ANYONE stand in your way. You want it? TAKE IT! It’s all up to you! TAKE THE HITS!

This should go without saying, but sometimes, you need a reminder that with all the work you put in, there’s a payoff. For me, that came in the form of my pre-WOCS (Warrant Officer Candidate School) drill this past weekend. I had to perform the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) and the next morning, a 5km/3.1 mile road march with a rucksack weighing a minimum of 48 lbs while wearing the helmet and carrying a rifle. I was also subject to a weigh-in to ensure I was within the Army’s height and weight regulations.

I have to admit that I was nervous about the ACFT. It’s brand new, and reputedly pretty tough, with roughly 80% of all people taking it failing at the leg-tuck exercise, and a large percentage failing the test overall. I have never failed a physical fitness test either in the Marines or in the National Guard, so I’ve been working hard on my running and with doing the StrongLifts 5×5 program every day before I run to ensure that my body was ready. As I started the first exercise in the ACFT, the deadlift, I gained a lot of confidence. I do deadlifts every other workout, and I know what my max is. I kept my max down on the test and kept it just over the minimum required because the rest of the ACFT was an unknown to me.

The next test I worried about was the sprint/drag/pull. We had 3 minutes to do it in, and I completed it in 2:30. The one test that got me was the leg tuck. I couldn’t do it properly due to bad form and still being weak in my upper body. Fortunately, there is an alternate event right now that I am good at: a 2-minute plank. After the first 5 exercises, it’s onto the two-mile run, which I also knew I was ready for. In the end, I passed the test on my first try, and it built a lot of confidence in me for the next event the following morning; the road march.

Before getting out of the barracks, we all weighed our packs to ensure we met the minimum weight requirement of 48 lbs. My pack ended up weighing 54 lbs, but we were short on time, and I didn’t have an opportunity to remove the excess weight. I decided to just go with it and see how it went. I figured it would be good training.

It turned out that it wasn’t too much for me, and that all the weightlifting and running together I’ve been doing prepared me well for this road march. I ran the first 1/4 mile and then settled into a fast-paced walk. Intermittently, I would run for 50-100 yards when I caught my breath, and this allowed me to beat the 53 minute goal by 6 minutes. The best part for me personally was that out of the five candidates there, I came in 2nd. I am the oldest by far, and on top of that, we found out that one of the candidates underpacked his rucksack by 14 lbs, so I performed better than someone younger than me and also carrying a lot less weight than me. Talk about an ego boost.

I didn’t feel sore or tired after the ACFT which was a great feeling, and I wasn’t as nearly wiped out after the road march as I have been in the past after such events. These two things tell me that I’m on the right track with my fitness, and that I just need to keep doing what I’m doing to improve and make more progress.

Finally, we did our weigh-in, and this is where it got interesting. For my height, my weight is over the limit. However, the Army knows people who do a lot of weightlifting will tend to weigh more, so they allow for calculating body fat percentage based on measurments. I was measured and found to have 21% body fat, which at my age, is pretty darned good and well within the standards. This is a vindication of my careful eating habits and sticking with Paleo and coming off a successful Whole30.

All in all, what I’m doing is working well for me. Running and weightlifting every other day coupled with Paleo is giving me the results I’m looking for in a way that isn’t taxing on my body or keeping me hungry between meals. I learned a new exercise hack from one of my TAC Officers this weekend; I will be eating half a banana before my run and the other half afterward. I usually have enough energy in the gym during my weightlifting but then my energy levels drop when I go out for my run. Today, I will add the banana to the regimen and see how it goes. I want to extend my runs out a bit, too, to help prep me for the longer road marches I’ll have to do later at WOCS.

I have always said to look past the scale for signs of success and feedback. If I used the scale only, I’d still be disappointed and likely demotivated to be doing all the work I’m doing. But with this incredible weekend of feedback, I know that my diet is good and that my fitness plan is working. Feels good, man. Feels good.

I saw a cool mug design at this site today (not an affiliate link; I make no money from that site) that really hit home: “The Dream is Free: Hustle Sold Separately.” If what I’ve accomplished in my healthy living journey hits home the most, it’s that it requires work. You’ve got to hustle.

In the past, I made all kinds of goals, had all kinds of plans, and yes, even dreamed about losing weight and getting healthy. That part was easy. The problems started for me when it came to the hustle. It required discipline, motivation, perseverance, and dedication. It required me to stick to the plan TO THE LETTER and to not allow myself to sabotage any progress I made. It required me, for fitness’ sake, to get into a gym and out onto the pavement and move. In short, it required me to hustle, and for me, that was the part I just couldn’t get through.

What changed? For me, there was a “Straw that broke the camel’s back” moment when I tried to tie my shoelaces one morning and found that I could not do so without holding my breath. My gut’s girth was so large that I was unable to bend over and tie my own shoes. That did it for me. Of course, there have been the health scares, the tingling in my toes, the liver enzymes off the charts, my cousin (a PA) telling me that the chances of an early death were elevated due to my obesity, and the diabetes that all contributed to that decision, but looking back, I find it sad that it took physical discomfort to get me to the point where I would actively hustle to get into better health. As if declining health, Diabetes, and the prospect of a shortened life expectancy weren’t enough on their own.

Now, I hustle daily. I hustle by staying motivated. I hustle by being dedicated to eating right and exercising regularly. I hustle by persevering through any adversity put in front of me. I refresh my discipline by looking back at photos of myself and remembering not only what I looked like, but more importantly, how I FELT being obese and unfit. I never want to feel like that again, if I can help it. I will hustle and do what it takes to stay fit and at a healthy weight.

Stop dreaming and start doing. It’s well within your power to find the strength inside you to make your dreams a reality. If you were able to get through high school, get a college degree or an advanced degree, get through boot camp or basic training, attain a certification, or raise amazing children, then you have the power within you to do this. Stop making excuses, stop planning, and stop putting it off. Start now. You won’t regret it; that, I can promise you.

I remember hearing somewhere that to truly succeed at something monumental or difficult, you have to want it as badly as a person who is underwater for a long time and wants air. If you’ve never been under water too long, it’s a horrible feeling of anxiety coupled with an unbelievable desire to get to the surface. But while it’s frightening to be underwater and needing air, that strong desire is something you need to feel when working toward a goal. That desire, that almost instinctive yearning; you need to channel that into any goal you want to achieve.

I feel that strong desire when I’m lifting weights or when I’m running. I feel that as I’m about to embark on what is most like going to be the most difficult training experience I’ve ever had in the military: WOCS. As a 53 year-old, it’s going to be challenging physically trying to keep up with the much younger candidates. But, my desire to get through it is very strong, so as long as my body can handle it, I will push.

When I started my first Whole30, my mindset was that it was my last chance at changing my life and losing weight, and that failure wasn’t an option. No, I didn’t use that just as a catchphrase; I actually believed it wholeheartedly. That’s important to note. Catchphrases can help motivate people, but saying it or repeating it doesn’t confer any magic abilities or power to you. Words are just words unless you grasp the meaning and take it to heart.

No surrender. No sabotage. No failure.

Those three danced through my consciousness throughout my entire first year into my new lifestyle. They are what kept me from drinking alcohol, eating large portions, or eating foods that weren’t Paleo (or Whole30 when I was on a Whole30). They are how I’ve been living my life for the past 29 days (today is day 30 of my latest Whole30).

What happens when you lose sight of the goal, or lose focus? This is an easy one to answer. Re-focus. When I’m running and realize that my breathing is too easy or that my pace has gotten too slow, I pick it up and push harder. The same holds true when I find myself doing something I shouldn’t in regards to my diet. There’s no need to beat yourself up. It’s not productive, and can actually lead to you not getting back on the horse, so to speak. Brush yourself off, refocus, and go.

How badly do you want to succeed? How sick are you of your current situation, either with your weight or your fitness? Get mad! How excited are you at the prospect of wearing sexy clothing? Get excited! Let those emotions flow! Use them to empower you to set realistic goals, and then do not accept failure from yourself. Promise yourself that you’re going to do this. You will not sabotage yourself. You will reach your goal, and you will take on this new lifestyle for your health and for the benefit of those who need you in their lives. You can do this.

Yesterday, while weightlifting, I hit a new milestone: I lifted more than my current body weight in a deadlift. I’ve tried to get to that weight for over a year, but three non-exercise related injuries sidelined me and delayed me. Now, I am finally there.

Why do I mention this? Because I’m bragging? No. I am proud of my accomplishment, but I am not putting it out there to make anyone feel bad. To the contrary, I’m putting it out there because it coincides with something I saw my mom post on Facebook this morning:

“Being obese is hard. Being fit is hard. Pick which hard you want, because life is hard no matter how you do it.”

I hadn’t thought of it this way, but it is so true. When I was obese, EVERYTHING was difficult. Getting up out of bed, tying my own shoes, or (heaven forbid) going up the stairs. They were all hard. I decided that I would rather deal with a more disciplined lifestyle and exercise than with the discomfort and pain of being obese. The disciplined lifestyle and exercise are not easier; in many ways, they are harder. But the benefits outweigh the cost, and when I get done with an exercise block, I may be tired, but I always feel satisfied with the work I did.

After yesterday’s great weightlifting session, my run was very “Meh.” My legs were tired from the deadlift, and it was hot out, which led me to a slower runtime than the past three times I’ve been out. That’s okay. There will always be days like that were things just feel harder than other days. Again, I’d rather choose the hard life of exercise and eating right than the hard life of being obese, not being able to be comfortable, and all the illnesses I kept getting due to my degraded physical condition.

You have choices to make. Life is hard, no matter what you choose. Make the hard you choose benefit you.

I received this message this morning from a former fellow National Guardsman regarding exercise and getting back into a successful regimen:

Hey so I know you’ve posted about it before, but I was curious about your exercise routine? I’ve been out of the Guard for a year and a half now and it shows haha. I’m mainly just looking for some pointers on getting started again with exercising.

I started with push-ups and walking. Don’t do the push-ups until you can’t. Do them until you start to feel like it’s getting hard and stop, even if it’s less than 10. Then, every other day, just do them until it gets hard. In 3 months, I went from doing 8 to doing 100. Same with walking/jogging/running. Go for 30 minutes. Start with fast walking (like ruck march pace) for 30 minutes. Then, take a day off. Then, walk again. Eventually, your body will feel like walking is too slow, and you will start jogging, and then, running. Doing this does two things. First, it lets you get back into shape without pain, and second, the rest days ensure you actually make improvements faster than exercising daily which wears your body down under fatigue.

After 3 months, I added Stronglifts 5×5 which is super-easy weightlifting that builds functional strength. If you have access to free weights, it’s an excellent way to get strong without the muscle fatigue and pain.

Awesome! I definitely have been going until exhaustion recently haha, but taking time and doing it at my own pace sounds way smarter lol. I don’t have access to weights yet but hopefully I will soon.

I’ll be honest; the weightlifting isn’t as important, but it does help you get stronger which makes your joints safer as you get older (I know you’re not old like me, but you’ll be in better shape when you get to be my age if you start doing some functional strength training now).

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Getting back into good physical fitness doesn’t have to be horrible. In the past, we were taught to exercise “Until it hurts,” but it turns out that that’s not the best way to exercise. Special Forces Operators and elite Soldiers and Marines have found that the 80% workout is far more successful in improving strength while maintaining readiness.

As I understand it, some of these elite forces found themselves unable to perform to 100% of their capabilities when called out on a mission after a workout session, and they realized something had to change. They needed to maintain their top conditioning while also being able to respond immediately when called upon, even after a workout. The 80% workout turned out to be a huge success, and the Soldiers and Marines found that not only did these workouts allow them to remain ready for the call, but they made improvements faster than when they used to train to failure.

The reasons for this appear to be the way in which the muscles respond to load and recovery time. When you “Work it ’til it hurts,” you are creating a large amount of micro-tears in the muscle. These not only take time to heal, but are painful. When you work to 80% of your load, you don’t create as many tears (which are necessary for muscle to grow). The rest time between workouts allows the body to bulk the muscles to get ready for the next workout.

I’ve been doing StrongLifts 5×5 for over a year now, and while I’ve had to stop a few times due to non-exercise related injuries, I find myself in less pain daily and better able to lift things in my day-to-day life. Just yesterday, lifting a 20 lbs bag of smoke pellets for my smoker seemed so easy I questioned whether the bag I picked up was full. More importantly, being stronger helps your back and joints stay straight, issues that are compounded as you get older.

One last thing to consider about fitness: it’s not a race. There’s no need to try to make progress too quickly. Do your exercise for a day, and then take a rest. Repeat. Keep this up. Before you know it, your run times will improve, your number of push-ups will increase, and if you added weight training, you will see those plates start to add up on the bar.

I started exercising at age 49. I’m 53 now, and I’m in much better shape and in much less pain than I was five years ago. The greatest improvement in my quality of life has come from adding exercise to my weekly regimen. I don’t spend hours in the gym daily sweating. I spend an easy hour and a half every other day in the gym followed by a run. I make it a priority in my schedule because the benefits of that exercise far outweigh any benefit I would receive from doing anything else during that time.