Paleo Marine

Can your spouse make you get healthy?

Can your children or grandchildren make you get healthy?

Can your friends, gym coach, co-workers, or anyone else make you get healthy?

Maybe they can motivate you, support you, or assist with meal prep, but ultimately, none of them can make you get healthy. Only YOU can do that.

You are the beginning, the middle, and the end of your healthy journey. Only you make the final decisions for the food that goes into your body and the amount of physical activity you can get. (Protip: you don’t need exercise to lose weight. You only need that to get fit). You can get all the positive reinforcement in the world and still get nowhere. You can have a great support team and still get nowhere.

Why?

Because YOU are the most important link in the chain of attaining your goals and success.

This all sounds kind of obvious, right? If it does, it’s because it is. The work towards being healthy begins and ends with you. You have to do the work. You have to make the decisions on your food. You have to put on those gym shoes and get out there and actually run.

It’s not easy.

Well, the process itself is easy. Calories – effort/used calories = calorie deficit aka weight loss. Also, effort + time = increased fitness. However, the hard part is getting past the hump of, “I don’t feel like it.” That’s the most difficult part of the entire process. Coming in a close second is getting past, “I’m still sore from yesterday’s workout. I’ll just skip today.”

Excuses are easy. Everyone has them. Getting over the hump is the hard part, and it’s why people admire those who succeed. Successful teacher, successful nurse, successful doctor, successful engineer, successful professional sports athlete, military NCO’s and senior officers, professional musician, artists, and the list goes on. These are all people who had to put in a lot of time, effort, and sacrifice to make it to the elite. None of these people were given their status. They all earned it.

I have lost 150 lbs total. I gained back 20 here and there and went on to lose that last 20 again a few times. I’m currently on another Whole30 working towards undoing some of the damage I’ve done over the past year. I’ve increased my physical activity to prepare for Warrant Officer Candidate School in the Army. There are many days where I just want a cookie, or I want to skip a workout, but I don’t let that happen. I drop those thoughts as soon as I have them. Why? Because I have goals I feel more strongly about than any short-term gratification of a cookie or a skipped workout. If anything, the guilt and disappointment in myself is far greater if I were to eat the cookie or skip the workout that it’s not worth it to me. I would rather feel discomfort in muscle pain than the emotional discomfort I always get after a skipped workout.

Ultimately, reaching my goals is MY responsibility. Sure, some can help get me there, but at the end of the day, it’s my accomplishment because I’m the one who pushed past the little voice that suggests cheats or skips. I keep reminding myself that those are the voice of sabotage, and that little voice can go to hell; I’ve got things to accomplish and goals to reach.

This weekend, I was lamenting the fact that my weight loss has stalled at 7 lbs when Sherry reminded me that I’d recently gotten back into my size 32 inch jeans. She also reminded me of something I learned back when I lost my first 130 lbs: I usually lose weight OR size, never both at the same time.

I’m glad that she’s here to remind me of these things when I’m feeling down. Losing weight and getting fit is an emotional rollercoaster. There are days when I feel like I’m killing it and doing a great job, and then there are the days when I feel like nothing I’m doing matters or is making any progress. Usually, when I feel like I’m not making progress, it’s because I’m not looking at the right data points to find that progress. The truth is that as long as I’m doing the work, there are changes happening even if I cannot see them.

I’m definitely smaller now. My shirts fit better (the way they used to a year ago). I’m wearing my smaller pants again. And more importantly, my fitness is improving as I’m running faster, lifting heavier weights, and finally being able to do more than a few pull-ups. This is huge for me.

People I know have had difficulties in getting started with or staying with the healthy lifestyle. I get it. I’ve been there before. The key for me was to make small goals and not beat myself up when I can’t follow the plan perfectly. When trying to change your lifestyle, set a goal of one day of eating right. When you accomplish that goal, make the next goal of making it another full day of eating right. After a few days of this, set a goal of making a second week. “But what if I fall off the wagon?” It’ll happen, and it’s okay. You definitely want to try to not do that, but if it does happen, be defined by getting back on the wagon and keeping at it rather than throwing your hands up and surrendering. Do you know how many missed at-bats even the best baseball players have? We don’t count those; we count their home runs. How many lost games each NBA team has had? Nobody cares; we count championships. Missed passes by quarterbacks in the NFL? Not a stat we care about; we count completions.

Losing weight/size is like a pendulum for me. I either lose weight or lose size. I am fortunate that I have a supportive partner who reminds me of these things when I’m feeling down. She motivates me to keep going.

You hear this a lot in the military, but it holds true when it comes to health and fitness. Every day, we face new challenges, and most are not easy.

It’s hard to stay healthy and fit. Some people will say it’s so easy, and it takes no effort (heck, I may have said in the past that it’s easy), but it requires discipline and motivation.

It’s very easy to fall off the horse, so to speak. It’s very easy to start allowing larger portions or non-compliant foods back in little by little and then before you know it, you’re completely off-plan, gaining weight, and skipping workouts.

I recently had (and still have, to some degree) a shoulder injury that kept me from weightlifting and running for almost two weeks. I decided yesterday to suck it up and just get into the gym at to get out and run. Did it hurt? Yes, but I am pretty sure that the pain in my shoulder is because I keep sleeping on my shoulder wrong, not because it’s hurt.

It’s easy to find excuses to skip workouts, but what defines our success is when we push through adversity, when we push past the pain, and when we push through cravings and temptations. What makes us different from others is that we put in the work. Sometimes that work is as simple (notice I didn’t say easy) as forcing smaller portions and eating slower or just getting into your gym clothes. For me, once I put on my gym clothes, I’m committed. That’s the toughest part for me; getting started. Once I’m dressed, the rest is easy.

We all have challenges. We all face difficulties. What makes you different from everyone else is that you met the challenge and pushed through.

I had to take a nearly one-week break due to too much going on and then a sore shoulder. I was going to run yesterday, but thought another day might be better for my shoulder. I’m not quite sure what’s going on with it, but I don’t want to push things.

My run times have been getting better, and I’m nearly back to the same weights I was lifting a year ago. It’s taken a long time to get back to where I am now; I hated having to lose nearly a week of exercise. But that ends today.

As for my weight, it’s still a bit higher than I’d like due to COVID-19 quarantines, but it’s leveled off and I’m not gaining anymore. I am still eating healthy Paleo foods, and I’m still very careful, but sitting in a house all day with exercise only every other day doesn’t help burn calories. Eating less has proved problematic; I get hungry and then over-eat. So, the challenges are definitely here, but I’m doing my best.

Keep at eating well. Keep doing your exercise. Do the work. That’s my mantra, and it’s helping to keep me strong and to stay steady.

Sherry and I have found an amazing way to remain socially distant while still enjoying a nice lunch from one of our local favorite restaurants. We order to-go, and then we take the food to a local park where we setup the awning on our 4Runner, set a table and two chairs, and enjoy a nice outside lunch in the park!

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Ever since the COVID-19 quarantine and social distancing started, my wife and I got in the habit of ordering food to-go and then going to a park near her work where we put out the awning, a table, and chairs, and we have lunch together. It’s turned out to be a lovely diversion in our days, and we look forward to meeting for lunch every week. #yakimaslimshady #yakimaawning #sherpaec #shrockworks #apexoverland #bajarackladder #trdpro #trdpro4runner #4runnertrdpro #toyota4runner #4runnertoyota #4runner

A post shared by PaleoMarine Overlanding (@pmt4r) on Jun 2, 2020 at 12:39pm PDT

We have been enjoying lunches like this at least once a week for the past few months, and it really has become an experience we look forward to.

I’m doing the work. My wife and I are doing everything we can to stay healthy and that includes keeping our routine of meal prep on Sundays and our exercise plans. I still run three+ times a week, but I’ve added StrongLifts 5×5 workouts and pull-ups to my run days. I tried alternating between the gym (I have a bedroom converted to a gym at home) and running, but it was too much and it wore me down. Skipping days to allow for rest/recovery has made all the difference and I’m seeing great results in speed and strength now.

I see more people out on the street running, and I see more people walking with their kids outside. This is great! Coupled with eating real food, these people are well on their way to a healthier life. I make sure to take a wide arc around anyone I encounter outside, and while it’s annoying, it’s necessary.

Are these challenging times? Yes. Are they insurmountable challenges? Absolutely not. I love challenges. I want to have to work to accomplish things. Accomplishments without the effort have no meaning. For my friends who play video games, there is no enjoyment in getting top-tier items without having put in the effort. The game quickly becomes stale and boring because it’s the journey and not the destination that makes the game enjoyable. I feel the same about my health, fitness, and my life. I try to turn every situation into an adventure. When Sherry gives me a list of groceries, I try to get them all at one supermarket. If items are unavailable at one, I go to another. I try to complete my grocery missions with the fewest stops possible, and I consider it a win when I can get it all done at one store.

I have a very physical military school coming up soon, and I am preparing for it by pushing myself hard on my runs. COVID-19 doesn’t stop the military, and training will proceed as planned, albeit with fewer students (to conform with social distancing rules). I look forward to this school, and I want to make sure I’m as ready for it as I physically can be considering my two injuries late last year. I am pretty sure I’ll be up to the tasks.

I know it’s hard right now. I know it’s tempting to say “Forget it!” and stop eating right or stop exercising, but I challenge everyone to not let COVID-19 derail your health, your fitness, and any progress you’ve made. Kick COVID-19 in the teeth and keep up the hard but good work!

It’s something I ask myself every time I feel a muscle ache. “What the heck am I thinking? Why am I doing this at almost 53 years old?” Just last night, my wife told me that some folks think we’re a little crazy for eating healthy and exercising. Those same people question us making such a drastic change in our lifestyle “So late in life.”

First of all, I don’t see us making the lifestyle change as being so late in our lives. If I have anything to do with it, we changed our lifestyle half-way through this amusement park ride called life. I’m fairly certain that by eating healthier and exercising, we will extend our lives beyond where they would have ended had we not improved our health. My own body was beginning to fail me, and just the simple task of tying my own shoes had nearly become impossible. Something had to change.

Second, maybe we are a little crazy for eating healthy and exercising. But if this is what’s called being crazy, then people who don’t eat right and don’t exercise are flat-out insane. Controlling what goes into our mouths is much simpler than people make it out to be, and exercise doesn’t have to be marathon running or hours long gym sessions. A simple 30 minutes, three times a week is all you need to do to make your heart pump a little harder than usual to keep your body in shape.

It was also brought to my attention that some people are wondering when we will “Go back to normal” and stop eating healthy and stop exercising. After all, it’s easier for people to root for us to stop being healthy than it is for them to change their own habits. Somehow, seeing Sherry and I succeed at health and fitness highlights their own feelings of insecurity and heightens their anxiety over their inability to eat healthy and exercise. This is, unfortunately, pretty common.

I have at least six more years of fitness ahead of me that I cannot escape. Being in the military dictates that I always be physically fit and ready for war. As a leader, I have to ensure that I’m above reproach when it comes to not only my leadership skills and knowledge, but also in physical fitness. I cannot be an effective and inspiring leader if I’m not in as good shape or better than my Soldiers. I feel that this is very important, and I see this as my primary motivator every single time I go out for a run.

Beyond that, however, is the fact that I really enjoy being unlimited by physical ability when my wife and I want to undertake adventures. I love that we can hike, mountain bike, zip line, or do pretty much whatever we want because we are not only fit, but we are not overweight. Activities like zip line riding have weight restrictions for safety. Five years ago, we never could have even considered zip lining. We just bought two kayaks that will arrive in June and we can’t wait to hit some inland waterways!

What am I thinking? I’m thinking that I’m fortunate to be this active at age 52. I’m thinking that my health is much better today than it has been in over 25 years. I’m thinking that I might be able to stick around and annoy and molest my wife for more years than if I were to just let myself go. I am also very fortunate that my body is allowing me to do these things. Sure, I’m sore more often than I’m not because I’m always pushing myself to become stronger and faster, but that’s a good thing. My intention is to never stop eating right and exercising. I don’t want to be limited by my health or lack of fitness if there’s anything I can do about that.