I’m not talking about being a kid or a teenager. I’m talking about when I was in my 20’s. I felt energetic, flexible, mobile, and ready to take on the world. After I turned 30, I remember things feeling more sluggish, my body was harder to move around, and my energy levels began to drop. By my 40’s, I was feeling like the proverbial, “Old man,” especially in the mornings. I thought that what I was feeling was a normal progression of age. What I didn’t realize was that it was actually signs of declining health and fitness.
As I began losing weight, my energy levels shot up. Surely, it wasn’t due to the lost weight but to the better diet. However, as I continued to lose weight, things like flexibility, mobility, and fitness started improving. I felt better, had fewer aches and pains, and even felt mentally sharper. Things started falling into place more easily and more often. Then it struck me; this is how I felt when I was young.
We all accept aging as something inevitable and unavoidable (because DUH, it is inevitable), but the way we feel as we age is up to us*. We decide what we put into our bodies, and we decide how much exercise we get. We are the gatekeepers of our health and fitness. If you don’t want to feel sluggish and tired and dragging, then do something about it. If you lament your loss of breath when you climb a flight of stairs, do something about it. Nobody can or will do it for you. This is on your shoulders, and you have no-one to blame but yourself.
I feel like I’m in my 20’s again. Sure, there are times when I do feel an ache or pain that is legitimately caused by age, but those days are far fewer and in between than they used to be. Best yet; often, when I run, the ache or pain melts away. It turns out that a lot of those little aches or pains are just the body wanting more activity.
*There are people who develop physical ailments, contract diseases, or suffer from a natural breakdown of body function due to the aging process. I know that we can’t exercise or eat away genetics or disease. However, I do feel that diet and exercise can mitigate many issues people face when aging.
When I am asked questions about losing weight, eating healthy, or fitness, I always make time for people. I answer all their questions and make sure to offer myself for any additional info, motivation, or pep talks. I do this because I believe that we’ve had so much bad information for so long, someone needs to let people in on the truth about our horrible diet that the government and our education system continues to tell us is healthy.
as a kid – mostly…
My wife surprised me with a dinner at one of the top-3 rated restaurants for romantic dates and anniversaries in the Houston area: Chez Nous. It is located in Humble, and is in an unassuming residential area. While the outside appears to be a re-purposed residential dwelling, the inside is lavishly French. The staff are outstanding, and the food was beyond delicious. However, there were some non-Paleo choices made, and we’re okay with that.
Paleo Marine 