Hi Ray,
Let me first say, that it's not just about eating healthy. I like you have enjoyed curries and other foods both eating out and cooking in for over 30 years. When I was in the forces and younger I probably ate what I wanted and as much as I wanted with no worries, but since I have aged, I still wanted to eat what I wanted and probably the same portions.
As we get older and slow down a little we say to ourselves, "that's ok, I'm getting a little older I can't do as many push ups as I used to or as many sit up's or I succumb to running round the block twice now as it suits my age and not what I used to achieve, and we get into that middle age thing accepting that we excercise a little less and maybe eat the same amount and maybe while we're sitting in the armchair of an evening we enjoy a glass or 2 more of what we fancy instead of doing that extra excercise we used to do when we were a few years younger....
I', not saying for one moment that this is what everyone does, but it certainly happened to me after 17 years in the Territorial army and holding down a full time job and having 3 young kids to please as well.....
So, like you my clothes got tighter, my passion for working out became lifting my right arm to drink that wine while I watched TV, and it came to the point where I had no energy at all. My Cholestrol went up, my blood pressure went up, I was losing sleep at night (probably because I was drinking too much, which affects you're sleep pattern) and it just becomes a downward spiral pattern that a lot of people who are getting older fall into.
I felt that I needed to do something about it. So, with my Indian cooking in particular, I cut the oil I put into a single dish down to 1-2 tbsp, and changed the oil from any cooking oil I picked up on the shelf to Rapeseed Oil, I also have cut down my portions, so instead of getting out a dinner plate which I felt compelled to fill, I now get a starter plate out, which I do fill, which not only looks satisfying, but also means I take in less food, and I have also with great discipline cut my alcohol intake down to 1-2 glasses of wine an evening.
However, cutting down you're intake of food and alcohol is not really enough to combat excess weight, which could lead to further health problems, like high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney failure.....
My wonderful girlfriend who is a bit of a health freak! (Sorry baby!!), but she put me onto a workout programme which you can do at home and is both cardiovascular, muscle building and a Yoga type/core synergistics programme all rolled out into one.
It's called the P90X extreme workout. Yes it's an American workout programme built for home use. It's aim is to produce a "Beach Body" in 90 days, hence the name of the programme.
I bought this set of DVD's and started working out and within 2 weeks felt such a difference to my vitality. I was more alert, my clothes did feel looser and I slept better at night too..
The only downside was that at aged 52, I found it hard to keep up now with the daily extreme workout, my body as it is right now cannot keep up with that of say a 32 year old.
So I have now re-named this workout as the P180 Extreme Workout. Designed for the over 50's
It means that now instead of working out 7 days a week, I work out probably nearer 3-4 days a week, which not only gives me a cardiovascular workout, but also keeps my muscles tones, and I get to sleep better because of my Yoga/core synergistics workout too....
I've still got a long way to go if I want to look like Twiggy, which I don't, but when I consider what I was like 4 months ago, I am more nearer my military day fitness now than I ever was.
I guess the moral is, don't just think about what you are feeding yourself, but think about what excercise you get, the amount of relaxtion you get and the quality of sleep you get too, to have a balanced life. The only other thing I would say here is that always try and think about the positive side of any daily situation in you're life rather than the negative, you'll be surprised how different your persona will be......
I hope this helps and I am no expert on life coaching, it's only what I have deduced from life myself over the years and practiced, it will always be different for each individual......
But don't forget to still enjoy you're curries
Topic: Healthy Option section? (Read 12265 times)
