Guys, it is time to accept certain facts, we are getting older. We usually do not go to the Dr unless we are on our death bed or our wives nag us enough. But look at it from a different point of view: your child’s. What would their life be like if you aren’t here? And I don’t want to scare anyone that they will get bad news from going to the Doctor for their annual physical, but what if there is something wrong that they are able to diagnose and treat and ultimately save your life. And let’s be honest, your annual physical takes about an hour, then there is blood work, but that short amount of time is well worth it for the long term benefits.
I for one, hate going to the Doctor. My blood pressure shoots up every time that I even make an appointment, but last week I went for my annual physical. Overall, the visit went well. I was told that I needed to lose weight, which I knew, but when I heard the dangers of not making a change in my life, I realized for the first time, that my kids could grow up without me if I don’t make some changes. Here were some of the dangers that the Doctor explained that could happen if I didn’t get my weight down and kept it down:
Now, in saying that, I’m about 20 pounds over weight. But, it is enough that if I don’t make some serious changes to my life, that I could really be in trouble. So, what am I doing? I am looking at this at a 2 phased approach:
Phase I – Make the initial changes
This will probably take me a few weeks & this should get me down 5 – 10 pounds.
- Cut down on eating carbs and starches
- Breakfast now consists of 1/2 cup of egg beaters, 100 calorie bread, 1 container of greek yogurt
- Snacks now consists of almonds and sometimes adding dried cranberries
- Limit alcohol intake – and for the next few weeks, I am basically cutting out alcohol altogether
- Eat more chicken and meats that are higher protein
- Eat more salads
- Exercise more
Phase II – Maintain
This will be the for the rest of my life.
- Limit Carbs and starches
- Maintain the same breakfast combination
- Maintain snacks & introduce fruits into the mix
- Continue to limit my alcohol intake, but occasionally have a glass of wine or a beer.
- Continue to eat chicken and meats
- Continue to eat salads at least 2 -3 times a week
- Step up my exercise routine by adding in a daily walk of at least 1 mile, if not more, focusing on at least 30 minutes of cardio a day.
These are just a few of the things that I am doing, as I want to make sure that my boys grow up with me being around and more importantly, I want to be able to set a good example for them by showing them the importance of getting their annual physical and the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
So guys, do the responsible thing, get your annual physical and more importantly, set a good example for your children.