Posts Tagged "diet"

A lean Thanksgiving commitment

Posted by Dad on Nov 25, 2008 in health | 2 comments

Like many others, I too am trying to lose some bulge. I’ve hit 40 this year and am determined to try and drop that spare tire I have around my midsection that is “oh so midlife!”  Here’s my plan to avoid the usual Thanksgiving indulgences.

1. Work out in some way every day.  I will be in the mountains of North Carolina and it will be cold outside.  Frankly, too cold for a warm-blooded Floridian. Nevertheless, I will brave the elements like a man and at least go for a run.
2. Drink water constantly and limit myself to one glass of wine per day.  The constant water will limit my appetite and the glass of red will benefit my heart. Not more, not less.
3. I will focus on proteins and make every calorie count. I’ve added this the Calorie Tracker from LiveStrong.com app to my iPhone and will diligently count my calories.  I hope this will give me the will power to stop myself from eating when I’m not hungry.
4. I will limit myself to a small slice of pie per day at dinner AND then only eat half of it.
5. Lastly, I will try and get enough sleep and relax!

Here’s to you and yours, wishing you all the best on this Thanksgiving week.

Dad’s old spare tire…

Posted by Dad on Nov 6, 2008 in Dad Issues, health | 0 comments

There’s no clearer sign of age on good old dad than that spare tire around our midsection.  Our wives are too nice to say too much about it.  Maybe love makes them blind when it comes to our growing tire and they still picture us with our twenty-something physique. I don’t know.  What I do know is that I don’t like it.

I just hit 40 this year and maybe it’s a midlife thing but I’m determined to lose my gut by the time I hit 41.  I’ve bought the books and the diet food.  I’m motivating myself to row every morning.  The only thing I need is real motivation.  I’m debating whether I should take a picture of my belly and post it right up here like the picture above.  That will certainly motivate me to lose it. Look at this article on the subject.  I don’t know.  Maybe I will.

All the best.

The midlife medical check up list

Posted by Dad on Mar 24, 2008 in Dad Issues | 0 comments

They say that 40 is the new 30 but my body doesn’t seem to have heard that.  At least, it certainly doesn’t seem to agree.  I’m 40 this year and I’m approaching midlife.

Doing some research on the net, I was found a site that presented some interesting thoughts on the subject:

We have two major identity crises. The first, occurring in adolescence, is to establish an identity. You must get a sense of who you are. The second identity crisis is at midlife when you must give up who you think you are so you can become who you were meant to be.

I like that.  “Become who you were meant to be.“  There does come a time when we do let go of some of the dreams we had and come to grips with life’s realities.  This, presumably, helps you become the person you’re supposed to be.  Hmm.  I don’t know. 

I have also heard that you grow old when you replace dreams with regrets. I certainly don’t want to do that. Perhaps a better saying is replacing your early dreams with new, more mature ones?

Well, enough babble.  If you’ve hit middle age or are quickly approaching it, here’s what you got to do so that you have a good chance of seeing your grandkids:

After 40, every year:

• Physical exam for cancer (skin, thyroid, lymph nodes, prostate and rectum)
• Dental Exam

Every 1-2 years:

• Height/weight measurements
• Blood pressure check
• Stool sample check for blood
• Vision and glaucoma check

Every 3-5 years:

• Cholesterol check
• Blood sugar check
• Sigmoidoscopy after age 50 for colon cancer (40 if you have a family history like me!)

Follow the above with a routine of daily 30 minutes of exercise and a diet low in fat and high in fiber.

Here’s wishing you a long and healthy life.  Your kids deserve it!

All the best