So you’re fat and 50… or fat and forty…

I don’t want to sound like I’m gushing, a 52-year-old man who “gushing” isn’t pretty, but if you haven’t seriously tried working out, you should. It’s hard to get up off the couch and get moving… I know… when I started not too long ago I was 30 pounds overweight and my muscles had atrophied a lot from inactivity, so I know the excuses that come my way. your head, believe me, ran through my mind.

“My joints can’t take it”

“I have no time”

“I hate dieting”

And the one I listen to in particular at bootcamp type workouts “I can’t do pull-ups”

Well, I have bad knees, a bulging lumbar disc, and left rotator cuff issues. I make accommodations and do what I can, and I don’t do ANYTHING that aggravates an old injury. I’m struggling to make a living in this economy like everyone else, but one hour a day, five days a week is not impossible. The secret is to approach each new exercise slowly and focus on form. Sometimes it is necessary to make adjustments. If the exercise makes you jump, you may need to replace that with some running in place.

And finally… when I started my current training program, which is an intensive type of training, I couldn’t do a single pull-up, not the first day, not the first 20 days. I am now at the 70 day mark and can do 5 pull ups without help and my goal is to add one more pull up per week.

I won’t tell you that it was very easy to make the switch, and that I never had any discomfort or pain while doing my bootcamp program, because it was hard to start and stick with, and yes, I did find times where I tried to overdo it which caused unwanted pain, but I’m so glad I did.

So far I’ve lost about 20 of my 30-pound goal, have lost 3 inches from my waist, and (as my son says) I have “guns.”

Of course, before you start any workout, you should be checked by your doctor or GP to make sure he or she thinks you don’t have any underlying health problems that are aggravated by exercise. And you should know that exercise is only half of the weight loss equation, you need to clean up your diet by cutting down on fat, sugar, and starchy carbs. Most people who exercise also need to increase their protein intake, so I suggest you look into buying a high-quality, low-cost whey protein supplement (these can be found at your nearest Walmart)

I don’t diet per se; I have modified my diet, little by little. So if you think you have to be a vegan who eats carrots to lose weight, you’re wrong.

I have not found the fountain of youth; I’m still 52 years old, but I look and feel great… And I’m not done yet. My point here is that if I can do it, so can you. Getting old is no excuse to be a couch potato!