Sunday, March 30, 2008

Never Too Late to Get Healthy

My wife and I love to go walking at "Two Rivers", a beautiful, riverside nature reserve in Little
Rock. Typically, when we go early in the a.m., we see herds of deer numbering 50 or more, flocks of gulls, pairs of graceful cranes, groups of honking Canada geese, and others. You just never know what you might encounter on any given day.

Last time, we saw a wizened, bearded old man, hooked up to an odd bicycle contraption, loading concrete blocks into a basket/trailer. He noted our curious look and said "I used to weigh over 300 pounds, have lost 50 in the last 3 months, and have a goal of 160 pounds". He went on to say that he and his wife decided to start getting "healthy" this past year and that she walked while he pulled this weighted-down bicycle contraption to enhance his workout and increase his calories burned.

We had a delightful spontaneous dialogue and I suggested he get a copy of the book I have blogged about, "Younger Next Year", which he promised to read.

I wondered how he had come up with this approach, why he had waited so long to get healthy, and what his background was, but it reminded me that there are many ways to achieve our goals and most of them will work if we are committed to good nutrition and a consistent exercise program.

Your comments are always welcome...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Becoming 40 years old and having to start high blood pressure medicine made me start thinking about making changes in my life. I decided if I wanted to do something, now is the time. I have always been interested in taking a self defense course so I began taking kick-boxing classes. I am more confident, fit, and 40 pounds lighter after 10 months of training. I have found a new passion at 40 years old.

Charles Smith, MD said...

Dear Anonymous,

Wonderful! Congratulations on finding your passion, and thanks for sharing it with us.