Fast Tips for Fitness

The days of eating and drinking whatever we want, whenever we want have suddenly passed us by. Beer and pizza have been replaced by energy drinks and power bars. Just getting to the gym has become a workout. Life seemed so hard just ten short years ago. We had to go out drinking all night, sleep-in until noon the next day, go to one 90 minute class and then spend an hour at the gym (45 minutes of it talking and 15 minutes pretending to workout). Somehow, though, we were able to maintain that body mass index that now seems so unattainable.

Today magazines racks are filled with dozens of health and exercise journals showing fitness models that make our wives say "Wow! He's cute!" When what they really mean is "Get your ass off the couch and go to the gym. Stop sitting around drinking beer and watching football all day. And when you get back, take a shower and shave that rug off of your chest." I'm guessing that you know what I mean. Those are the guys that make them feel young and sexy. They are the same guys that make me want to drink more beer and grow a nice scruffy beard. Their vegetarian diets, yoga for men workouts and grooming tips make them so suave. These are the very things that are taking away from our manhood.

Please don't misunderstand me. I have tried these and many other questionable "tricks" trying to keep in touch with my younger self. The former me was also young, dumb and...well, you know the saying. If you were to look back at your family tree, did any of your ancestors behave this way? I know that mine definitely did not. Our fathers and our grandfathers were hardworking men. Some even had military backgrounds. These were men that would sooner spill their Wild Turkey than sip on green tea, burn a prime cut steak than even look at a sushi menu, or do 500 bare knuckle push-ups before sitting through a single spin class. However, times have changed.

Women want their men to be "metro" now. They like bare chests, gelled hair and trendy cologne. We try our best to pursue fitness with a gym membership or a personal trainer. Some of us will run at ungodly hours or bicycle down treacherous roads. Television has been overrun with celebrity infomercials selling the latest way to get fit at home. Even our favorite sports channels remind us that we were only able to compete once upon a time. Those fitness magazines are laughing at us from their place on the newsstand shelves. However, I am here to report that we can begin to be our best, right now, without all of the nonsense.

Friends, it is really not as hard as we fear. We can meet our goals (or at least come close) without a personal trainer, or running a marathon, or signing up to some weight loss program that our hall of fame heroes are advertising. I would like to share some of the strategies that I have used to help maintain my fighting weight since graduating over a decade ago. I am not an expert, but the school of hard knocks is all about trial and error.

1. "Everything in moderation" is a time-tested truth. We could do ourselves a huge favor by knowing "when to say when". I don't just mean with alcohol (I still have problems with that one). I am talking about everything from eating and sleeping to work and exercise. When we do too much, our bodies pay the price. Ours is a society that demands more and more. Just take a look at our slim European counterparts. They enjoy the finer things in life, but do so with a bit of temperance. They also take more time to enjoy life. The daily siesta and mandatory vacation time probably help.
2. Eat smart. Avoid that temptation to stop at the drive-thru, no matter how attractive the value meal. Eating a couple of eggs, whole grain toast and a serving of fruit is a filling breakfast. Having a grilled chicken sandwich with a side of mixed vegetables makes a satisfying lunch. Dinner of chicken or fish with a salad or vegetable and rice or pasta makes 3 squares. I usually fill the snack cravings with a whole grain snack, fruit or meal replacement bar and follow it with (and this is the key) something caffeinated. It can help to control the appetite and the urge to eat impulsively, as well as boosting the metabolism.
3. Do something. Exercise is the obvious counterpart to any diet. "Energy in, energy out" is an equation that we all learned in high school. When you eat a lot of calories, you need a lot of activity to burn them. Restricting calorie intake will reduce the energy that is available to burn. Balancing these two can help you find the equilibrium that is right for you. So whether you are a gym rat or you love chewing up miles on the open road, exercise creates the environment within to help you return to your fitness glory.
4. Hydrate. Every article that I have read about increasing lean muscle mass or burning fat stresses the importance of getting plenty of fluids throughout the day. Unfortunately, caffeine and alcohol do not count. However, water, sports drinks and juices do. There are all types of equations to help you determine what is right for your activity level and body type. The main thing is that you drink...a lot. Between your morning coffee, and your evening beer, drink something and then drink some more. If you haven't been to the bathroom recently, go get another drink.
5. Rest easy. Ironically, downtime is just as productive as everything else you are doing to stay in shape. There are plenty of articles that document the importance of resting between sets, resting between workouts and the critical need for sleep. The hustle and bustle of everyday life makes it difficult to even keep up with the other tips that I have offered. Time to relax, however, has become practically non-existent. It can be done, though. It has to. I say this as a father of four, with a full time job and a wife that has a full time real estate habit. We need to slow down and let it all come together. Take a power nap, play with the kids or go to a ballgame. Just find the time to decompress.

The reality is that many of us still do want to be the guy that once made our wife swoon. We want to be the guy that could play basketball for 3 hours and then go out and party all night. We want to lift every plate in the gym and not need to find the pain medicine as soon as we get home. We want to be able to walk down the beach without holding in our gut. However, now it takes, what seems to be, a ridiculous amount of work. I encourage you, though, for your health and for your family, to get up and go do it. You don't ever have to be that guy in the magazine. Believe me, shaving your chest sucks!

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