Getting Fit & Staying Fit

I am 58 years old. I’ve got a paunch that my wife doesn’t like but otherwise I’m in pretty good shape with hard muscle everywhere – even under my paunch. I run a little. I walk a little. I lift weights a little. I practice martial arts a little. And, I do some yoga/Pilates.

Over the years I’ve started and stopped exercise programs many times and I can tell you they are a lot easier to stop than to start. I’ve learned my lesson on that score and now I work hard at keeping my exercise routine going. When it is interrupted I jump right back into it as soon as the interruption in over.

I’ve heard it takes six weeks of doing something consistently to make it a habit. Maybe, but it seems to take me only two or three weeks to make a habit of not exercising. So, I cannot afford to let an interruption of my exercise routine last more than two weeks.

I continuously change my routine – slowly and cautiously. I add bits, delete bits, increase durations or intensities but I don’t make changes of more than 10% (that’s just an estimate) in any one week.

Three categories of reasons have caused me to stop exercising in the past.

1. Injuries
2. Lack of sleep
3. Major life events (marriage, changing jobs, having children, etc)

Major life events are not controllable or take priority over my exercise program. When they occur, now-a-days, I incorporate exercise into schedule for the event. For example, when we go on a trip I plan time for weight lifting in the hotel exercise room or for jogging.

Injuries seem uncontrollable but I have found that if I start slow and increase intensity even slower I avoid most injuries.

Lack of sleep reduces my motivation so today when I am over tired I will exercise anyway but cut it short and reduce the intensity. Doing even a little bit maintains my momentum and keeps my good habit intact.