I see so many people over 50 who look fat, sick, and depressed. “What’s going on with these people,” I wonder. Why are there so many 50+ people limping around with unconcerned expressions on their faces while sporting five bowling balls in extra weight and a giant belly?
The only explanation I can think of is that they have given up. They have given up on losing weight, eating healthy, exercising, and personal development generally. They have also chosen to ignore information about the dangers of excessive weight, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise told to them by family, friends, doctors, and the news media. With this give-up, stay-ignorant mindset, they no longer can see or feel any incentive or motivation to improve themselves.
I’ve had many people who are in this condition tell me that they could never stick to the plant-based diet or the exercise regimen that I do. With that attitude, they surely never will. They will likely die prematurely, and in the meantime, they will live a much less enjoyable existence simply because they want to eat anything they want and watch others exercise through sports on television.
A family friend, 15 years younger than me, said the same thing. This man has many serious health problems, including diabetes, which can often be eliminated by simply losing weight and changing diet. Sadly, he is leading his children and wife down the same path.
What’s the turning point? It might be a/an…
- Bad medical report
- Loss of a spouse or boy/girl friend
- Unintended view of your body in the mirror
- Persistent fatigue
- Inability to play a sport you love
- Inability to play with your children
- Inability to do work you love
- Fed up attitude (best one)
What are the motivators? The opposite of items listed above, plus these.
- Renewed self-confidence
- Pleasing mirror image
- Reverse of diseases
Where do you start? You begin by starting today! No excuses. Every day. Soon, you will get the motivation, which will build over time.
What motivates? You get motivation by constantly…
- Visualizing the body you want.
- Visualizing the health you want.
- Visualizing the relationship you want.
- Visualizing the self-confidence you want.
- Gaining knowledge through these documentaries and books on nutrition, weight loss, and personal development.
- This documentary is particularly fitting: Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
- This book applies as well: How Not To Die – My review. And so does this one: How Not to Diet both by Michael Greger, M.D.
It’s never too late unless you believe it is. If so, then you’re just waiting to die. Like the living dead. Sorry to be so brutally honest. But there’s no time for tiptoeing around on this subject at this point in your life and health.
Warning: Check with your doctor before making diet, exercise, or weight changes, especially if you’re being treated for a condition or on medications.
Although recording your current weight and taking a before picture is good for later comparison and motivation, I believe checking your weight daily is counterproductive. Here’s why: Our society’s quick-fix mentality pushes us to expect fast results; if the results are less than anticipated, it demotivates us. I suggest you wait and check your weight every 2-3 weeks instead.
Going all in is the key to losing weight, getting healthy, and becoming happy. No halfway measures, excuses, or delays will do. Or you can keep getting fatter, sicker, and more depressed. And you’ll exist until you die, which may not take long.
Choose the path and lifestyle of health and fitness. You’ll be proud. You’ll be pleased. And you’ll be inspired. All you have to do is begin, stay the course, and soon, you’ll see the quality of your life progressively improve.
Be relentless until…
- Healthy food tastes great.
- Exercise is a habit you look forward to.
- Bodyweight is where it should be.
- Self-confidence is a natural state.
- Contentment has replaced depression.