My fitness and health journey
My first article/blog post “Why did I wake up in an ambulance ?” was really the driving force for me to take control of my health, fitness and well being. Why do we wait to have a health scare before we decide to make changes to our lifestyle ?
I have pondered this question recently as I have noticed in my peer group of men near or over 50 that many chaps have decided to change their lifestyle or health. I have invested a great deal of time researching different scientific articles and books and you could say I am a bit of a data geek. I have worked in business change management, business analysis and project management for many years ( I can not make it sound glamorous -sorry!). When you meet new people at a party and they ask “ what do you do for a living ?”, I try to explain and you can see their eyes just glaze over !”
“Why do we wait to have a health scare before we decide to make changes to our lifestyle?”
The key aspect of my job is to solve business problems and work with technology teams to find solutions and after my health scare I decided to apply the same principle to the most important project in the world - me !
At the start of my journey I was 102 kg ( 16 stone or 224,87 pounds) and from memory I had just returned from the doctors. My regular GP was on holiday and I visited a locum doctor and in the United Kingdom we are entitled to a free medical check. I highly recommended that you book a full medical before you embark on any change on exercise or nutrition routine. As part of my medical the surgery nurse measured by height, weight and took a number of blood tests. The locum doctor reviewed the results, as I entered his room with a cheerful “ Good morning doctor” , he replied, “ Please sit down”. My bum barely touched the seat when he said “ you are obese !”. I know the national health service is under pressure but he came straight to the point!.
The standard measure is the body mass calculator and you can calculate your own BMI using this link from the national health service in the United Kingdom Calculate your body mass index (BMI) - NHS - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
The above is a snapshot of my results and as you can see from the picture it is no surprise that I was obese. It can be a bit depressing and deflating when a stranger ( The doctor), calls you obese and also points out that my blood pressure was high, cholesterol was high and I had a high risk of type 2 diabetes. (18%) I was desperate to ask if he has any good news but I could tell by his directness that he had no time for small talk or dad jokes.
Please don’t be discouraged to go for your annual medical but see the results as a motivation to make changes and improve your health and wellbeing. According to a report from the world obesity federation, more than half of the world’s population age 5 and older (51%) or more than 4 billion people will be overweight or obese by 2035.
As mentioned, I am bit of a geek and my poor health report motivated me to start researching different approaches. The above statistic is also a worry but it should motivate us to try and improve our daily habits. I personally feel that International governments and large corporations should also combine to help us lead a healthier lifestyle via exercise and nutrition. I feel we are working longer hours, more stressed, under more financial pressure and constantly bombarded with social media alerts and notifications that trigger unhealthy habits. That is why I am really passionate about this project Travel + Art+ Nature because all of these factors were key to my fitness and health transformation.
It has been scientifically proven that if you write down your plan and goals in a journal or on the print out of my plan you have a 62% more chance of success.
“According to a report from the world obesity federation, more than half of the world’s population age 5 and older (51%) or more than 4 billion people will be overweight or obese by 2035.”
My progress
I have been really happy with my progress and the below diagram shows my latest BMI results. My current weight is 91kg ( 14.33 stone/ 200 pounds), a reduction of 11kg ( 1.67 stone/ 24.87 pounds). As you can see my BMI has reduced to 27.2 and I am out of the obese category and I am super happy. You might be asking “ but you are still overweight”, very true but my doctor explained that it is more important that I have lost weight and I am no longer in the obese category. I have incorporated an aspect of strength training into my weekly habits and my justification is muscle weighs more than fat!. A healthy BMI target for a man is between 18.5 and 24.9 but please don’t become obsessed and you know your body and you will feel the changes in your body, motivation, energy and happiness.
I am happy with my progress but BMI is not the only indicator of your progress and when you attend your annual medical please make a note of your results or ask the GP surgery to print the results and you can track the progress. I am also happy to report that my blood pressure, cholesterol levels and risk of type 2 diabetes has reduced to 1% from 18%.
I am not sharing these results to boast or for self gratification but my personal aim of sharing my journey is that it can motivate people and also I would like other men to share their stories of transformation in health and wellbeing. If you would like to share your story of fitness, health and mental well being transformation via Travel + Art +Nature please visit the contributors page.
During this journey I have read many books and articles and I have included a few in the book club for your reference. I learned a valuable bit of information about visceral fat and this is visceral fat that is very common in over weight and obese men. I never heard the term before but it is also called toxic fat and is hidden inside your body around your vital organs. As it is stored around your vital organs it can contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. I know that can sound depressing but a study by Hopkins medicine found that a brisk 30 minute walk, 6 days a week can help reduce belly fat and visceral fat. Walking in nature is a brilliant way for burning visceral fat and please rad my article the benefits of walking and I know it works as my visceral fat score has reduced from extremely high to normal.
This is an excellent resource by the British heart foundation to measure your body fat and visceral fat 12 ways to measure body fat - BHF and again as part of your coaching plan and your personal journal, please write down your body fat and visceral fat ratio and then as you progress on your personal journey you will be motivated by the progress and good luck!.
Update: A very good friend of mine has been diagnosed with prostrate cancer but luckily it was spotted early and he is undergoing treatment. he asked me to share the importance of visiting your doctor as a man over 50 we are at a higher risk and the risk continues to rise as we get older. Please contact your GP and ask for a prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test. For more information please visit the excellent resource and charity prostatecanceruk.org you can check your risk in 30 seconds.