Hello and welcome to the 79th in our series Shattering the Yoyo. My name is Michael Davis, and this is a podcast about fitness, diet, and medicine. My goal is to live a long, healthy, happy, active life right up to the very end. I just want to love my life enough to make it last as long as possible.
Episode 107 is packed with good information and advice. I love the overall positivity of these episodes, which were published near the end of 2018.
Recently I’ve been sick. I had a cough for almost a month, and it affected my appetite. So I’ve lost a few pounds, and I’ve noticed the difference in my clothing. I know some people don’t like to obsessively weigh every day and just judge their progress by the way their clothes fit. I happen to think that checking every day is not obsessive, and it is the main way I know if I’m heading in the right direction and how fast I’m getting there. I have a couple of different waist sizes in my wardrobe, and one of them is 42, demonstrating the yo-yo effect and what I’m trying to reverse in this whole project.
The second thing I mention is how I had achieved my goal of walking around Lake Fayetteville twice in one day. I had a goal kind of set for me by someone close to me, who challenged me to do basically the same thing I did in 2018, to get down to 200 pounds by the end of the year. I’m not going to make that. I would have to do unhealthy things to do it, even if I had started losing at the beginning of the year. But not reaching a goal is not a failure, as I mentioned later in episode 107. Making significant progress toward it would be an excellent accomplishment as well. The last time I checked, I weighed 269. Again this loss may be due to sickness, but it still can be a starting point for a drive toward the finish line of a healthy weight.
I’m excited by the mention of the cardio I was doing because I think I can pretty easily add that to my routine. I still have the stationary bike at home, so I don’t even have to leave the house. I did record a recent episode on the bike, and though I walk by it several times a day, I think I will start to use it again for longer stretches and even high-intensity interval training. Also, in the last couple of visits to medical providers, I have had elevated blood pressure. Though I am on medication for that, I know I can do things to keep it completely under control, like eliminating or reducing my caffeine intake. Exercise is another way I can help reduce my blood pressure so it can be at a consistently healthy level. Exercise also reduces stress which is another factor.
Remembering the squat I did with just the bar brings to mind the fact that I had more instances of finding my physical limitations. And now I have the ruptured Achilles in my history as well. But I actually overcame the knee problem by slowly strengthening the muscles surrounding the knee. Since I’d rather not wind up a broken-down old man groaning every time I move (and I do feel like that sometimes), that’s good news. And even now, I’ve been having some significant back pain. We’re talking 8 or 9 out of 10 pain. But I know I just need to keep moving to let those muscles heal in the right way, and I’ll be good as new.
The idea of looking at failure as just another step toward success is a great one. It’s how I stayed persistent despite whatever setbacks I had, and more than anything, it is that attitude that got me in a good place physically.
Of course, I couldn’t have done any of this without you, my listeners. That’s why I plan to keep on doing this podcast as long as I am able. I’ve started to miss a few weeks here and there, but I’m not done yet, and you can always expect another episode. So thank you again today for being my motivation and encouragement for all the good things I am able to do for my health.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode. Be sure to subscribe on YouTube, and visit RunningAFEVER.com for the blogs and past episodes. If you have the fever already, keep it. And if you don’t, catch the fever. And I will talk to you next time on Running: A FEVER.
Photo by Vlad Chețan: https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-photography-of-man-jumping-2923156/