April 15, 2021

In this newsletter . . .

Secrets
of Fitness

Why is this? No one wants to be obese.

I have a story.

Back in the 1970s, I bought a Welsh terrier puppy we named Toby. I remember taking him to his first physical exam and the veterinarian told me Toby had a heart murmur. Some heart murmurs can be serious and some rather insignificant. I imagined all sorts of bad outcomes, that he might be sickly or die early.

The vet told me not to worry. Toby, he said, would have to follow a diet of pet food for dogs with heart abnormalities; but he would otherwise lead a healthy, active life.

I asked how simply eating prescription food could make such a difference? I always remember what he told me: ”It’s because dogs can’t cheat. Toby lived 15 very active years.

Therein lies the reason so many overweight or obese people cannot seem to maintain healthy body weight, even after successfully losing weight through dieting: People can cheat.

There’s really no big secret to losing weight. You simply stop eating as much as you have been and the weight comes off. The old joke about the best exercise for losing weight is to push yourself away from the dinner table is true.

Dieters who manage to keep off the fat, once it's gone, are the ones who don’t cheat. One way or another, they resist overeating, permanently.

Here’s the truth. If taking off fat sounds difficult, keeping it off is even harder. Almost any popular diet will result in weight loss because you consistently take in fewer calories.

Still, that doesn’t mean it’s healthy to eat anything you want as long as you eat less of it. It’s possible to lose weight and harm yourself at the same time if basic principles of good nutrition are ignored. Not all popular weight loss programs are properly balanced.

Years ago, when I led cardio-kickboxing classes, I handed out dietary recommendations. Some of the overweight people who regularly came to class lost weight and got really fit. Years later a couple of them I kept track of were still trim and fit.

Here’s a tip that improves the odds of maintaining a healthy body weight once it’s achieved. When regular exercise becomes part of your life, there is a much greater chance of maintaining a healthy body weight permanently.

Another big advantage in getting regular exercise while dieting is how your body will look at a lower weight. Without regular exercise, it’s possible to be trim but flabby. Resistance exercise, in particular, is the antidote to flabbiness.

Find a free beginner’s exercise plan here.

Discover sound nutrition information here.

Stay healthy. Stay fit.

Logan

Senior Exercise Central

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Sincerely,

Logan Franklin
The Gray Iron Fitness Newsletter
www.senior-exercise-central.com