This photo was taken in the summer of 1988, when I was 41 years old, and weighed about 129 pounds.
My 69-year-old father had died a few months before, and I had lost 50 pounds on a liquid-protein diet which I began around the first of the year. I remember feeling pretty darn good about my body, although it was a confusing time in my life.
Enough psychology. My 40-year-old belly was a far cry from my belly of today. Although I will never weigh 129 pounds again, and my belly will never be as flat, I have a ways to go before I’ll be satisfied with the shape it’s in. Back then, heart disease, diabetes, and a host of other potential maladies weren’t on my radar screen. Today, I know that excess weight can be an enemy, and I am determined to get rid of it.
I’ve always liked to see progress quickly, whether I’m knitting a sweater, writing an article, or pitching a client.
It’s not easy inching my way to my goal to be fit as a fiddle, but if I don’t persevere with my healthy diet and four-time-a-week exercise routine, I know I’ll be sorry. I stopped drinking, cold, about eight years ago, and quit smoking over 30 years ago, so there’s no reason I can’t maintain the discipline I need to lose the weight.
It’s possible to measure your percentage of body fat, and compare it to acceptable numbers, by using one of the calculators on the internet, such as this one. You also can learn your Body Mass Index, and determine what that number means in relation to your overall health. It’s important to understand, however, that neither number alone is an indicator of your fitness or health. They simply are tools to help guide you in your exercise and diet plans.
Here, I bring you my exercise for the week, called Chop With Medicine Ball.
Abs and legs take center stage in the Medicine Ball Squat Chop, explains Vann Duke, the world’s greatest exercise guru. This functional exercise tones and shapes your quads, while simultaneously strengthening the abs and core muscles. “Your shoulders also get a good workout,” Vann says. The Medicine Ball Squat chop can be used as a warm up, as part of a cardio routine, and for building strength. “Weighted medicine balls are very versatile and will spice up your workout BIG TIME!” Vann says. My medicine ball weighs six pounds.
