Being in physical pain is never fun. No one enjoys waking up and not feeling good. That is exactly where I found myself in 2017. I was in an unhealthy place. My annual physical exam confirmed this reality. Something needed to change. The simple approach I followed was not working. For most of my adult life running helped me stay in shape. That was not the case anymore. Based on tough feedback from my doctor I decided to revamp my approach.

I tend to be stubborn in most situations

I am a Keating, and proud to be one. We are a strong tribe. Taking pride in who you are can be a healthy thing. Unfortunately we Keatings are also stubborn. This trait is especially true for me. The fact that my mom is German may also factor into my stubborn attitude. My German roots show up in many ways. Once I am convinced that something is true it can be really difficult to get me to change my mind. My stubbornness can be a good thing in some situations, but it is more often a problem. I cannot count on one hand how many times I was convinced of something and went down the wrong path as a result. Way too many examples to list here.

Changing my ways is not easy

I was doing the same thing when it came to my health. I was being stubborn. Rather than deal with the problem in a mature way, I came up with excuses. I told myself stupid things like everything was fine. It was just part of getting old. I was still in better shape than most men my age. No worries. Excuses don’t solve problems, they only delay solutions. In this situation, it took a doctor to convince me what I already knew. I needed to change my ways – which is not easy for me. Implementing meaningful change is difficult for most of us.

Stubborn and ardent clinging to one’s opinion is the best proof of stupidity. Michel de Montaigne

Thinking more Dutch, less German

I learned this past summer that the Dutch use sophisticated solutions for some of their simple problems. Solutions that stand the test of time. I needed to think more like a Dutch person when it came to my health.  It was obvious that my weight was contributing to my declining health. I needed a better way to manage it. The formula for maintaining an acceptable weight is not difficult for most people. There are exceptions but in general, you have to exercise regularly and avoid eating too much. The older you get the more important it becomes that you address both factors rather than just one. For example, I was exercising plenty, but eating too much on a regular basis. As a result, my weight went up and down based on how much I exercised. I like to say it this way. Good news – I lost almost two hundred pounds over the past decade. The bad news is that it was the same twenty pounds every year.

How I crafted a sophisticated solution

There is an almost infinite number of ways to exercise more and eat less. Just visit your local bookstore and you will see many shelves with various exercise and diet plans. The internet also offers many solutions. The number of choices is overwhelming. I researched possible approaches and experimented with several of them. Some worked well while others did not seem worth the effort. Based on the results I crafted a somewhat sophisticated solution. It included three big changes and three things that would remain the same. It is worth noting here that this approach seems to work pretty well for me. It may not work for others.

1. Keep running but fewer times a week

When it comes to exercise running does it for me. I tried a few other aerobic activities but they proved too difficult. For example, I swam for many years when I was young and still have decent form. The problem is that you need a pool to swim in. No pool, no exercise. The only special equipment you need to go running is shoes. I also enjoy cycling but am not that good at it. I get bored on an indoor training bike and do not feel safe riding on the open road. I know too many friends who have experienced horrible crashes out on the roads. In 2017 I totally changed my approach to running. I read the book Train Smart, Run Forever. It is written by two running experts. It opened my eyes to a new training method. Nowadays I maintain the same mileage (15-20 miles/week) but only run a few times a week. It really works and I feel much better.

2. Fast during the week

Many approaches to eating a healthy diet are complicated. In some cases, you have to journal everything you eat, or eat six times a day, or replace meals with shakes a few times a day. Most of them focus on high protein, low carb. Other approaches are well known because they work – Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, Paleo, Atkins, Keto, Mediterranean, and my all-time favorite the cabbage soup diet. I am not good with complicated approaches. I tend to screw them up. Instead, I decided to stick with simple. I implemented intermittent fasting. Basically – I eat all my food within an eight-hour window on weekdays. That means I usually skip breakfast (just coffee in the morning) and stop eating after dinner. I try to eat more protein and fewer carbs. Some days that is easy. Other days not so much. I have written about intermittent fasting before. It works well for me. I lost 20 pounds and have kept most of it off. In case you are wondering – weekends are different. I tend to skip breakfast on Saturdays, but Sunday brunch is the norm for me. I consider it a sacred part of the Sabbath.

3. End my gym membership

I was a member of a great gym in my neighborhood. It was expensive and I did not go that much. The membership was not worth the money, so I ended it. They charged me a ton of money to quit which was annoying. Also, I noticed that many members were there more to socialize than work out. It some ways it was like a bar – a meat market, just with leaner meat. I am not anti-gym. The condo building I live in has a large gym. That is where I work out nowadays if I need any equipment. Most days I stick with bodyweight exercises.

I decided not to change everything

Some people are really good at making many changes all at once. I am not that kind of person. I find it difficult to change. I try to focus on a few major changes that create the biggest impact rather than coming up with a whole new plan all at once. I have tried that approach before. Simply put – it has never worked well for me. With that thought in mind – I deliberately decided to keep three things the same.

1. Run a race at least once a month

A few years ago I set a goal to run a race each month. This goal holds me accountable and inspires me to keep training. Each race provides an indicator of my fitness. The clock never lies. If you run the same race year over year you also get data points to compare how you are doing in the long-term. Races are usually a positive experience for me. They give me the opportunity to participate in an activity I enjoy with others. I decided to maintain this goal moving forward. It confirmed if my new training approach is working. It is. I am pleased with my race results.

2. Drink black coffee and great beer

I drink coffee every morning and beer on weekends. Many diets require you to give up both. I refuse. I have been drinking coffee for decades and do not intend on ever stopping. I actually did some research and it turns out coffee is a superfood if prepared properly. Light roast with nothing added. No cream, sugar, or sugar substitute. Just black coffee. A cup is less than ten calories and my taste buds have adjusted to the flavor. You both know that I enjoy drinking great beer. Quality is more important than quantity to me. That will not change anytime soon. Life is too short for cheap coffee or bad beer.

3. Perform daily bodyweight exercises

Maintaining my strength is important. Getting to the gym on a regular basis has been a challenge over the past decade. Therefore, I try to perform daily bodyweight exercises. My favorite exercises are push-ups, squats, abs, and burpees. Well – I really don’t like burpees, but man do they work well. I hope to start going to the gym more often. After all, there is one in my building. But, I am more likely to continue performing daily bodyweight exercises.

Creating the plan was pretty easy

There you have it – my sophisticated plan for staying in shape and maintaining an acceptable body weight. Creating this plan was not that difficult. Making it happen has been the hard part. I have to confess that there have been good weeks and bad ones also. During a good week, I run 3-4 times a week, fast a majority of the week and complete my daily exercises. But some weeks I don’t run as many miles, eat poorly and get lazy about my exercises.

Long-term success is now possible

I am happy to share that there have been more good weeks than bad ones. I am pleased with the results and feel like I have a solid approach moving forward. My doctor was also pleased with the results. My annual physical went well. I shared my plan with her and she endorsed it. Good thing because I turned 50 this year and it is not going to get easier anytime soon.