(This image is really close to the Sunday afternoon in 2020 … )
My metabolism slowed down hard in my mid-40s. I’d put basically zero effort or thought into my diet for years … it was all about work. I steadily put on a good amount of weight. Joints ached. Got winded easier. Told myself it was just from getting older. Slapping the belly while looking in the mirror muttering “Gotta to do something about this.” and never doing it. But, everything else was good right? Business good, family seemed good. Everyone was healthy.
One Sunday afternoon early 2020 I’m standing around with a bunch of the neighbor dads in the garage shooting the breeze, having a beer. Kids were playing around nearby, including my son, who was about eight. Accidentally overheard them (and my son) talking about how big and fat the dads were … thats me included. And they weren’t joking about it. They sounded disappointed. Maybe even disgusted a bit. I looked around and realized they were 100% right. That one hurt. But … it was completely on me.
That was it. That was the spark. I tried to fix everything at once. I failed to make it work. Failed more than once. Started adding one small positive habit at a time instead of trying to overhaul everything at once. Habit stacking, basically. And, even for a non-believer in all the “self improvement nonsense” like myself, it worked.
This is not a system or a program I made up. There is nothing original here. There is nothing to join or pay for. I’m just putting this out there. Everything here has been cobbled together from others. I listened to hours and hours of podcasts while walking and learned from other people who had managed to get their stuff straight. I took what made sense in my brain and put together a set of simple habits that worked for me. I’ve done them every day (pretty much) since the spring of 2020.
For decades I was really, really good at being really consistent with bad habits. It took me a long time to form new, good ones. Start small … really small … and build from there. Consistency beats short term intensity.
So, am I now built like a Greek God? No. Seal Team 6 Special Operator? No. Arnold? No. But I am in pretty decent shape. Maintained weight now for over 6 years. And the most important thing … I feel pretty damn good all the time. Comparing fat me to today me … it’s night and day. Is it hard? Yes. It it worth it? Oh hell yes.
The name. About a year after working on losing weight and getting in shape, on two separate occasions two different people, jokingly, noted “You’re a useful old man to have around!” when helping them with something or other. Thought it was interesting.
Hopefully this is helpful.