It’s Never Too Late to Get into Shape!

If you’re a Baby Boomer… hopefully this will inspire you to make some positive changes in your life; changes that may seem impossible if you aren’t in shape or are overweight.

But the fact is, it’s far easier than you may think to get back into shape… and not just a slight improvement, but to actually get into really great shape!

Here’s my story on how I did it. I’m age 62 and in a few months, I’ll be 63 (Sheesh, where did the time go?). For the most part I’ve been in pretty good shape for most of my life, but a few years ago I was seriously injured in an accident and I never fully recovered.

In spite of over a year of daily physical therapy and countless Cortisone shots, I was unable to lift my right hand above my ear. With near-constant back pain, I had difficulty in doing even the most of simple tasks. Washing my hair, tucking in a shirt or threading a belt through the belt loops on my pants was nearly impossible for me to do.

As a result, I became discouraged, lethargic and depressed… and to make matters worse, I got into the habit of eating more for pleasure and taste than eating healthy nutritious meals; and of course I ended up with the inevitable side effect of some serious and rapid weight gain.

Needless to say, it was a downward spiral and before I realized it, I was really out of shape and 45 pounds overweight. In fact, I got fat!

But then a funny thing happened… I found an old photo of when I was much younger and in good shape. And as I looked at it and thought about it, I remembered how much I really enjoyed my active lifestyle then and the pleasure I got from exercising... things like swimming, riding a bicycle and going for long walks or hikes in the hills.

So I did what had seemed impossible… I dusted off the cobwebs and dead leaves off a set of barbells and dumb bells that had been sitting outside (and unused) for a couple of years… and started working out with my weights again.

Now to be quite honest, the next day I was pretty sore and stiff… but, and this may sound strange, it felt good. I had used and stretched muscles that had been inactive for a long time… and now they were definitely letting me know about it.

Well, to make a long story short, this was a major turning point in my life. Inspired by the fact that I had pushed myself to the point of actually feeling endorphins surge through my body, I gave my aching muscles a day off to recover (as all Pro Trainers will tell you to do) but then I went back the following day to do battle with gravity by lifting those weights again.

And I’ve been doing it on a regular basis ever since. The results? I’ve gained well over two full inches on my biceps; nearly three inches in my chest and I’ve lost two inches around my waist!

And that jelly roll around my waist? When I started I was a 38-40; now I'm wearing 34 and they're loose! I need a belt to hold them up!

Best of all, I hadn’t noticed that I’d gained so much muscle in my upper body until the weather warmed up and I put on a shirt that had fit me last year; but now (to my surprise & delight) it is way too tight in the arms and chest!

As a result, greatly encouraged by what I had thought would take me years to achieve (yet only took a few months), I’m now watching my diet, eating better and really enjoying the road to getting back into great shape and good health.

Bottom line: Hey, if I can do it… So can you!

PS ~ Most importantly, before you start any diet or begin an exercise program, be sure to check with your Doctor first!