My accidental journey to a six-pack.
In the last few years I have gone from this to this.
I’m 54. I’ve suddenly got a 6-pack. Sort of. A 4-pack. I’ve lost 48 pounds (22 kg). My metabolic age has come down from 57 (when I was 51) to 49. I'm super fit.
What happened?
In the last few years I have gone from this to this.
I’m 54. I’ve suddenly got a 6-pack. Sort of. A 4-pack. I’ve lost 48 pounds (22 kg). My metabolic age has come down from 57 (when I was 51) to 49. I'm super fit.
What happened?
I’d love to say it was deliberate, but it has been accidental. I was overweight, started fasting to lose weight, developed other habits & it spiralled from there. It is not 1 thing that has done it, but the aggregation of lots of things.
In case of use, I share them here
In case of use, I share them here
12 habits to transform your health.
NB don’t try and do all of these at once. Do one, then gradually add others. Baby steps …
NB don’t try and do all of these at once. Do one, then gradually add others. Baby steps …
1 Fast
Do the 5:2 diet. It takes effort, but it works. It is the single most effective thing you can do to lose weight. Plus it brings mental clarity too. Watch videos, listen to podcasts, read, indoctrinate yourself, then do it. After a while, you look forward it.
Do the 5:2 diet. It takes effort, but it works. It is the single most effective thing you can do to lose weight. Plus it brings mental clarity too. Watch videos, listen to podcasts, read, indoctrinate yourself, then do it. After a while, you look forward it.
2. Avoid Seed Oils
Vegetable oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, canola oil, palm oil - all that stuff. They were invented for industry, have made their way into food supply & are poison.
#seedoils are in everything. Assume what you are eating contains them. Only eat when you have ascertained it doesn’t. Olive oil, butter, tallow etc are fine.
Vegetable oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, canola oil, palm oil - all that stuff. They were invented for industry, have made their way into food supply & are poison.
#seedoils are in everything. Assume what you are eating contains them. Only eat when you have ascertained it doesn’t. Olive oil, butter, tallow etc are fine.
3. Dead Hangs
I think these might have been the transformer, as I’ve only been doing them a few months. Get a pull-up bar & hang from it. At first, you will only be able to hang for a bit, but keep hanging every day so that eventually you can hang for 2 minutes.
I only started doing #deadhangs to cure various neck ailments (too much computer), but they have had all sorts of unintended, beneficial side effects on posture, neck, shoulders, back, torso & strength. I can’t think of a more physically beneficial way of spending a minute than a dead hang.
I think these might have been the transformer, as I’ve only been doing them a few months. Get a pull-up bar & hang from it. At first, you will only be able to hang for a bit, but keep hanging every day so that eventually you can hang for 2 minutes.
I only started doing #deadhangs to cure various neck ailments (too much computer), but they have had all sorts of unintended, beneficial side effects on posture, neck, shoulders, back, torso & strength. I can’t think of a more physically beneficial way of spending a minute than a dead hang.
4. Get a Whoop
I got one because to improve sleeping habits. #Sleep is the new exercise ;) The unintended consequence was that my alcohol consumption has gone from most days to almost zero. It’s not just the calories in alcohol, it’s the bad decisions you make after drinking, particularly late-night bingeing. I love booze. If you told me I had to give up drinking, I would’ve said no. But that’s what happens when you get a Whoop. So get a Whoop.
I got one because to improve sleeping habits. #Sleep is the new exercise ;) The unintended consequence was that my alcohol consumption has gone from most days to almost zero. It’s not just the calories in alcohol, it’s the bad decisions you make after drinking, particularly late-night bingeing. I love booze. If you told me I had to give up drinking, I would’ve said no. But that’s what happens when you get a Whoop. So get a Whoop.
5. Have a partner you want to look good for
I had one - now sadly no more - but I’m sure it made me generally up my physical game. She was also extremely health-conscious and got me into all sorts of good habits. It helps to have a partner with whom you can eat well and exercise well. It makes you accountable too.
I had one - now sadly no more - but I’m sure it made me generally up my physical game. She was also extremely health-conscious and got me into all sorts of good habits. It helps to have a partner with whom you can eat well and exercise well. It makes you accountable too.
6. Cider vinegar
It’s better for you than Ozempic. It’s cheaper than Ozempic and it reduces your appetite. Have a shot of #cidervinegar every day. More here on the Power of Cider Vinegar here: theflyingfrisby.com/p/the-power-of…
It’s better for you than Ozempic. It’s cheaper than Ozempic and it reduces your appetite. Have a shot of #cidervinegar every day. More here on the Power of Cider Vinegar here: theflyingfrisby.com/p/the-power-of…
7 Supplements
I’ve gone from taking zero supplements to taking so many I don’t know which ones are actually doing good. Am pretty sure Tongkat Ali and Fadogia Agrestis have had a big impact. I sometimes think the act of taking supplements is as effective as the actual supplements. Oh, and I love bee pollen.
I’ve gone from taking zero supplements to taking so many I don’t know which ones are actually doing good. Am pretty sure Tongkat Ali and Fadogia Agrestis have had a big impact. I sometimes think the act of taking supplements is as effective as the actual supplements. Oh, and I love bee pollen.
8. Water
Don’t know if it did anything, but I stopped drinking tap water where possible and only try to drink mineral water. (Next worry is #microplastics).
Don’t know if it did anything, but I stopped drinking tap water where possible and only try to drink mineral water. (Next worry is #microplastics).
9 Exercise
Do some form of exercise every day, even if walking. I mix it up between cardio, stretching, and weights. I should do more weights: I only do one session per week with some dumbbells at home. I need to join a gym. Cycling is good because it doesn’t hurt your joints. When I run, I usually only run two or three miles, but I live near a steep hill, so I do four 30-second sprints up the hill at the end. I play a bit of tennis & a bit of footy. Swimming is also good, but I don’t like chlorine, so that is more of a summer pastime when outside.
Do some form of exercise every day, even if walking. I mix it up between cardio, stretching, and weights. I should do more weights: I only do one session per week with some dumbbells at home. I need to join a gym. Cycling is good because it doesn’t hurt your joints. When I run, I usually only run two or three miles, but I live near a steep hill, so I do four 30-second sprints up the hill at the end. I play a bit of tennis & a bit of footy. Swimming is also good, but I don’t like chlorine, so that is more of a summer pastime when outside.
10. Two meals a day
Do you really need three? Skip meals on non fasting days. Breakfast is the easiest to miss. Have an early lunch, and go to bed early. Plenty of yoghurt, meat & fish. And no seed oils.
Do you really need three? Skip meals on non fasting days. Breakfast is the easiest to miss. Have an early lunch, and go to bed early. Plenty of yoghurt, meat & fish. And no seed oils.
11. 15 Minutes of Sun
First thing I do every morning is drink a pint of water, make myself a cup of tea, then go & sit in the garden for 15 minutes and get some sunshine. This regulates circadian rhythms. I have been getting to sleep much more easily since I did this. Even if it’s cloudy and it’s winter, go sit outside for 15 minutes first thing in the morning.
First thing I do every morning is drink a pint of water, make myself a cup of tea, then go & sit in the garden for 15 minutes and get some sunshine. This regulates circadian rhythms. I have been getting to sleep much more easily since I did this. Even if it’s cloudy and it’s winter, go sit outside for 15 minutes first thing in the morning.
12. Count Calories
I have only just started counting calories using the Calorie Counter. The thought of entering calories every time you eat deterred me from doing it sooner - yet more time on my phone - but I’m actually quite enjoying it. Eating discipline definitely improves. Ultimately, losing weight is basic maths: fewer calories in than out, and you lose weight. Net immigration is the same.
I have only just started counting calories using the Calorie Counter. The thought of entering calories every time you eat deterred me from doing it sooner - yet more time on my phone - but I’m actually quite enjoying it. Eating discipline definitely improves. Ultimately, losing weight is basic maths: fewer calories in than out, and you lose weight. Net immigration is the same.
A Bruce-y Bonus. Learn to stand up from the ground without using your hands
This is supposed to be an indicator of longevity. A few months ago I was hopeless. I could barely get up from a yoga block. But now I can do it. Here’s the proof.
This is supposed to be an indicator of longevity. A few months ago I was hopeless. I could barely get up from a yoga block. But now I can do it. Here’s the proof.
I hope this helps. Don’t try to do everything at once. You can’t. Baby steps. This is a case of the power of incremental gains and compounding.
Diet is the most important thing. If you don’t get that right, it doesn’t matter how much you exercise. You can’t outrun a bad diet.
Diet is the most important thing. If you don’t get that right, it doesn’t matter how much you exercise. You can’t outrun a bad diet.
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