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Summary
On episode 22 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with John and Tammy, new clients starting a 10 week program together. John is a longtime friend of Allan's from high school, now 49 and on medication for diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Tammy, also 49 and newly married to John, is facing serious health issues of her own.
The conversation walks through their individual “whys,” from John wanting to hike and keep up with his son to Tammy wanting to stay active for her family, and gets into how much of getting fit is an emotional process, not just a physical one.
Allan also updates listeners on how the couple's first weeks actually went once real life (in this case, an illness) got in the way of the plan.
Links
- https://olderfitness.com/diet
Key Takeaways
- John's why is staying capable, not just losing weight. He wants to hike, kayak, camp, and keep up with his teenage son, and he's watched his flexibility, breathing, sleep, and weight all get worse in recent years.
- Tammy's why is staying active for her family. She describes herself as a “go, go, go” person who wants to keep doing things with John and their kids, and she's rediscovering a love of dancing along the way.
- Getting fit is more emotional than physical. Allan tells Tammy directly that if it were purely physical, everyone would succeed; the harder part is the emotional work underneath it.
- Prioritizing your own health isn't selfish, it's selfless. Allan reframes Tammy's guilt about focusing on herself: showing up for her own health is what lets her keep showing up for her family long term.
- The program's first week is called Commitment. Allan is explicit that without real commitment to the process, nothing else in the 10 week program will work.
- You need people in your corner. Allan tells the couple they can't do this alone, they need champions to talk to and lean on, whether that's each other, him, or family.
- Injury fear is common and manageable. John's biggest worry is his knees and getting hurt while progressing, which Allan addresses by building the program to work around his limitations rather than ignoring them.
- Plans rarely go exactly as scheduled, and that's fine. When Tammy came down with pneumonia and couldn't train, John adapted by focusing entirely on his food instead of stopping altogether, and still made real progress.
- Nutrition drives most of the results Allan sees in clients. He notes that clients like John see their best outcomes when their eating is dialed in, which is why he points people toward a dietitian designed meal plan for extra support with food.
“None of this ever goes linear. You can plan and that plan is not going to always come to fruition.”
Coach Allan
Another Episode You May Enjoy
Episode 58 – How Not To Die of Diabetes – Dr. Michael Greger