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Summary
On episode 5 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan shares his own success story, tracing how he went from a competitive marathoner in his 20s and 30s to topping 250 pounds in his mid 40s, and what finally turned things around.
He walks through the moment that changed his mindset, meeting his wife Tammy, and how that gave him a reason to want to be healthy for the long haul rather than chase another New Year's resolution.
From there he lays out the four pieces he used to rebuild his health: commitment, education, a plan, and effort, including finding the right kind of doctor and shifting to whole food eating.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com
Key Takeaways
- Commitment is the essential first step. Without it, wanting something, needing it, or even having accountability in place will not be enough to make it happen.
- Weight crept up gradually, not suddenly. Years of travel, desk work, and lost exercise habits took Coach Allan past 200, then 230, then into the 250s over roughly a decade.
- Meeting his wife Tammy was the turning point. She gave him a reason to want to stay healthy and live longer, which is different from simply wanting to look better.
- He rebuilt his health around four pillars: commitment, education, a plan, and effort. Each piece built on the one before it, starting with deciding he was truly committed.
- He sought out a longevity focused doctor instead of a general practitioner. His reasoning: most doctors get little nutrition training and mainly learn to treat illness rather than build long term health.
- Getting healthy is a financial investment, not a covered expense. The doctor, trainer, and nutritionist he used were not cheap and were not covered by insurance, which he frames as money well spent on himself.
- Mobility work became part of his plan as he aged. He had never focused on flexibility before, but a trainer showed him mobility exercises that became a regular piece of his routine.
- Removing bad habits came before adding good ones. Cutting back heavy Diet Coke drinking and reducing alcohol came first, then he added consistent weight training with real intensity and focus.
- He settled on whole food eating, paleo style. His rule of thumb: eat foods that were once a plant or animal and still look recognizably like that, and treat boxed, processed food as the exception.
“If you're not committed to something, it is just not going to happen.”
Coach Allan