We are not athletes, health care professionals, or other ‘experts’ in the area of diet and nutrition. Neither of us is going to run a marathon or win a bodybuilding competition. We don’t want to be any of those. What we are is two people who want to stay in decent shape as we age. We set out on a journey to do just that.
Nothing but Bad Info to Start
What we immediately found were roadblocks. We knew better than to believe in the fad of the day but we still tried the usual low-carb, high-protein, fat-free diets. Of course, we tried the exercise advice as well. Based on what the experts said, our routine became lifting 3+ times a week plus treadmill work plus spin classes. Unlimited time and money is not what we have and things began adding up quickly.
What we wanted to figure out was how to manage our weight and life goals of Mr. and Mrs. Everyone. Our goals were not to be athletes. The goal we had was to stay in the body shape we wanted. Also, we wanted to participate in the sports we wanted to do without injury. Our goals also needed to include traveling and enjoying a meal out or a couple of brews.
Others Must Have the Same Challenges
We found what works for us and we think it may help others. As we thought more about it and talked to others, patterns began to form. As a result, we learned it is very common for people to be told things that they just can’t maintain. We also saw that governments and health organizations don’t make it easy or provide information that makes sense. The challenge they face is that they have such a wide audience that it can’t be tailored to individual needs.
We also realized that weight management and fitness is a multi-billion dollar industry. The entire goal of that industry is to give you an easy button. You pay others to help you manage your weight. That may be through meal replacement services or personal trainers. It may be buying the latest diet book or food
We Started Seeing the Larger Picture.
On our journey, we started to realize economies of scale and other connections. These realizations have become ongoing experiments in simplifying our lives. Not everything has worked and we feel that is part of the learnings we want to share. We don’t believe experiments are failures. In contrast, they are learning tools we should embrace.
That Leaves Us with Our Mission Statement
The mission of this blog is to share our learnings with others to help them with their journey. It is also to document solutions we find to the ongoing challenges we face in managing our health as we age. We have also learned health is not relegated to physical health. We will post on subjects that may pertain to mental, financial, and other types of health as they come up for us.
This blog will start with posts about our journey and how we landed here. We will then focus on topics we are currently engaged in learning or have learned from. The hope is that our mistakes help others see more clearly sooner.