The Come Alive Project

Author: Bob McMillan

  • Energy Bite 306 – Binge Fitness, Does it Work?

    “Get Big Muscles in Just Seven Days“

    “Lose 15 Pounds in Only One Week“

    Have you seen headlines like this on Magazines Covers at the Checkout Line or late night television infomercials? Have you ever tried one of these instant fitness programs?

    While the Government has cracked down on many of those exaggerated claims, there are still some programs out there that seem to be too good to be true. And people buy them all the time. It’s big money.

    Is it possible to get big muscles in just seven days? Yes it is — at least bigger muscles.

    Is it possible to lose fifteen pounds in a week? College wrestlers do it all the time to make weight in a lower weight class.

    Is it a way to get healthy and fit. Not a chance. In fact, one of the huge downsides to binge fitness is that rather than increasing your energy level and looking and feeling good, all too often your energy level drops significantly, your immune system suffers, and you look and feel tired, worn out, and “out of sorts”.

    Yes, even legitimate programs will give you bigger and stronger muscles in just seven days, but not big and strong as you think of those words. If you lift weights for a week, chances are your muscles will be a tiny bit bigger and you will be a bit stronger after that one week. Will it be measurable? Sometimes. Will it continue? Yes, if you keep doing it. No, if you stop.

    All too often, people want to lose a bunch of weight quickly because they want to look good in their wedding dress, or maybe look good for their High School reunion. This is a common reason for binge exercises and diets and it can work — short term.

    I see these folks at the gym a lot. Around May, June and October mostly.

    Then what happens? After the wedding, or after the High School reunion, people stop and go back to the condition they were in before binging for the event. Or worse.

    You can lose weight quickly and you can get stronger quickly. Is it worth it in terms of your overall heath and fitness? Not a chance — UNLESS — you transition into a sensible program of good exercise and eating and continue it until . . . Whenever.

    Don’t be fooled by the headlines and the late night infomercials. If you want to lose weight or shape up, follow a sensible fitness program. You don’t have to go to the gym. You can do it at home if you follow a good self-directed program. Just remember to start off easily and progress at a slow to moderate pace. If you do that, you will look better and certainly feel better before you know it. Don’t be impatient. You will start to get stronger and fitter right out of the starting gate, but it takes time to get the kind of fitness that you are looking for. So keep at it.

    If you really need to lose weight to look the way you want in your wedding dress or for your reunion, how about planning a bit more in advance.

    Thank you for reading.

  • Energy bite 305 – Random Thoughts

    Seniors today are aging better and are more vibrant and aware than Seniors of previous generations. Thanks to modern medicine, you are living longer and better lives than before. Many of you have stayed active longer and are in better physical condition than those seniors of earlier generations. 60 is the new 50. Some say 70 is the new 50. And some feel and act like they are 80 when they are only turning 50.

    I know there are a lot of Seniors like you, who want to focus their lives in a healthy direction and get away from the stagnation and boredom that often pops up after the initial excitement of retirement. You are entering a new stage in life where health, fitness and personal energy becomes a priority. You begin to recognize that health and fitness leads to a better and longer senior life.

    As Seniors, you and I face a lot of challenges — some real and some perceived as real. These challenges include lack of mobility, weakening bodies, increased incidents of illness, falling, increasing isolation, boredom and depression, all leading to that lack of independent living that we fear most of all.

    Of course, you can prevent the premature aging that saps the energy from our lives. I’ve been promoting physical movement (exercise), intelligent eating, deep breathing and a Positive Attitude toward life, in the 304 previous “Energy Bite” blog articles over the last decade.

    When I started the Come Alive Project nearly a decade ago, I intended it to be an awareness campaign for active Seniors about how to discover the Fountain of Youth within each of us through Health, Fitness and Personal Energy. I continue to do talks and workshops on the subject and intend to continue both the blog and the workshops for as long as I am physically able. Heck, it’s fun! Plus, I have enjoyed the many positive comments I have received over the years.

    Oh, and by the way, I practice what I preach. That’s why at age 79, coming up on 80 in five months, I feel like “80 going on 45”. I feel better now than at almost any time in my adult life because of the change in lifestyle I made ten years ago. I added physical movement, intelligent eating and better habits back into my life. I am still following the message that I created The Come Alive Project to spread.

    I hope you are doing the same. Thank you for reading. 

  • Energy Bite 304 – Fitness vs. Personal Energy

    Physical fitness is a condition of the body. We should all strive to be physically fit. Physical fitness includes, but is not limited to, muscular development, physical strength, flexibility, joint mobility and endurance. It’s important that we all include ways to improve our physical fitness as part of our daily activities. It’s about the effectiveness with which we use our bodies to do things. Physical fitness is a part of, but does not define health or wellness.

    Your overall Personal Energy is a combination of your Physical Fitness plus your outlook and attitude about the way you live your life. It’s more than just the physical energy that a fit and healthy body provides, it’s you – feeling alive and in the flow of life. It goes well beyond the capacity for simple existence; it’s the capacity for living alive with physical activity, enthusiasm, zest and joy. It’s discovering the Fountain of Youth within you and turning on the flow of life.

    Personal Energy includes your acceptance of your current reality, whatever that may be, and if you are dissatisfied with that reality, to be willing to create a new reality for yourself. It’s finding a purpose for your life. It’s being energized by positive people, places and things, and avoiding their toxic or negative counterparts.

    Having vibrant Personal Energy is saying “YES” to life, and being physically able to do the things you say “yes” to.

    So live alive with energy and enthusiasm. Get in the flow of life. Say YES to the life you are living.

    How do you do that? Stay tuned!

    This is not a lecture, just a “SeniorFlow(tm) Moment”. You’ll hear that term again. Thank you for reading.

    __________________________

    Bob McMillan is a blogger, speaker and workshop leader, spreading a message of Health,
    Fitness and Personal Energy for Active Seniors.