I have a new appreciation of the tortoise’s progress in that race against a hare. Only I have come to believe, this adventure we’ve chosen is not a race. It’s a wrestling match— mostly against misinformation, old habits that do not go gently into the night, and me.

Getting Healthy Can Be Quite a Wrestling Match!

Happy as I am about the weight I have lost, recently, I took a good look at myself. “Oh girlfriend,” I said, “you have miles—well, POUNDS and inches — to go to get to a healthy weight, or more importantly, a B.M.I.that is reasonable for your age and stage.”

And the truth is, I may never get to the magic weight, or healthy body-mass index.

So, why keep writing about this?

Because . . . Doug and I are still making progress. And maybe I can encourage you to keep making healthy changes, no matter how slowly things seem to be going.

Here’s what seems to be working for my new wrestling match: We

 Don’t eat what is not making us healthy.

Rethought the food budget.
We have increased lean protein at every meal, and added more fresh food. ( Yeah I have developed a taste for Greek yogurt with a soupçon of honey) But not buying chips, etc and soda balances out some of the expenses. (It Doesn’t Matter if It’s sugary or diet . . .)

Watch those portions!
When we eat out we unashamedly split entrees so we can each enjoy a salad.

Just don’t buy it!
Our son told us this years ago. We’ve finally eliminated favorite junk foods from our grocery list – but if you are serving some tasty tidbits, we will indulge.  If invited, we try  most foods but try to live within limits of smaller portions.

 Keep an eye on calories, sugar, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. This enables us to say no thank you to some things we never did before.

None this is news to me. The suggestions are just becoming a better way to wrestle. Today.

There is no magic bullet.

 Intellectually I know that; emotionally, though I keep my eyes peeled for any approach that will let me eat what I want, when I want, and no change in my size will result.

Sigh.

I am thankful for an old friend whose decision to lose some weight and get healthy sparked a thought that maybe I could too.  Other older pals are changing their habits, too.

When it comes to staying young, a mind-lift beats a face-lift any day. ~Marty Bucella

From their examples and wisdom, the recent saner health habits (I had often avoided) may stay in place. I say may because I know myself, and I am prone to sabotage sensible plans.

What makes resisting temptation difficult for many people is they don’t want to discourage it completely. ~Franklin P Jones

As I look around and see many other seasoned seniors who did not use food for stress relief, anxiety cushions, or rewards, and they look good! But, they have to keep on making good choices for fuel and exercise.

Mrs. Obama still has some advice about staying fit. So does Mrs. Bush. (Laura Bush on Aging Gracefully) It’s worth clicking through to their tips. Especially if you, like me, are willing to learn a few new tricks.

I like Barbara Bush’s ambitions: I want to still be able to garden while I can bend over.

wrestling with plants is good exercise

So, I better keep reducing my belly, and exercising.

Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell. ~Author Unknown