Question: If you could have 1 wish for this world, what would it be?
Answer: People would place their health and fitness as a top priority. I believe healthy and fit individuals lead to happier and more productive individuals. So eventually, a completely healthy and fit world would HAVE to lead to the ultimate goal of achieving "World Peace" ;-)
Right?...
OK, so this may all be subjective. But I do believe in this basic principle of life:
Basic Principle of Life: Your Health and Fitness should be a Top Priority.
The purpose of this page is to share my own personal thoughts of achieving both of these in your own personal life. I am by no means a fitness expert, nor do I claim to hold any credentials worthy of keeping you tuned in on this topic. What I do have, is a personal story filled with tiny tidbits of basic health and fitness information that should help anyone achieve their goals.
STEP#1 - BACK TO BASICS IN HEALTH AND FITNESS
Know your suggested weight for your particular age, gender, and height. This is the 1st step towards achieving a healthy lifestyle.
If you find you are within the proper range for your height and weight then skip to Step #2. If not, I highly recommend you meet with professionals to discuss your situation. Professionals include physicians, dieticians and certified fitness experts who are all critical to you achieving a better, healthier lifestyle.
Why see the professionals? Because everyone's situation is different.
- Diabetes comes to mind.
- Unbalanced chemical levels in your body.
- General physical limitations.
"Get Your Mind Right!"
With that said, you are ready to move on to Step #2 if your mind is right. But here are some other critical factors to your pending success.
- Set mental goals that include milestones and accountability safeguards.
- Know your diet. This includes total calorie count as well as maintaining a nutritional balance.
- Let your new mental state and diet take over your life. Don't fight this process, accept it and understand this is your new life.
Adult Age Height Weight Chart
Female Height to Weight Ratio | Male Height to Weight Ratio | |||||||
| Height | Low | High | Average | Height | Low | High | Average | |
| 4'10" | 102 | 131 | 116.5 | 5'2" | 128 | 150 | 139.0 | |
| 4'11" | 103 | 134 | 118.5 | 5'3" | 130 | 153 | 141.5 | |
| 5'0" | 104 | 137 | 120.5 | 5'4" | 132 | 156 | 144.0 | |
| 5'1" | 106 | 140 | 123.0 | 5'5" | 134 | 160 | 147.0 | |
| 5'2" | 108 | 143 | 125.5 | 5'6" | 136 | 164 | 150.0 | |
| 5'3" | 111 | 147 | 129.0 | 5'7" | 138 | 168 | 153.0 | |
| 5'4" | 114 | 134 | 124.0 | 5'8" | 140 | 172 | 156.0 | |
| 5'5" | 117 | 155 | 136.0 | 5'9" | 142 | 176 | 159.0 | |
| 5'6" | 120 | 159 | 139.5 | 5'10" | 144 | 180 | 162.0 | |
| 5'7" | 123 | 163 | 143.0 | 5'11" | 146 | 184 | 165.0 | |
| 5'8" | 126 | 167 | 146.5 | 6'0" | 149 | 188 | 168.5 | |
| 5'9" | 129 | 170 | 149.5 | 6'1" | 152 | 192 | 172.0 | |
| 5'10" | 132 | 173 | 152.5 | 6'2" | 155 | 197 | 176.0 | |
| 5'11" | 135 | 176 | 155.5 | 6'3" | 158 | 202 | 180.0 | |
| 6'0" | 158.5 | 179 | 168.8 | 6'4" | 162 | 207 | 184.5 | |
Source: http://www.healthyyounaturally.com/services/age_height_weight_chart.htm
Additional Resource:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention - BMI Link
STEP #2 - COMMITTED AND LIVING THE FIT LIFE
Now the FUN PART! This section will constantly change, just like your fitness routine.
I owe all of my success in fitness to Tony Horton (yes I know that is cliche' but before you stop reading by thinking this is a promotion, its NOT!). BUT, I wouldn't be where I am without stumbling across P90X.
I believe this even after going through Army Basic Combat Training nearly 8 years ago. But then again, even though I was in good physical shape after my time in the Army, I wasn't committed to my health yet. Why? Because I still didn't understand how to LIVE a healthy lifestyle. Yes, I could run with the best of them, but I was still eating junk.
I won't go into details on diets, but here are some of the basics:
- Calorie counting. After using an iPhone app for 6 months to track everything I ate, I finally understood total calorie intake. I need about 1800-2100 calories a day, so I monitor that religiously (it comes second nature after about 6 months).
- Eating healthier. This was simple, instead of white bread I eat 100% whole wheat or 8-grain. It taste better, has fewer calories, and it is generally healthier for you. Another example is no "empty drink calories." I might have 1-2 sodas per YEAR. Don't waste your calorie count on junk fluids.
- Everything in moderation. I still enjoy Oreo's, chocolate cake, pizza, Outback cheese fries and other fatty foods on occassion. Now that I know my calorie count, I can. But if I miss a few workouts, then I cut back on the fatty food since I know the extra calories will do me no good.
- Superfoods, power of veggies/fruits, and organics. You can google more on this or even Netflix a few videos. I would say anywhere from 20-50% of my diet on any given week will contain a mix of these three. Again, moderation is key. I found my muscles rebounded faster and I was ready for my next workout after changing my diet to include more of these healthier options.
Lesson Learned: Muscle Confusion & 'Do Your Best and Forget The Rest!'
My mind was right, I understood my diet, I was sticking to my diet, and I had a new workout routine to challenge me (i.e. P90X). I was 27 years old when I finally figured this all out, a few years too late in my opinion. Better late than never right?!?
Muscle Confusion: The basic premise behind muscle confusion is to change up your workout routines. Your body hits a peak in any given routine, then it plateaus. To avoid that plateau, you switch up the routine. I like this idea because you can apply it to your fitness routine indefinitely. You would obviously need to start at the lowest level (changing your routine week-by-week) but also adjusting your fitness on the macro level (i.e. month-by-month and eventually year-after-year).
Click here for an example worksheet I created for myself.
Do Your Best & Forget the Rest: Thanks again Tony Horton. I repeat that phrase whenever I'm feeling exhausted, or even deterred from working out. Let's be honest, sometimes we hit "THE WALL." Oh how I hate that wall. It can drag you down for days, then weeks, then months... It will happen to you.
In my opinion, it's OK to have slow and lazy fitness weeks/months as long as it is preceded by months of success. For example, if you just came off 3 months of 5-6 days a week of workouts averaging 1 hour per day, then you can afford to be lazy for a few weeks. What is NOT OK is letting your wall go up in the first 2 months of your new fitness plan. This is where milestones are important.
When you are 6 months into your new lifestyle, reward yourself. But more importantly, start planning acceptable workout routines for the next 4-6 months.
In my opinion:
- We are not all built to be superhuman athletes.
- We are not all destined to run marathons.
- We do not need to workout 1 hour a day 7 days a week for the rest of our lives.
Some would argue the old-school situp performed by the military is actually bad for your lower back, so once again, do what works for you. Here is an example of a fitness test you can do:
- Able to run 3-5 miles at any pace.
- Able to swim 1/2 mile.
- Able to do 30-50 pushups.
- Able to do 50 or more flutter kicks.
Setting this goal/milestone will be critical to your long-term success. It forces you to research new workout routines. It keeps you interested in your health and fitness (nothing keeps you away from junk foods like a good workout routine.) But most importantly, it means you are truly committed to your new healthy and fit lifestyle.
Workout Resources:
Lastly (for now) I will post a link to my personal workout sheets. They are all blank, but can be printed off and used per your convenience. Enjoy!
Click here for my example workout routines, workout sheets etc.
Click here for the Navy PST standards (example fitness test).
P90X - Insanity - Turbo Fire & more at Beachbody.com
Crossfit Workout
Total Immersion Swim Techniques
Couch to 5k Cool Running Plan
Vibram 5 Fingers
Barefoot Running
