By Leo Valiquette
Maybe you’re in your 40s, or 50s. The age doesn’t really matter, so much as the mileage. Too much time behind a desk and poor eating habits have taken their toll.
You can see in it the bathroom mirror, with the extra pounds that mask your jawline or hang around your middle. You can feel it when find yourself puffing after taking the stairs, or mired in a brain fog in the middle of the afternoon. Maybe it’s even impacted your romantic life and self-image with the opposite sex.
Many of us slip into this middle-aged funk like it’s something inevitable that can’t be avoided.
But it can be. There is no reason to pass through this phase of life as anything less than healthy, vigorous and energetic.
If I sound preachy, I apologize, but I can’t help but want to shout this from the rooftops after my own experiences.
Three years ago this week, I first walked into Free Form Fitness’s Kanata location for a consult with founder and CEO Jean-Luc Boissonneault with no idea what to expect.
I was 43, overweight, on entry-level blood pressure meds with the likelihood that I would need cholesterol medication before I was 50. My grandfather had died of a heart attack at 48. My father had already had heart problems and double-bypass surgery at 60.
Genetics might have been working against me, but I knew my fate wasn’t decided. I just needed to get off my butt and do something about it. From time to time I had tried. I would hit the gym by myself and try to eat healthier, but like so many people, I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t understand how food worked. After a few months of positive gains, I would fall off the wagon and pack the pounds back on.
I needed professional help.
Three years after that first meeting with Jean-Luc, I’m still at it. I’ve lost and kept off 30 pounds of fat and added new muscle. My blood pressure and cholesterol are optimal without any need for medication.
I truly am in the best shape of my life. I handle stress better, I am much more focused and productive through the day.
For many people it’s hard to get started. They wince at the time commitment or the cost. But what price do you put on your health and quality of life? The healthier you are, the more time you have for everything else that matters – your spouse, your children, your work, your community. My capacity to do what I want to do, and still show up and be there for the other people in my life when it matters, is greater than it has ever been.
So take it from me – if you feel age creeping up on you, if you spend more time thinking about what you want to do instead of just doing it, if your ability to enjoy life and be there for your family is less than you want it to be, you owe it to yourself to do something about it. The fantastic team at FFF can help.
These people have never steered me wrong.
