LenDentonThrive Letter #26

Fitness by Design

Author

Len Denton
October 28, 2023

Reading time: approx: 6 minutes

LenDentonThrive Letter #26

Fitness By Design

Welcome to the LenDentonThrive Letter! My mission is to help Over-50 Guys lose weight, get fit, and build their own version of the ThriveLife! Let’s jump right into this week’s big idea.

The Big Idea - Fitness By Design

If you have recently decided to start a new fitness plan, or are even thinking about it, then I say congratulations! Whether your decision was driven by your desire to look and feel better in your clothes, to live longer, or because your doctor told you to, losing weight and getting more fit is a great decision for you.

I know it was for me!

Once you’ve made that decision, your first question is probably regarding where to start!

And, that’s a valid question. There are literally thousands of books, websites, magazine articles, ads, and YouTube videos telling you the best way to get fit. You’ll hear about weight-lifting, doing cables, body-weight exercises, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Crossfit, quiet walking, power walking, cycling, jogging, and all kinds of diets (keto, carnivore, Mediterranean, DASH, and many more). The number of options is mind-boggling!

So, where do you start?

To help you decide on the best place to start the fitness program that will work best for you, I’m going to show you a simple design process that is based on 3 questions. And, I’ll share a few bonus tips as well.

Question #1 - What Is Your Primary Goal?

Your first question shouldn’t be “Where’s the closest gym?”

A better first question is what are you trying to accomplish?

  • Do you need to lose weight? How much and how fast?

  • Are you trying to build muscle?

  • Do you need to improve your cardiovascular (heart) health or some other medical condition?

  • Are you trying to live longer?

For most of us, the answer is all of the above! But, I would encourage you to be more specific in your goals so you can build a plan that is more effective for you. That’s because there is no one-size-fits-all plan for effective fitness.

For example, weightlifting is great for building muscle and strength. But, there are faster, more effective ways to lose weight and burn fat. If you focus your time and energy on weightlifting alone, you’ll get stronger, but you won’t lose weight or belly fat very quickly if at all.

So, for goal-setting, I suggest that you start with one primary goal such as: losing weight or building strength. Use this as a starting point to focus your fitness plan on. Once you begin to experience some success with your primary goal, you can add additional goals and expand your efforts.

Focus is key!

Question #2 - How Much Time Do You Have?

Your second question should be to consider how much time you have to contribute to your new fitness plan. Most of us guys tend to underestimate the amount of time, and consistency, that fitness requires.

To get a better handle on this question, ask yourself the following:

  • How many minutes or hours a day can I reliably make available for fitness?

  • How many days each week can I commit to the fitness plan?

These are really important questions to consider since most fitness plans ultimately fail to achieve sustainable results. Published statistics show that around 50% of guys stop going to the gym within 6 months. (Note 1) And, as many as 67% of memberships go completely unused. (Note 2)

The key here is to make sure that your plan fits your available schedule.

Question #3 - Does It Fit Your Life?

Finally, does your fitness plan actually fit your everyday life? Consistency is important to implementing your successful fitness lifestyle. So, ensuring that your plan fits into everything else you’re doing (work, family commitments, travel, etc.) is the purpose of this question.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you plan to visit your local health club every day to attend a group exercise class. However, you also maintain a busy travel schedule that prevents you from attending the class 7-10 days a month. You’ll need to decide if this is going to limit your potential for success.

To help you determine how well your plan will fit your life, I created a simple evaluation process called 4PM. This is an acronym that stands for:

  • Personal - fits your preferences

  • Practical - fits your abilities and schedule

  • Portable - fits your portability/travel needs

  • Permanent - Something that you can do for the rest of your life

  • Measurable - allows you to track and compare results over time

I’ve written extensively about the 4PM process here. Hint: if you choose fitness activities that you actually enjoy, you’ll improve your chances of success!

Bonus Tips

Here are a few bonus tips to help you better plan for a successful fitness plan:

  • Longevity - Plan for the long run. Consider building a plan that you can perform for the rest of your life. A long-term lifestyle approach will outperform short-term intensity every time.

  • Food 1st - Place a strong emphasis on your daily nutrition (diet) to eliminate hidden sugars. This is the most effective way to build the calorie deficit that you’ll need to lose weight. Learn more here.

  • Move - If weight loss and fat loss are key goals, prioritize moderate cardio early in your plan. This is the most effective way to burn fat. Learn more here.

  • Build - Add resistance training as your weight loss begins to show progress.

  • Sleep - Make sure that you’re getting adequate sleep to support your fitness efforts. Good sleep aids weight loss. Over-50 Guys need 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Learn more here.

In Closing

This simple 3-question design strategy (along with the 4PM process) can help you build an effective fitness plan that meets your needs and fits your life. If you’re a busy Over-50 Guy who needs a simple and reliable way to build a successful fitness plan, I encourage you to give this a try!

I write this newsletter hoping to make a positive impact on the lives of Over-50 Guys and and their families. If you found this information useful, please consider subscribing to receive new editions each week.

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Thanks for your time and attention. Have a great weekend. See you next Saturday!

Thrive & Prosper,

Len

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