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Smarter, Not Harder

LenDentonThrive Letter #50

Hey Brothers!

Welcome to the LenDentonThrive Letter!

I’m on a mission to help guys over the age of 50 to lose weight, get fit, get stronger, and live longer. We do that by building thriving, healthy, and sustainable lifestyles. I call it the ThriveLife!

This week, I’m speaking specifically to guys who are over 50, are overweight, and want (need?) to do something about it. And, if you’re like most Over-50 Guys I know, you’re also busy with family and work commitments. So, free time to work out is limited.

This is precisely where I found myself 10 years ago as I started my ThriveLife journey. So, if this sounds like you, I’ve got a few tried and true ideas to help you win your weight loss battle. Let’s jump in!

Congrats!

So, you’ve decided to lose some weight. Congratulations!

Whatever the reason, or however you’ve come to this decision, it’s always a good decision when you choose to get healthier!

The next question is…how are you going to do it?

Willpower Is Over-rated

There is a mind-boggling array of suggestions about the best way to lose weight. There are books, pills, diets, workout videos, personal trainers, and now, even injections that promise to melt the pounds away.

But, the most common thing guys over 50 do when they decide to lose weight is to join a gym or start a calorie-restrictive diet. Sadly, neither of these approaches are very effective over time.

Going to the gym to exercise is a good habit to get into, but statistics show that most guys’ gym attendance starts to decline after one or two months. And the effectiveness of restrictive diets declines due to your brain’s built-in defenses against deprivation. Your brain slows your metabolism to deal with the reduction in calories.

Both of these approaches depend upon your willpower to keep you on target and moving toward your weight loss goals. But, willpower is a finite resource. Relying on willpower assumes that you can will your way to success. Willpower alone is usually a weight loss dead-end!

No Pain, No Gain?

Another dead-end that guys often encounter in their weight loss journey is what I call the no pain, no gain myth. Our popular fitness culture is heavily influenced by the idea that to make fitness gains, it’s essential to adopt a warrior mentality where you subject your body to extreme conditions to improve your fitness. In this philosophy, pain is just weakness leaving the body!

The result of this approach is usually more pain and less gain. This is especially true for guys over 50. Injury is the enemy of a healthy lifestyle.

Remember, pain is not the pathway to progress! When building a fit and healthy lifestyle, consistency beats intensity every time!

Systems Over Goals

Nobody is interested in temporary weight loss. We need long-term, sustainable weight loss to build a thriving, healthy lifestyle.

This type of ongoing health and fitness isn’t built on short-term goals or willpower. It’s built on simple, yet effective, systems that deliver your weight loss objectives while fitting into the life you’re living.

Let’s describe a simple system that can help you begin to move toward your weight loss objectives, regardless of whether you need to lose 25 pounds or 125 pounds (or more).

Step Zero: No Goals

Forget about goals for now. You can do that later in a very specific way that I’ll describe for you later. For now, focus on doing the following three steps daily.

Step One: Daily Weigh-Ins

If you don’t measure your weight, you can’t manage your weight. So, start weighing yourself every day, at the same time, in exactly the same way. Then record it in a journal or an app so you can track your progress. This starts a daily weigh-in ritual which has some powerful psychological benefits for you.

Step Two: Start Walking

Begin taking a brisk walk daily. It’s best to do this before you’ve eaten. Brisk walking (heart rate in the 60-75% of max) is called Zone 2 Cardio, and its a highly effective way to burn body fat. Build up to 30-45 minutes of walking daily. But, what about lifting weights? We’ll focus on that later. For now, walking is the best weight and fat loss exercise you can do. Enjoy it!

Step Three: Begin to Exit The Red Zone

The Standard American Diet that most of us Over-50 Guys grew up eating has lots of foods that are full of hidden sugars and sweeteners. These are the foods that are driving the obesity epidemic we’re facing in America today. I call these Red Zone Foods, and they include six items: sugar, white flour, white rice, white potatoes, corn, and high-fructose corn syrup. Find and eliminate these food items from your diet. Don’t focus on calories for now. Just make better food selections by exiting the Red Zone! Doing this begins to put food to work for you, instead of it working against you!

Smarter, Not Harder

Thrivelife is the Smarter Not Harder system to help you build a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. When you’re ready, here are some additional resources to help you go deeper into the ThriveLife approach:

Eat Smarter - your weight loss battle will be won in the kitchen, not the gym! Learn how to make food work for you, instead of it constantly working against you. Learn how to Eat Smarter here.

Move Smarter - Exercise is a crucial part of any fitness program. And, some exercises are more effective than others. Learn how to harness the benefits of Zone 2 Cardio to amplify your weight and fat loss progress here.

Train Smarter - resistance training and weight lifting play an important role in overall fitness and healthy aging. Learn how Training Smarter can strengthen your lifestyle here.

In Closing

Losing weight doesn’t have to be grueling, painful, or complicated. You don’t have to rely on crazy restrictive diets or killer workouts. You don’t need expensive facilities or personal trainers.

What you need are a few simple, proven principles.

The ThriveLife helped me lose 70 pounds in only 7 months! That was 10 years ago. My ThriveLife is helping me build a path to a healthy, sustainable future.

It could do the same for you!

Smarter, not harder!

Thanks for reading this week.

I write this newsletter 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.

If you’d like to share a thought or comment with me on how I can better support you, you can simply reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you!

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