I have been doing the Internet Marketing thing for many years now, and working from home full time just over 2 years and I can say that I thoroughly enjoy this lifestyle.
I love getting up in the morning because my body tells me it’s time – not my alarm clock. In fact, I don’t use my alarm clock any more.
I love the ability to walk my 6 year old son to the bus stop every morning.
I love the ability to decide if I want to work from my home office, or drive the 9 miles to my outside office.
I love being able to go out to lunch with my wife pretty much any time I want.
So many benefits!
But there is one downside that not many people talk about. A side that, if left unchecked, can be disastrous.
Your health.
Let’s face it – working this business is NOT very physical. I spend a LOT of time in front of the computer, sitting. Sometimes with a nice snack at my fingertips, lots of coffee throughout the day and so on.
So last year, after my annual physical, my doctor had me go out for another round of blood tests after just 90 days. Then again. Then once more. After that third time he sat me down and said that, while overall I am healthy (for a 45 year old with a sedentary lifestyle) my blood-sugar was trending upwards. Borderline diabetic – not fully, but heading in that direction.
Not coincidentally, my weight had also gone up over this time to 210lbs. I am 5’10″ so that’s pretty heavy – the heaviest I have ever weighed.
So, the doctor said that before putting me on any medication he wanted me to do the “diet and exercise” thing.
Now, diabetes is definitely in my family – my mother had it. And at 45 I figured I am much too young to have to go on medication for an extended period of time. I worked in the pharmaceutical business for 20 years – I know what goes in to those drugs – no way I wanted that!
This was back in October 09. So it was time to make the choice.
I dusted off the trusty treadmill in our basement and renewed my gym membership. And of course, started documenting everything I ate.
Note: I think that documenting what you eat on a daily basis is the BEST thing to do. Sometimes we have no idea what or how much we eat. Doing this for just a week will seriously open your eyes (if you do it honestly). You can help not only track, but also know the nutritional value of the things you eat. I do this with the help of a site:
http://www.livestrong.com/
I use this site to track what I eat, get ideas for exercise and weight loss, get inspiration and motivation and more. There’s a free version, and Gold membership is very affordable (around $40 – $50 for the year).
Anyway, starting on the treadmill, I would walk 30 minutes per day at 4 mph (2 miles total). I loaded up my Ipod Touch with music I like, stuff I can move to. I also put on things like Tony Robbins courses, etc. Stuff to suit any mood while I walk.
After the first month I decided to try throwing some jogging into the mix. The first attempt I could only do about a quarter mile without stopping. Ouch. But I didn’t get discouraged…
Now I am up to 2 miles without stopping. Some days, I run, some days I walk on an incline (between 6 and 10 degrees). Either way I burn calories.
Fast forward to this week…
Back to the doctor on Tuesday to get the results of my latest bloodtest – I am back in the “normal” range. Officially I have lost 11 pounds (so far) – which isn’t bad considering I started in October and went through the holiday season!
And there’s side benefits…
The daily heartburn is now gone – no more Pepcid. My energy level is up. My knees feel better than they have in quite some time. My moods have been great. My motivation for other parts of my life are off the charts.
So many benefits. My only “regret” is waiting so long and waiting for a health issue to get me going.
Diet and exercise – two words that scare off many people. But let me tell you, laziness today will bring you WAY more problems tomorrow.
Now if I miss a day on the treadmill, I feel it. I have started to actually look forward to the time. Because the time I spend walking or jogging, with my Ipod playing (whether I use my treadmill at home or at the gym), is now my “ME” time. My reflection time. My planning time. My alone time.
Do yourself a favor. Make sure you get to the doctor regularly for checkups. My doctor is thorough and thanks to that, he helped me avoid the next 20 – 30 years on medication. This also saved me from other medical issues that being overweight and unhealthy brings.
Get up and get moving. Join the site I linked to above. Don’t try to do too much at once – be patient and persistent and you WILL succeed. Set measurable goals so you have a target to work towards. My target weight is 185. I will achieve it and maintain it.
If I can do it, anyone can.
To Your Health!
