At 6’ 8” I was painfully thin growing up. I was introduced to weights in my early 20’s and quickly my goal was to have a bigger, more muscular frame. With age and hard work, I found that 245 pounds felt good as I was muscular and a far cry from the skinny high schooler of decades past…
In early May I cancelled my gym membership and started to incorporate a daily resistance band workout coupled with 4 – 5 days of cardio + a healthy diet. I found that 3000 calories a day broken down to 45% fat, 40% protein and 15% carbs plus keeping sugars below 25 grams a day was perfect for my middle-aged frame. My goal was to lose 25 pounds and get back to the magical number of 245 (lbs.).
About two months into the process, I decided to forego focusing on the scale and instead let my body find its natural weight. Six months later, at age 54, I’m in the best shape of my life. The benefits of resistance band training supersede weight training, especially as I get older. I feel stronger, leaner, more energetic and can’t wait for the next workout to start. The ability to train indoors or outside is a huge plus and I’ve discovered you need very little space to maximize your workouts when using resistance bands. All of these factors plus minimal soreness contributed to my new mindset and I am having FUN…
Back to the scale… I started to notice my body taking shape in a way it never has before. I could see more symmetry and discovered I was leaning up in a whole new way while holding onto muscle mass. When I dipped into the 230’s I thought I would plateau, my waist was approaching 33” and for a brief period my mindset went back to the skinny teenager and being “too thin.” Instead, what I discovered was my body had more room to lean out. My mind began to push away the fear of being too thin and began to welcome the next chapter of Me…
I was pleasantly surprised this part of my journey brought up some old memories that were locked deep inside. I realize mentally and emotionally I still had some work to do. Our scars may run deep but life has a funny way of having them resurface when we’re ready to deal with the past. These moments also free us inside. For the first time I feel really good about my own body and find self-acceptance to be the most important acceptance.
Currently I sit at 228 pounds and begin to think more about how I make this sustainable as I approach my 55th birthday early next year… There’s no shortcut for hard work and I feel grateful to have the tools and desire to continue this part of my journey.
I hope by sharing each of you will also be opened to discovering your own next chapter and self-acceptance plays a big part of your overall well-being. As we approach Thanksgiving I’d like to offer thanks to Dave Schmitz for leading the resistant band movement and for all of his content!!
John B
RBT Fan
