Younger This Year? – Goals For 2019 – Part 1
Several years ago I read Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Henry S Lodge. The subtitle of the book is “live strong,fit and sexy – until your 80 and beyond”. The key premise of the book is that through diet and exercise you can “ turn back your biological clock”! Since reading Younger Next Year, I have tried to do just that. My goal is that each year’s version of myself is better than the year before!
For the most part I think I have done fairly well. However, at the start of the last two years I struggled. I was not physically where I wanted to be. Frankly,I was out of shape. During those years, I was able to make progress throughout most of the year but then the holiday season would hit. I would stop running and by January I needed to start over again!
That didn’t happen this year. So as I start 2019 thus year’s version of me IS better than last year’s version.
Comparing the Start of 2018 to 2019
Here are some key comparisons between 2018 and 2019
Weight. Jan 2018. 175,6 lb Jan 2019. 165.8 lb
Resting Heart Rate Jan 2018 55 bpm Jan 2019 48 bpm
Calories Burned Jan 2018. 1,599 /day Jan 2019 2,854 /day
First Run – 2018 Feb 27 – 2.7 miles Pace 11:07 min/mile
2019 Jan 1 – 3.13 miles Pace 9:53 min/ mile
The bottom line is I made a lot of progress in 2018.
Turning Back My biological Clock In 2019
Ok so what would I like to accomplish in 2019 to help me turn back my biological clock even more. As I’ve stated one’s attempts to turn back that clock involve both diet and exercise. Here is a breakdown of my goals for both diet and exercise.
Diet Goals
One of my main goal of 2019 will be to maintain my weight at 165 lbs. Right now I have pretty much balanced my caloric intake with my calories burned, through exercise and my normal diet, to maintain my weight at 165 lbs.
My weight has been between 165 and 166 since the beginning of October. My weight was going down steadily throughout most of the year, but I had plateaued at around 170 lbs.Then because of the results of my yearly blood work I made some dietary changes. The result was dropping the last few pounds to 165..
A Blood Test Leads to Diet Changes
The results of the analysis revealed high levels for blood glucose and the PSA test. The high PSA level was of the greatest concern and resulted in a trip to a urologist. The PSA test is used to screen for prostate problems. My level has traditionally been 1 to 2. This year it was 4.6. A level of 4.6 usually results in a biopsy.
As I obsessed about the reason for the high level, I remembered that the weekend before the test I exercised extremely hard. In addition I work at Target on Fridays and Mondays and my 5 and a half hour shift is a lot like a workout! Anyway, I discovered in two places that excessive exercise could result in a high PSA level. Neither doctor believed this to be the case.
The urologist did agree however agree to redo the test in about four weeks. Between the time of the initial test and the retest I made some dietary changes. I read what foods were good for the prostate and what were bad. I tried to avoid the bad including potatoes and potato chips. While adding the good foods to my diet! Who knew I liked guacamole!
Anyway my PSA level on the retest was 2.18. My doctor said it was “perfect”. While the urologist wants to see it go lower. Which in fact he thinks it will. Anyway the upshot is I am to have another PSA test in February.
As for the blood glucose level ( which I read could also have been effected by the excessive exercise) I am to have an A1C test also in February. The high blood glucose level has resulted in some dietary changes. I am trying hard to reduce the amount of sweets I eat!
Now back to the balance between calories in and calories out! If I increase the distance and intensity of my I’m runs each week , I may have to increase my calorie intake. If and when I do that, I want to make sure that the increased calories come from quality sources. Ones that won’t raise either my blood glucose or PSA levels!
Genius Foods Provides a Path to a Better Me
Last year I read Genius Food:become smarter, happier and more productive while protecting your brain for life by Max Lugavere.. From Amazon
….., in Genius Foods, Lugavere presents a comprehensive guide to brain optimization. He uncovers the stunning link between our dietary and lifestyle choices and our brain functions, revealing how the foods you eat directly affect your ability to focus, learn, remember, create, analyze new ideas, and maintain a balanced mood.
Weaving together pioneering research on dementia prevention, cognitive optimization, and nutritional psychiatry, Lugavere distills groundbreaking science into actionable lifestyle changes. He shares invaluable insights into how to improve your brain power, including
- the nutrients that can boost your memory and improve mental clarity (and where to find them);
- the foods and tactics that can energize and rejuvenate your brain, no matter your age;
- a brain-boosting fat-loss method so powerful it has been called “biochemical liposuction”; and
- the foods that can improve your happiness, both now and for the long term.
With Genius Foods, Lugavere offers a cutting-edge yet practical road map to eliminating brain fog and optimizing the brain’s health and performance today—and decades into the future. Read More at Amazon
I really thought this book was great and want to incorporate a lot of the ideas into my diet. One of the biggest is I want to eat less processed food. That means buying fewer pre-made meals.
Last year after Christmas I bought an Instant Pot. And while I have used it, I don’t think I’ve even come close to doing what I should be doing with it! I think part of the reason that I don’t cook with it is fear of failure. Therefore, what I think I need to do is just let go of those fears and start cooking! Hey the worst that can happen is I need to make something else for dinner!!
My 2019 Fitness Goals
So my goal is to maintain my weight at 165 lbs through the use of a diet plan that includes high quality self-made meals. The meals will include the best foods for my prostate along with those foods that are good for my brain as detailed Max Lugavere’s Genius Foods.
Now in the next post I’ll discuss my exercise goals…….:stay tuned!
