I believe 2021 is going to be my year.
After the mess of 2020 that we all faced, I have high hopes for this year. And that starts today.
My weight has crept up and up during the past year, as I’m sure is the case for many people. At no time was that more evident than during the holidays. At my biweekly shot of bipolar medication and weigh-in at Ontario’s Woodstock Hospital, I weighed 329.4 pounds, which is up substantially from the same time in 2020 (although, thankfully, still down a lot from my all-time high of close to 400 pounds). As for my blood pressure, it came in at 134 over 84.
So, what do do?
For starters, I’m going to resume, in earnest, intermittent fasting. I’ll even throw in 24-hour fasts once or twice a week. Hand-in-hand with that will come a renewed emphasis on nutritious, whole foods (and I have my wife, Marilyn, to thank for her great suppers, which put an emphasis on a variety of vegetables). And curbing alcohol consumption will go along with what I’m taking in … or not taking in.
On exercise, I can’t go to the gym due to COVID-19 but I can go for more walks and do low-impact exercise videos on YouTube, in addition to lifting weights at home.
Indeed, I now have the mindset that I’m treating all this as a job. If you don’t go to work, you don’t get paid. Well, if you don’t show up for the workout, you don’t get the payoff.
Yes, I view 2021 as my year. Here’s hoping you make it yours as well.
Eric Schmiedl 