What If's.......................#22

I do not go back later and read everything that I have posted, so occasionally I may repeat some details.   I write quite a bit about exercising and most of you know how important, I feel, exercise was in my recovery and returning to good health.  Many times I think about how different things could have been if I had changed my health lifestyle 20 years ago. If I had exercised regularly and had eaten healthy, I could very well have avoided all of my heart problems. I know one thing for sure, I would have been healthier, and enjoyed the benefits of such.  I have had friends and relatives ask me about what kind of diet I went on and how did I lose the weight?  Almost all are my age, and were mostly fitter and healthier looking than me. Like me as they got older they have found how much more difficult it is to control your weight, and began to think more about having serious health problems, and needing to take better care of yourself.  That is why I write and speak out so often about exercising and how important it is in your getting into a healthy lifestyle.  I'm motivated to write this blog to tell other heart attack survivors my story, and encourage them about health lifestyle changes at a late age in life. 


I have a friend, my age, (business friend) not a close friend but someone I have known and been in contact with for 35 years.  I had not seen him in over 4 years and about 7 months into my rehab, I ran into him my first few weeks at the fitness center. This guy was a collegiate athlete and for a long period of time, had stayed physically fit and in good shape. We had not seen each other in a few years and I told him about having a heart attack, surgery, weight loss, and working out to get back to healthy.  He was very inquisitive about me having a heart attack, the symptoms and such. More so about before the heart attack than my recovery. I could sense he was concerned about his cardio health from the questions he ask me.  He had gained a lot of weight and was not the same athletic looking guy as before.  I ask about his workout routine and he told me he stayed busy in his work and tried to get to the fitness center once a week, sometimes not that often. We started talking and I told him about my routine, going regularly, being consistent, about eating healthy and all of that sort of thing.  As I said, he was genuinely interested in how I had changed my health lifestyle.  You know, he said he didn't see how I could work out the first thing in the mornings.   Well guess who now shows up usually before me, and 5 days a week.  Yep, he got his routine going several months ago, he has lost weight and has changed his eating habits.  He told me a couple of days ago how much better he feels, and by working out before work each day, how much easier it is to stay in a regular exercise routine. Any time is better than not at all.  For those who go early, trying to go after a busy daily schedule there can be too many things that can happen to change their plans.  Feeling tired, long day at the office, being out of sorts, so many things can make it too easy not to go to the fitness center for a workout.  For some, after work is good, others go mid-day, the point being finding the right time for you is the key. That can make working out easier to do consistently.

During the week I was sick with a sinus and ear infection,  I missed working out four consecutive mornings.  I have not missed that many days in one week since I started working out, and each morning I regretted not going in, and being out of my routine. Every day not there, I felt like I was missing out on something. It sure was nice getting back into my daily routine.