Fit at Fifty
Cool, you’re here! My name is Chris and I’m here to tell you a little bit about my journey to a healthy lifestyle. Thank you Evolution Healthcare & Fitness for sharing my story and my blog. My road to a healthy lifestyle includes routines, roadblocks, anxieties, wins, and setbacks. It is all part of me becoming a stronger and more empowered person nutritionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually at the ripe young age of 50. It’s working for me, so much so that I don’t mind saying it’s been transformative. I strongly believe your own version of this is possible and maybe this blog can help in that process.
So, where to begin? A little background of course. I always considered fitness a priority and a huge part of who I am. Moving across the country at 30 years of age to chase after consistent wind to quench my sailboarding obsession is a testament to that. What do I enjoy more than watching the Timbers play? Being on the field with my men’s futsal team at Rose City Futsal weekly or my regular pick-up game where I can test my mettle against players half my age.
Sandwiched between games and windsurfing, my wife and I generally do a good bit of hiking in the Gorge, but mountain biking has quickly become a sport we love to do together and solo. When the weather is a bit less pleasant in some folk’s minds, there’s skiing on Mt. Hood. This past season was quite simply the best ever. Not only was Mother Nature’s 650 inches dumped atop Timberline incredible, but I took my skiing to a whole new level this year as I ventured into side-country AT or Alpine Touring skiing. I’m not about to give up on resort skiing, but the variation, opportunities, and killer workout with my AT set-up, are something I’m really looking forward to and excited to improve upon this coming winter.
It’s Not About the Scale
I’ve never been weight-obsessed or followed any fad diets in my life. Managing to keep the scale (on the occasional look-see) between 177 – 182 pounds on my 6’1″ frame for the past quarter century out of college, was secretly, still a goal. I ate a fairly healthy diet by western standards. My food pyramid still included a steady consumption of pretzels and wine. I like wine, but the habit went well beyond the heart healthy daily glass of red wine. What more could I possibly ask for at 50? Not a lot, or so I thought.
But something happened this past year and I wanted to improve upon my healthy lifestyle. I’ve felt first-hand the impact of an uncanny transformation and a much stronger version of myself, inside and out. I’m down to a steady 170 pounds and the only time I’ve been leaner was back in my days as a collegiate rower and part of a men’s lightweight 8 squad. More important, I feel strong and healthy inside and out. All but gone are the daily aches and pains associated with the morning ritual of waking up, well except if I get banged up playing futsal or soccer the day prior. Recoveries between workouts are so much easier and I’m sleeping consistently better and more soundly than at any time I can recall. Also critically important is that my discovery doesn’t make me feel deprived and in fact has offered more abundance in my life.
Choosing a Plant Based Lifestyle
What exactly is behind this uncanny transformation? For once I can thank some couch potato behavior as having improved my life. Specifically, Netflix, and a couple documentaries (Cowspiracy and Food Choices) inspired me to try a plant-based lifestyle. What did I have to lose, right? That was my attitude, along with knowing my next burger wouldn’t be hard to fall back on. But much to my amazement and now entering my 9th month; all but gone are foodstuffs like canned tuna and dairy. In their place, much healthier alternatives for our bodies, and our planet. Not to mention our sentient friends.
NOT Striving for Perfection
During this transition to eating plant-based, I’ve found one of the biggest challenges are Juanita’s corn tortilla chips. It’s a vice I’m still working on. Eating when visiting family ‘can be’ another challenge. For instance, when I’m in New York visiting, a flood of Biblical proportions couldn’t stop me from eating a couple sausage slices from the corner pizzeria or a dirty water dog while I’m in town. And if you need to ask, it’s a shame.
That all said, I am for the first time and without trying to be, very conscious of those actions. I’ve personally found this simple reflection enough to keep me honest and appreciating the moment for what it is and enjoy it. My view is getting strung out mentally on being perfect sets one up for failure. Instead re-frame the anxiety, accept those food choices ahead of time and embrace how good it truly feels on all levels to do the right thing the other 95 percent of the time.
A Healthy Lifestyle Isn’t Complicated
Thinking about how you can beef up your workouts (pardon the pun) and get yourself to the next level? The time is now to work on your own version of you and achieve that healthy lifestyle upgrade. Trust me, you don’t have to be perfect and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Order a Chipotle bowl with veggies and sofritas for god’s sake! It’s that easy, healthier in every way and offers more than enough protein to get you where you want to be-even past physical barriers you may not have even realized are standing in your way.
By the way, I speak from experience regarding Chipotle. If I were to take a wild but educated guess, during the first six months of going plant-based, my wife and I probably ordered 75 to 100 those yummy bowls. I can thank a very stretched out kitchen remodel for that as we were down to cooking on a hot plate and a dorm size mini fridge in the basement—so Chipotle looked and tasted all the more delicious.
But What DO I eat?
I’m of course doing a lot more cooking and for the first time, really consistently enjoying the experience of making something delicious to eat. At the same time I’m inspired by knowing how good these foods are for me in more than one way. Breakfast is very simple. Granola in a bowl with non-sweetened, non-dairy yogurt, a tablespoon of Chia seed and some fresh berries and banana is the go-to way to start the day. I also like to have a piece of gluten free toast (toasting is a must!) with some preserves and almond butter to round off the meal. This yields plenty of macronutrients in the form of carbs, protein, and fats in the process.
Lunch is not a complicated meal either, but it is loaded with essential goodies and super tasty. I’ll most often brown bag a sandwich that starts with a hummus base, then pile on a half avocado, tomato, cucumber, shredded carrot, spinach/kale mix and Mam’s Hot Lil’ Peppers as the secret sauce! It is awesome! Along with a piece of fruit and/or berries and a handful of bagged almonds and walnuts as a late afternoon snack and I’m covered until dinner.
Dinner generally requires the most thought, as well as preparation and clean up. But again, it’s not a burden and I find reframing the task focused on the positive benefits, makes the process enjoyable. Stir fries are huge in our house and basically they’re never the same twice. We go with whatever veggies are around, use a base of brown rice, quinoa and/or beans most often, then add some kick and extra flavor with some garlic, jalapenos and/or a gluten-friendly Teriyaki sauce.
I also love to make veggie burgers loaded with sautéed onions, beets, mushrooms, peppers, spinach and topped with raw carrot, tomato, cucumbers and of course—Mama’s!! And to complete the dish, as what’s a burger without fries—there are some awesome Vegan carrot/potato fries that kick ass and bake to perfection every time! And I’ll let you in on a little, but huge secret, if you’re still craving meat—buy the Beyond Meat burger patties or beef crumbles for tacos or fajitas. WOW!! Your mouth will not know the difference!!!
Okay, that was a mouthful…pun intended! Next time, I’ll begin the discussion of what I’m doing these days for preparation and training to keep the body healthy and ready for my favorite sports activities.
Resources and Inspiration
The greatest outside influence in my journey has been Rich Roll. His story of going from alcoholism to being a world class ultra-endurance athlete fueled by a plant-powered lifestyle is incredible. He has a phenomenal weekly podcast and it was his interview in Cowspiracy that inspired my family’s decision to try going plant-based. He’s got a cookbook (The Plant-Powered Way), a podcast, and a website (http://www.richroll.com/) which has provided me with a lot of ideas and inspiration. Thanks Rich!!
Some other athletes/teams who inspire me include: Arsenal FC, Kelly Slater, Alex Honnold, Chris Wille, Laird Hamilton, Dara Torres, Tony Hawke, and Leilani Munter.
Note from Evolution Healthcare & Fitness: Consult with our Registered Dietitian with a free fifteen minute consultation, read more here. We can help you achieve a healthy lifestyle through food, be it a plant based diet or otherwise.
