Senior Sneakers: RNC and DNC health tips

Did you watch the Republican or Democratic National Conventions? If you watched both, like I did, we probably saw the same commonality between both. Did you catch it? Regardless of what side of the aisle you support — whether you were more acutely focused on those in Cleveland or Philadelphia — we can all agree that a great deal of planning went into both conventions. Scheduling speakers from all parts of our country and all walks of life; from different ethnic backgrounds and different professional backgrounds; and coordinating the order in which they speak and what they are going to say, all to convey one cohesive message.

Our fitness and our bodies are much the same. They require a lot of planning and coordination in order to reach the one goal of being healthy. Both Trump and Clinton’s camps knew their conventions were coming and neither camp planned the week before, just as we can’t plan for our health goals the week, or even month, before. All of our lives are hectic and the retired life can be even more so! So, I’ve changed the definitions of RNC and DNC to help you remember some healthy tips to reach your fitness goals.

RNC: Remember Nighttime Control

Our days can be so hectic that we forget to eat or run out of time to eat during the day. This may sound silly, but I talk to a lot of people who simply forget to eat during the day. Because of this, our blood sugar often drops and we end up eating too much at nighttime. Planning ahead for your meals and snacks by scheduling time to eat and having food prepped is a great way to plan ahead. Scheduling a lunch with a friend is a great way to hold yourself accountable to eat at a particular time during the day. While it may be too hot for lunch in the park right now, there are plenty of options on Park Avenue!

Also, prepare food ahead of time for your week. Make some extra chicken, steamed stir-fry or anything healthy on Sunday in preparation for your busy week. This will ensure that you have something to pull out quickly when you’re on the run during the week. There’s also a recent influx of food preparation companies that have come into the Winter Park area that make healthy meals, portion control them and list the nutrition facts on each container. Some deliver and some you can run into their location, pick up some pre-made meals and hit the road again.

When we wait until nighttime to eat all of our calories, we eat more calories at one time than our body can properly process and we end up gaining weight because it. Two thousand calories evenly spaced throughout the day is not the same as 500 calories in the morning and 1500 at nighttime. So, Remember Nighttime Control and plan ahead.

DNC: Do Not Cram

A healthy body comes from a healthy lifestyle and, even if you have a specific goal in mind, you can’t cram in everything you need to do in a short period of time to achieve it. I speak with a lot of people who are going to see their kids and grandkids in a few weeks or so and want to lose some weight beforehand. This kind of cramming leaves the body malnourished and overworked. Motivation is lost and “getting healthy” is associated with extreme measures that people don’t want to go through again. As a result, they don’t come back to fitness and a healthy lifestyle because it was so hard to cram in what needed to be done to reach a goal in a short period of time.

Just as with our new RNC definition, we need to schedule time to exercise, engage the muscles and increase our heartrates. A little bit every day or several days a week will help you reach your goal in a more enjoyable way that doesn’t burn out the body and maul your motivation. Consistency is key and cramming is counterproductive to long-term health. Finding exercises that you enjoy and an environment in which you enjoy exercising is a great advantage to wanting to do it. Maybe you crammed in college, but it won’t work with your body.

Just like each party has a team to plan their conventions, maybe you need some help with planning your healthy lifestyle. We have a great team of professionals, at Anytime Fitness, Winter Park, who focus on each aspect of your healthy lifestyle to help you plan ahead and reach your goals in a healthy and productive way. Whether you need help or guidance with the exercise aspect of the nutrition planning, we have someone to help you. We’ll talk about how to help you get to a healthier place and leave the politics out of it!

Patrick McGaha Jr., member experience manager at Anytime Fitness, Winter Park, is dedicated to building a welcoming environment in the club, conducive to helping members and clients reach their health fitness goals. To get your fitness and nutrition related questions answered by a certified personal trainer, or for a free personal training session, call us at 321-972-5833 or email [email protected].