Fear can be a powerful motivator.
Forget about the entertaining scares from ghosts, aliens and the supernatural.
Think about how fear – blind TERROR – can cause us to take action. It’s the classic “fight or flight” response that’s hard-wired into human behavior, right?
For Rocky Eilerston, above left, it was simple, powerful and effective fear that drove him to get healthy.
“No needles,” Rocky recalls, a shudder in his voice.
Rocky had gained too much weight when his doctor told him he was heading for daily use of needles for diabetes. Rocky was 270 pounds at 5’10”. He was so unnerved that he walked across the street – literally – and into a gym, where he hired a trainer to help him.
“It’s the first time I ever set foot in a gym,” says Rocky, who grinds stumps to pulp for a living at age 63. “In my entire life.”
Rocky started working out and dropped down to 200 pounds, with his waist size going from 40 to 34 inches. His doctor took Rocky off his diabetes medicine, and lowered his blood-pressure dosage, too.
Exercise to Manage Health Conditions
Getting fit after 50 is a great way to reduce the amount of prescription medication we need. It also helps prevent the development of complicating conditions like Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. Exercise helps with arthritis pain, and a proper diet can lower inflammation. Both help you sleep better and manage your physical and mental health.
Studies suggest that taking too many daily prescriptions can lead to health complications, and some combinations can produce unwanted effects like falls, dehydration, and cloudy thinking. Plus, some of us just don’t like the idea of taking one more pill every day.
If you think you’re on too many prescriptions, you might want to talk to your doctor about making lifestyle choices that could reduce your need for so many. And if you see more than one doctor regularly, make sure they all know about all your medications.
You and your physician might be able to come up with a plan that involves regular exercise, good eating habits, and follow-up visits to see how you’re adjusting.
We all age differently, and many of us need medicine as we age. But, as Rocky proves, we can often do something about it.
Eating Right Is Key to Weight Loss
For Rocky, eating right was just as important as his workouts with his trainer.
He cut out sodas and as much sugar as he could – motivated at every step by that fear of regularly injecting himself with insulin.
Rocky trains three days a week for an hour each time. It is stretching for flexibility and hip mobility, then lifting weights and cardio.
“He knows a lot of stuff,” Rocky says about his trainer, so the cost is fine.
Now Rocky knows a lot, too – and he’s putting it to work every day for his health.
And he’s teaching us that sometimes, fear can be good for us.
>What motivates you? Let’s talk about how to get you happy and healthy with regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Come see us today.