My grandfather is 80 years old, on oxygen for emphysema (insert anti-smoking ad here). He can't walk more than a dozen steps without wheezing and having to sit down for several minutes. It takes him 2 hours to get ready in the morning because he can't breathe well enough.
Today I had a friend who's 44 come over and help me move a couch. This same friend is always talking about how he needs to get serious about working out (for the past 5 years or so), but it's amazing how few times this talk has actually produced a workout.
So anyway, the couch was moved a total of about 50 yards -- out the garage, around the house, down a slope, and into a walkout basement. We had to stop halfway because he was out of breath. When we finally got it inside, he collapsed over it, his breathing sounding exactly like my grandfather's. I was thinking we were headed to the hospital next.
In the same 5 years that he's been talking about working out, I've gone from 245:
to 195 (lovely post-workout pic):
Yeah, it was rough, but it wasn't that rough, and I haven't worked as hard as I could have, if we're being totally honest here. So if my friend burned as many calories with a dumbbell in his hand as he does listening to Rush Limbaugh and *****ing about Democrats, he might be in better shape.
Anyway, I reiterated (as I do on a weekly basis) that he is welcome in my home gym any time he feels like showing up to work out. I fully expect his spot to remain empty, but I keep hoping he'll prove me wrong and show up tomorrow.
And this post is mostly to encourage anyone who needs it:
You are too old to not work out.
Today I had a friend who's 44 come over and help me move a couch. This same friend is always talking about how he needs to get serious about working out (for the past 5 years or so), but it's amazing how few times this talk has actually produced a workout.
So anyway, the couch was moved a total of about 50 yards -- out the garage, around the house, down a slope, and into a walkout basement. We had to stop halfway because he was out of breath. When we finally got it inside, he collapsed over it, his breathing sounding exactly like my grandfather's. I was thinking we were headed to the hospital next.
In the same 5 years that he's been talking about working out, I've gone from 245:
to 195 (lovely post-workout pic):
Yeah, it was rough, but it wasn't that rough, and I haven't worked as hard as I could have, if we're being totally honest here. So if my friend burned as many calories with a dumbbell in his hand as he does listening to Rush Limbaugh and *****ing about Democrats, he might be in better shape.
Anyway, I reiterated (as I do on a weekly basis) that he is welcome in my home gym any time he feels like showing up to work out. I fully expect his spot to remain empty, but I keep hoping he'll prove me wrong and show up tomorrow.
And this post is mostly to encourage anyone who needs it:
You are too old to not work out.
