10 Small fitness steps to change your lifestyle in middle age for someone very out of shape

There are many health benefits to this and you can do it anywhere. You can also start as small as walking 50 meters and work up to a few miles a day.

I was getting to the point that I could not turn my head easily when driving: I was very stiff. Another huge benefit to yoga in a class is that you are getting up and down off the floor over and over again. You can also start very slowly: it is good if you can find a class geared to people with a similar fitness level.

I was able to take a class 2x a week for about 3 years through my office. I was 320 lbs but was able to get a lot out of it and learn the poses. Now that I weigh less I can do more of them.

I did a dumbbell workout with 4 lb weights every day for a month to develop the habit of weightlifting. This will get you used to doing the motions again. I then bought a good set of adjustable dumbells and now do the same exercises with 20-40 lb weights.

This is great progressive exercise and you can get your whole body moving. I like tethered swimming with a snorkel: you can crank away and kind of meditate without worrying that you are going to hit the edge of the pool.

Eat the same things you normally do. If you are overweight you will probably find a few things that seem "healthy" or "just a snack" that add up. I realized that my afternoon crackers with hummus were about 400 calories so I made substitutions.

I will write a list of these...

This is a great drink, is stimulating, suppresses your appetite, has low calories and can be a rabbit hole for enthusiasts. It is also available almost anywhere.

If you are already drinking "frappuccinos" and stuff like that understand that they are essentially milkshakes and can have hundreds of calories.

for example

crackers & hummus: 400 cals

carrot chips and salsa: 50 cals

3 cookies: 450 cals

half a pineapple: 200 cals

I add squash, carrots, spinach and onions to a lot of things. I also add egg whites to smoothies, oatmeal and soup.

A common meal that I eat is a big pile of seasoned and sauteed vegetables (with 1-2 oz of butter) and a tuna steak or piece of chicken. The butter makes this very rich and decadent with only a few hundred calories penalty.

Instead of eating 4 cookies and 3-4 berries I will eat a half pound of berries.

I eat about 80% of my food volume from fruits and vegetables and don't feel cheated. I rarely eat bread, cereal, cheese, or sandwiches but nothing is particularly off-limits.

This can be done at various levels. The idea that you have to eat every 3-4 hours for energy (this was told to me by a nutritionist) is completely wrong. I have more energy by not eating so often because I am not busy digesting food.

I did One Meal a Day for about 4 months straight. This was a good experience to realize that I did not need to eat breakfast or lunch.

After practicing this "skill" you can change your idea of what a meal can be and change your relationship with food. 2 apples can be a filling "lunch." If it is past "meal time" and you have not eaten, just skip it. Go for a walk or get a cup of coffee: you will not starve to death in the next 4 hours.