I was talking to a guy the other day about exercise. This seems to be quite common with me these days. He underwent some sort of exercise and health transformation some time ago, and he said it was quite the experience.
He mentioned that a trainer had him walking/jogging on a treadmill for 30 minutes a day along with some weights and core exercises. He also mentioned that he is diabetic and that during that time of transformation he cut the amount of insulin he needed to inject into his blood stream in half.
After his transformation, he slowly decreased his exercise frequency, and as a result, the insulin needed to be bumped up again. His body slowly started changing back to what it was before the transformation.
Let me ask you a question: What does it take for people to change their lifestyles for good?
Here is a guy who saw the direct relationship between exercising and his improved diabetic status. We are not talking about losing a couple of pounds. We are talking about a disease that could make this guy go blind or be an amputee. We are talking about a real situation, and even though there is no guarantee in life, wouldn’t it be worth it for this guy to live his life in a permanent transformation? Is it so much to exercise 30 minutes a day on a treadmill to improve a potentially life-threatening condition?
What is it that will wake you up? Is it cancer? Heart disease? Diabetes? Stroke?
I have people often tell me that their body is different from anyone else’s. I completely agree, but I also disagree with the reference that most people are referring to. What do they mean? Do they mean that their body thrives off candy bars and it hates broccoli? Does it mean that their body can’t exercise regularly because it wasn’t designed that way?
I wish I could be a fly on the wall at everyone’s house who tells me that they are eating salads all day long and exercising, and yet they are still overweight. I’m sorry, but it just doesn’t work like that. If you eat well, you will see the benefits rather quickly. The problem is that most people think they are eating well when they’re not.
Here’s a simple way of looking at it. If you’re overweight, then you’re eating more food on a regular basis than your body needs, and the quality of your food is probably not so good either. This is about the simplest explanation I can give you. It’s very difficult for someone to cut back to the amount they should be eating because we all love to eat. It’s also quite difficult for someone to bring their exercise habits up to where they should be.
I wonder what kind of transformation this guy could have if he followed my plan. If only 30 minutes of cardio a day could do what it did then, just imagine what could be. What if he could improve his situation so drastically that he barely needed insulin at all? What if it meant exercising one hour a day, or two or three? Would that be worth it?
I guess that’s up to you to decide.
— Dr. Bob Wilcher is a chiropractor and personal trainer in Santa Barbara. He owns Killer B Fitness, a personal and group training studio at 126 Powers Ave. Contact Wilcher at www.killerbfitness.com or 805.448.2222.