Good shape for the shape you're in...

Long ago, I had an older patient (probably no older than I am now) tell me “whatever you say, don’t tell me that I’m in good shape for the shape I’m in.”

He didn’t want to know that he was OK, considering where he was. He wanted to be OK, regardless of what he was going through.

His health wasn’t good. He was diabetic and a life-long smoker. He wasn’t obese—anything but.  He was maybe 5’7” and 150 pounds. I don’t remember why he was in the hospital but my job was to get him moving again.

For some reason, that has always stuck with me. And I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone “you’re in good shape…for the shape you’re in!”

I’ve learned that you have to go where the other person is. Your goals for them are meaningless. It’s their goals that matter.

So, what shape do you want to be in? Keep in mind that people come in all shapes.  Short, tall.  Round, thin. All shapes. People bring all sorts of problems to the table.

I saw a fellow this week. 33 years old, 230 pounds. Broad shoulders. Back pain. He thinks he needs to lose 50 pounds, to take him back to his weight when he was in the Army. I told him that if he weighed 180, he’d probably be in the hospital.

Maybe it’s a matter of being careful what you ask for. The short person wants to be taller. The heavy person wants to be skinny. On and on and on.

How about this—focus on the things that make you healthy. That 33 year old with back pain? He needs better core strength. He needs better stress management strategies. He needs regular cardiovascular boosting activities.

Simply losing weight will not help him at all yet he thought that weight loss would fix all his problems. Maybe he needs to lose weight, maybe he doesn’t. The bottom line is that he is a big guy…he will never be a little guy.

Six pack abs? OK, maybe that’s what you want but what does that do for you? Does that help you feel better? Does it help you not hurt? Does it help you live longer?

I tell people all the time “stay away from the scales.”  My advice is to eat better and exercise daily. Do those things and your weight will find what it needs to be.

I’m stuck at 195 pounds. As a bicycle rider, that’s not good. I know that I could climb hills better at 175. But I eat smart and exercise every single day. I enjoy food and refuse to starve myself.

So I’m stuck at the back of the pack when we get to a hill. And I’m OK with that. I’ve accepted my body for what it is and, maybe more importantly, accepted the fact that I’m not willing to do what is necessary to get down to 175 just to climb hills on my bicycle faster.

Some might say I’m in pretty good shape for a man of my age. That’s not what is important. Am I doing the things that are necessary to stay healthy and live long? I hope so.

But don’t tell me I’m in good shape for the shape I’m in.