The gym and I, and brain size

I started going to the gym at 59. Well, just six months shy of my 59th birthday. To me, fitness was better than lack of fitness, so going had always been on my mind. Mostly in the back of it, given my perceived pressures of time and my youthfulness at the time. Moreover, I didn't see myself getting hot and sweaty and exposing myself to ridicule because of my being generally 'out of shape'. So, over the years, I had never actually gone to one.

I thought that my last chance would be when I turned 40. Well, 40 came and went. I then thought that 50 was my next last chance. Well, 50 came and went. I was fast approaching 60, and 60 might have come and gone without my ever having gone to the gym if not for a confluence of events.

I had been going through a very bad patch in my business, and whenever that happens, I try to break out and do at least one thing that is future oriented. In the past, this had always been business or job related. But now, I was focusing on lifestyle. My son, Warren, was getting married in November 2009 and had approached me with a request that I pay for a three-month membership in a gym so that he could lose a little weight and tone up for his big day. I thought about it and came up with a brilliant idea. It was now or never. I said to him, "Tell you what, I will pay for you and me, and you show me the ins and outs of going to the gym."

So he enrolled us in Spartan. I ended up taking the lead concerning when we would actually go as I had an ulterior motive. His mother, my ex-wife, would be attending the wedding and I wanted to get in shape so I wouldn't embarrass myself. I chose to go when there were fewer users around, that is, in the morning or early afternoon.

Taking into account my lack of condition, Warren did not try to strain me too much, using comparatively light weights. Let me say here that I have never been truly overweight. The most I had ever weighed was 173lb, which would put me at the very low end of the 'overweight' BMI range for my height (5ft 8in). More important was my fitness level, which was quite poor.

It is now one and a half years since I commenced gym work. I have been dutiful in going to the gym three to four times per week and now weigh 152lb (BMI = 23.1). I don't know now many years I had to live when I started, but I would like to believe that whatever it was, by my exercising, I have increased my remaining time by at least half more. That's not a bad payback. And that's not counting the feel-good content of being in shape. Some researchers have learned that strenuous exercise releases endorphins into the bloodstream. Endorphins are also released during orgasm, as well as during laughter, so one can readily make the connection.

Moreover, the change in environment, plus the time it affords one to think, meditate and/or socialise are 'brawtas' of this activity. Knock on wood. More than one physician has commented on the positive effect this has had on me medically.

Exercise tips

I make some suggestions to would-be gymgoers:

● DON'T LET FEAR OF 'PERFORMING' IN PUBLIC HINDER YOU. People are more wrapped up in themselves than to notice you.

● AGE IS NOT A FACTOR. There is benefit to be derived no matter your age or the amount of time commitment you have. Just go.

● SCHEDULE A TIME. But be prepared to go anytime you have as little as 30 minutes to spare. You would be amazed at how many 30-minute periods you have wasted on TV, at the club/bar waiting for your child's extra lessons to finish, etc.

● GET A TRAINER. At least for the first three months. This is not, however, absolutely necessary, especially if you find a training partner with some experience.

● HAVE A PLAN. But be prepared to change it as someone might be using that piece of equipment at the time. Be prepared to do an exercise format that is not in your plan. That is better than waiting around.

● DON'T OVERDO YOUR WORKOUT. Push, but don't strain yourself. The benefit of your workout starts going downward after one hour. Rarely go beyond 1¹/⁴ hours.

● MOST IMPORTANT, WATCH WHAT YOU EAT. If you don't put it on, you don't need to take it off. I feel the more seasoned overweight members overreward themselves. Some are, quite frankly, plain fat.

● There's NO NEED FOR A PERSONAL NUTRITIONIST. A common-sense approach to nutrition will achieve 90 per cent of what one will help you accomplish.

● WASH HANDS AFTER WORKOUT. Remember that your hands have touched a lot of equipment that are not necessarily free of germs.

And consult a doctor before starting any exercise regimen.

Hope some of you will start (or restart) going to the gym, or at least make a mental note for future implementation. While the latter is not to be discounted, remember that there is no time better than now. And you don't have to get hot and sweaty as most gyms are now air-conditioned. Have fun and keep fit!

Small Brain Size

Boston University researchers looked at different measurements of body size - such as BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist size - and compared it to brain volume in more than 5,000 men and women as part of the Framingham Heart Study. They found that people with central abdominal obesity had smaller brain sizes - independent of BMI. In other words, those who carried more of their weight in their abdominal region were more likely to have smaller brains irrespective of their overall body mass. A higher waist measurement, a higher waist-to-hip ratio, and larger amounts of subcutaneous and visceral fat were also associated with a small brain volume. I WON'T ADD TO THIS.

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