About a month ago I got a phone call from a old Marine buddy of mine. Way back in the good old days (early 80’s) we were in 3rd platoon together as a part of a Marine Security Forces attachment. This guy was a PT stud back in the day, a 300 PFTer and one tough bastard in a scrap, even at a lean 5ft11/170lbs. Unlike myself he ended his active duty career after four years and settled into comfortable civilian life in Houston. I had lost touch with him until, through the magic of Facebook, we reconnected. After we had caught up on the last 30 years, he related to me that he was very worried about his health. Since our “3rd Herd” days his weight had ballooned to over 280lbs, his blood pressure was sky high, and he hadn’t really done any regular exercise since he left the Corps. He had heard about my book Corps Strength and wanted some advice. My advice? First I sent him a copy of my book and I advised him to try the eating plan I outline in there. It’s a simple, easy to follow plan that’s helped many hundreds lose weight, and maintain strength. As far as exercise goes, I told him that for the first 30 days, I wanted him to do only two things; walk and stretch. These two are the best way to start after a long layoff, and much more beneficial than people think. He was doubtful, and wanted to jump right into a Marine Corps style PT program. That I advised, would be the worst possible thing for him to try at this point, and was sure would fail and may be even dangerous. The further you are from being in shape, the slower you have to go on your way back. That’s if your serious about losing weight and getting in better shape, and not just making a show. This is a very common situation, people go for long periods without regular exercise, or watching what they eat and after a period of time find themselves overweight and out of shape. Then their first impulse is to jump into a exercise routine that is way too advanced for their present condition. This ALWAYS leads to failure (and probably injury) within a few weeks. Former military people and athletes are the worst offenders of this foolishniess. “Long term results, not short term fixes” has to be your guidance if you want to make a serious and lasting physical “comeback.” My advice is to go slow and you’ll get there. My friend? He sent me a email today, he’s lost 12lbs in his first three weeks and feels better already. A couple more weeks and we’ll add some calisthenics, no rush. We’re focused on the long game.

Good luck, be safe.
Semper Fi
MGunz

Tags: Corps Strength

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