I’ve always promised myself one thing: I never wanted to be the man who struggled to walk or was confined to a chair in my later years. I’ve been around sports and fitness my whole life — working in college athletics, training alongside athletes, and knowing firsthand what it takes to stay in shape.
But knowing what to do and doing it consistently are two very different things.
On February 12th, 2025, I turned 65. A milestone. And as I blew out the candles, I knew I had to face some truths. I wasn’t living the way I wanted. My fitness, my nutrition, and my general health were not where they should be. It wasn’t just about how I looked — it was about how I wanted to live the next 20 years.
Wake-Up Calls I Couldn’t Ignore
My 50s brought more than gray hair and birthday cake. They brought a few health scares that should have been enough to keep me on track.
At 50, a pulmonary embolism nearly took me out of the game. I spent a week in the hospital — three days in ICU — while doctors worked to dissolve the clot. I was lucky.
At 56, a mild heart attack caught me off guard. We didn’t discover it until later during some tests, when my doctor spotted irregularities in my heart function. I started medication and, thankfully, never had another episode.
For a while, those moments motivated me. But like many people, I slipped back into old patterns.
The Comfort Zone Trap
In 2020, when the world slowed down, I walked every day in the local parks. It felt good to move again. But when work picked up, the walking stopped.
I joined the YMCA Wellness Center and set a goal of going 3–4 times a week. Some weeks I hit the mark. Other weeks, I found excuses — “too busy,” “too tired,” “I’ll go tomorrow.”
Golf has been my constant. I still enjoy walking 18 holes, but the next morning, my body reminds me that my recovery time isn’t what it used to be.
By the Numbers
On August 10, 2025, the Fit Profile app gave me the cold, hard stats:
- Weight: 275.4 lbs
- Body Fat: 36%
- BMI: 34.6 (obese)
- Height: 6’3”
In my 20s, I was 190 pounds and fit. My “ideal” in my mind was always 220. But once I hit that number and stopped training as hard, the pounds slowly crept on. I’d go through spurts — eat cleaner for a few weeks, work out for a month or two — and then slide back into old habits. Each time, it got harder to bounce back.
Drawing the Line
Today, I’m done making excuses. My first goal: drop to 260 pounds by the end of the year.
To get there, I’m committing to three non-negotiables:
- Daily movement — whether it’s the gym, walking, or structured at-home workouts.
- Portion control — no more mindless eating.
- Better food choices — more whole foods, fewer processed “comfort” traps.
And here’s the twist: I’m going public with it. Every week, right here on FitAfter65.com, I’ll post a progress report — weight, workouts, wins, struggles — the whole story.
Because this isn’t just about me losing weight. It’s about proving that at 65, you can still rewrite your health story.
This is Day 1. The line is drawn. The work starts now.