WWBD - What Would Bruce Do?

Hi. Welcome to the first edition of my new Wyld Wyrds blog. I'm Greg. I'm a 64 year old white male that's struggled with weight a good chunk of my life. I'm also a vegan, mostly, depending on your definition. With the exception of when I was a teenager, I've never been in great, athletic shape. I came close about 10 years ago but more on that later.

Being a child of the 60's and 70's I grew up with shows like Batman and the Green Hornet and then later discovered the incredible Bruce Lee. He was almost the perfect specimen of mankind. His musculature was like that of a wild animal to be envied by all. There are a lot of people in really good shape but Bruce was, and still is the litmus test that all others must be held up to.

So what does this have to do with me? I've followed the career and untimely death of Bruce. I have all his books, greedily read them and tried to apply what I could to my life when it seemed to work for me. But I recently saw a few clips of Bruce that I had never seen before showing just how incredibly in shape he was and it got me to thinking. Bruce died at 32. I'm 64. Is it possible for someone twice that age to get into the same shape as a 32 year old martial artist/movie star...or at least come close? What would it take? How long would it take? What kind of sacrifices would you have to make? Could it be done without a gym?

Many questions, few answers. I'm not new to sacrifice when it comes to diets, etc. I decided to give up meat after a doctor told me it was an alternative to gallstone surgery...but no one does that! I gave it up then and there. It took my wife a few more months to jump on the wagon. After a nasty experience with some spoiled eggs, we gave in and joined the vegan crowd. So giving up things is nothing new. I'm not really a fad diet guy although I have tried a few over the years. Becoming a vegan was a complete lifestyle change, something that is just an everyday part of life. 

Movement would be a given. From what I understand from people that knew him Bruce was always moving. The easy chair would have to be relegated to only a few minutes a day instead of hours on my ass! Also from what I have been able to learn, Bruce was not a vegetarian or even into real nutrition. Pictures of him on a movie set show him chugging 2-litre bottles of soda! All that sugar to fuel his motion would surely have affected him at some point had he lived. Someone that moved as much as he did probably had to worry more about feeding the engine instead of worrying about what he ate.

Any diet and exercise program has to start with a visit to your doctor. I'm not a fan of most doctors since it's my understanding that the bulk tend to press pill and chemistry over nutrition and exercise. But to do something the right way, I would need to start with a visit to a physician.

There would need to be a lot of other ground rules as well for the program. It would need to be something that's very sustainable and that I wouldn't be feeling like I was missing out. My current nutrition is such that that shouldn't be a problem. Most everything we eat is fresh, prepared fresh and with very little oil, salt or sugar. I'm ahead of the game on this. The program would also need to be something that could be done anywhere, anytime, rain/shine/heat/cold.

A while back I discovered an exercise program called MovNat. It's all about natural movement and mostly down without any kind of equipment. I think it would be an awesome base for getting moving, naturally so that you can adapt to any situation. More on that later as well.

Can it be done? Can a 64 yr old affect the changes needed to reflect the body of a 32 yr old? One thing is for certain...I'm NOT 32 anymore. The body complains a lot more...but I guess there's only one way to find out! You never know unless you try. So next time...I will present a plan of action. You are more than welcome to follow along or join the fun!