For me, 2025 is a year of 50th birthday parties, a wedding, and a reunion. This created the motivation I needed to start a weight loss regimen. In January, I coined the term “Bridesmaid Bootcamp” to counter the “COVID-19 pounds” and to fit attractively in a formal dress. The events were at my alma mater at West Point in May, so I had four months to lose weight. I knew my Army peers would look fit at any age, so I had some positive peer pressure. I had motivation, a goal date, and I needed a plan. I was determined to implement a home-based plan with a few lifestyle tweaks and not a gym membership. If you have a special occasion coming up and you want a low effort, low-cost plan to lose weight, then this approach might be for you.
There were four main components to this home exercise plan: walking, light weights, low carb diet, and intermittent fasting. However, I did not implement all of these at once. The concept of behavioral momentum suggests implementing small, successive changes tends to be more successful long-term than trying to implement numerous changes at one time. This was true for me.
I really enjoy walking and running, but the snow and ice during the first months of the year make outside exercise in winter unappealing. Fortunately, treadmills now have lighter versions that can be shipped to your house and for lower prices (starting at $150 on Amazon.) Walking desks have become very popular too. I walked on the treadmill for an hour three times a week. I positioned my treadmill near a large window frequented by wildlife, and I put my headphones on with music. I enjoyed this scheduled self-time, and I encourage people to find a form of cardio exercise (biking, swimming, skiing, etc.) that they enjoy. It also proved to be true that a person does not need excessive cardio to lose weight. To be honest, I was not exerting myself in this effort, but I did need to be consistent.
Walking is the easiest way to kickstart your metabolism and has many health benefits for the mind and body. Harvard claims that walking is the “next closest thing we have to a wonder drug,” and reports five surprising benefits of walking:
In May with the warmer spring weather upon us and more access to the beautiful outdoors of Colorado, I plan to incorporate 20 minutes of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), using bodyweight without any need for equipment or technology: sprints, squats, mountain climbers, burpees, and push-ups.
Healthline reports seven benefits of HIIT workouts:
I needed to build back some upper body muscle lost in middle age, so I added in some light hand weights of 6, 8, 10, and 12 pounds and focused on toning up my arms to wear a formal sleeveless dress at the wedding. Can a person tone-up with some small dumbbells and inexpensive resistant bands? Yes. A gym membership is not required, which is good news for those of us who live in small rural towns in Colorado which do not have a fitness center. I lifted weights twice a week, but three days a week is better for consistency. The additional motivation for weight training is that muscle burns more calories at rest. Again, I was not exer...
