Next month I will be eligible by age but thankfully ineligible in every other way for the age pension. I’m not in perfect health but not bad either and am above 100kg atm which I think is a little heavy especially as I will be doing a very challenging trek in Europe next year. I had been thinking of consulting a dietician and the universe spoke and Alex reached out recently regarding his services. I will be signing up for his services and will recommend to others when i know better.
I really like his model as it is currently $32 per week and you can sign up for a period say a fight camp duration and then opt out if you wanted. I met with Alex last week and I like what he does so will keep you posted. He has offered to come and do a seminar for our students so will arrange that in due course.
Obviously in boxing to make a fair match we set a weight limit and each fighter makes that weight for a competitive fight to take place. Other criteria are age , sex and most importantly experience which counts probably over everything else in boxing. Weight makes a big difference in power but it is not as simple as that. I am heavier than I am supposed to be but I love the strength that my weight gives me and find that once i lose significant weight my strength does decline significantly. There is an ideal weight for most people to box where the strength to weight ratio is ideal for that person, lose too much weight and their strength and energy declines and being too heavy means the power they face is too much for them. First time fighters often focus too much on their weight and put unnecessary stress on themselves by trying to be at a weight that may not suit them. An absolute maximum of 5kg in amateur boxing and prefreably 2-3kg from initial weight is better. Most people in their first fight lose 2kg in terror in the last week leading up to a fight. Usually our fighters come in well under not over. As you are matched usually with other zero fights competitors, weight is not usually that much of a factor compared to boxing skill.
I want to comment on weight in general as I am sceptical of health fads. I am blessed and cursed to be a white male of anglo heritage brought up on a dairy farm in the meat and three veg days. My mother lived till she was 98 and by technical terms, she was obese for most of her life and in her 80’s she did have to take blood thinners. Like me tho she was strong from toil on the farm and not concerned at all with her looks more akin to a soviet farm worker than a runway model. However i believe her weight had benefits as she aged. At some point in our lives, it is likely regardless of the healthy food we consume and exercise we do, a serious health problem is likely to face us. In my case it was a brush with cancer and the stress made me lose more than 10 kilos . I’d never looked so sexy but I was miserable and felt terrible. I have watched friends get ill and lose way too much weight and then weaken their immune system so much that some never recover. I have read lately that genetics pay such a big part that we have less control than previously even thought.
About 20 years ago I was engaged briefly to a pilates instructor, her body was the envy of all her clients but underneath she had a battle with her relationship with food and was in perpetual state of constipation. To her credit she would tell her clients. “Ladies don’t wish away your curves”.
The fact that the internet has only been around practically for 25 years and we are seeing more and more misinformation and young influencers who spout the elixir of life as if they themselves had already lived forever so I am here to tell you it’s a lottery, sure if you abuse drugs or alcohol or only eat McDonalds for the rest of your life you are increasing the odds against you but stress will probably kill you just as readily as anything else so life balance, moderate exercise, varied diet and punching someone on a regular basis will probably give you as good as chance as any.