One man’s fitness journey
Six years ago, Paul Rosefeldt came to the realization he had to make a greater level of commitment to his exercise regimen and diet. He was facing health issues and at his heaviest, weighed 250 pounds.
“It began where I always went to a gym and worked out, but I wasn’t all in — it was half-assed,” he said.
Rosefeldt, who lives in East Coventry, wasn’t giving the same attention to his lifestyle practices outside of the gym as he was when he was in it. He said he felt like he wasn’t living in harmony.
“I didn’t walk the walk,” he said. “I didn’t eat properly and I was always in the misconception that you can work off a bad diet, which you can’t.”
Rosefeldt, 72, a retired psychologist, was in his mid-60s when he realized there were certain things he couldn’t get away with anymore despite his love of mountain climbing, scuba diving, hiking and biking when not working out at the gym. So he took a look at some of his lifestyle habits and started making adjustments along with taking a nutrition course.
The course was more focused on weight loss and he felt it wasn’t syncing as a total lifestyle change, so three years ago he dug even deeper.
“Once I started really wanting to make the changes it meant I had to give up part of my old lifestyle,” he said, giving an example of the one weekend ritual he dropped. “After big hikes, we would go to the bar for a couple of hours and I stopped doing that.”
These days you can find Rosefeldt at Final Results Fitness in Montgomery County five days a week. His regimen includes three HIRT (High-Intensity Resistance
Training) personal training sessions, two Yin yoga classes, occasional sprint classes and road biking once a week. Every weekend includes a hike with a hiking group.
“Today was my 584th session with him — he pushes me to the limit in almost every session and there is no such thing as a slack day,” Rosefeldt said, referring to John Wood, his personal trainer who’s also the coowner of Final Results with his wife, Jen.
Rosefeldt refers to Jen and John Wood as his life coaches. John helped him create a healthy food plan, so after their 30-minute sessions, it’s not uncommon for them to spend an additional half an hour talking about nutrition and life in general. Jen provides him with what he refers to as “Jenny’s Nuggets,” which are spiritual messages she shares in her yoga class.
Over the past three years, Rosefeldt has lost 70 pounds and has managed to maintain his 163-166 weight for over a year. His weight loss took place over a twoto three-year period.
“You want it slow,” he said. “You didn’t put that weight on overnight and you’re not going to lose it overnight.”
Rosefeldt’s approach to eating goes beyond what he puts in his mouth. To hold himself accountable he weighs himself three times a week at his training sessions and writes down everything he eats in a notebook.
Rosefeldt hydrates with one gallon of water daily and sticks to eating a plant and animal diet that includes eggs, chicken, fish and nuts along with lots of vegetables. He eats low-sodium foods, minimal fruit and stays away from inflammatory and processed foods.
He allows himself to indulge a little bit on holidays and has a treat every now and then on weekends. The key is that he always gets right back on the wagon and doesn’t allow his infrequent splurges to take him on a downward spiral.
“I don’t want that monster that was in me when I was 250 to awaken,” he said, adding that holidays make him nervous. “It does scare me, so I’m on top of it.”
Rosefeldt said he usually leaves the gym in a state of euphoria and shared the newfound ways his lifestyle changes have positively impacted his life.
“The more I did it, I was like, ‘wow, I’m feeling great’,” he said. “Now I can truthfully say for the most part I have never felt better in my life. I feel fantastic and I have never felt stronger.”
His friends and family have taken notice.
“My friends say it all the time, ‘you look great’, and my family and kids say it,” he said.
Another aspect of his metamorphosis included him seeing how his workout regimen and lifestyle change has helped him cope with anxiety and depression related to his wife, Dotti, who suffers from dementia and lives in a nursing home.
“I found that working out and taking care of myself, naturally, was the best antidote,” he said. “There is no drug that can compare to that endorphin high. The high from working out overpowers any depression in knowing my wife is going to die any day.”
Prior to his wife’s dementia, Rosefeldt always felt she was the stronger one, but ever since she was admitted to a nursing home he started having realizations about his own capabilities.
“I showed myself stuff that I never realized was in me,” he said. “It made me become a better person.”
A father of two grown children and grandfather
to three with two more on the way, Rosefeldt, wants to be engaged with them, not sitting on the sidelines.
“I want them out there hiking mountains and canoeing,” he said.
Rosefeldt continues to give himself daily pep talks and acknowledges how
his lifestyle changes have helped him better navigate the curveballs of life.
“You keep getting knocked down, but you get up,” he said. “Working out gives you that fighter instinct.”
Rosefeldt is living proof that you can become your
best self at any age.
“There is no point in waiting,” he said.
Today, Rosefeldt lives in a state of harmony that he was previously lacking.
“This is not just to get your body on track,” he said. “It’s the mind, body and spiritual connection.”