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<p>I recently had my annual physical and all was well.</p><p>Except that my blood pressure was a little high.</p><p>And my blood sugar was borderline.</p><p>Oh, yes, I had gained 10 pounds, which the doctor wants me to lose.</p><p>No problem. I kind of expected those results.</p><p>But then she lowered the boom and said she wanted me to increase my daily workouts to 60 minutes from 30.</p><p>That hurt.</p><p>I am closing in on 53, did my first mud run last year, and work out regularly four to five days a week.</p><p>Not bad for a middle-aged guy with a sedentary job.</p><p>But her directive to work out more frosted my rage cake.</p><p>C&#8217;mon! You want me fit and healthy even if it kills me!</p><p>I have no delusions that I am going to grace the cover of &#8220;Men&#8217;s Health&#8221; magazine anytime soon, and that&#8217;s OK.</p><p>For my age and lifestyle, I have worked hard at beating back &#8212; with some success &#8212; the inevitable physical effects that come with reaching your 50s.</p><p>But the doctor&#8217;s order underscored a peculiar balance you start to confront at a particular age: Do you sacrifice certain things now to prolong your life later?</p><p>For instance, do I extend my workouts by 30 minutes &#8212; cutting into time I might be doing other things, like spending time with my wife &#8212; so that I can live into my 80s, when my quality of life would undoubtedly be less?</p><p>It feels like a shoddy trade-off.</p><p>As it is, I do not smoke, I drink in moderation, have stopped taking sugar in my coffee and have given up on my Frisbee-sized weekly cookies from my favorite diner.</p><p>I also spurn fast food, try to eat a healthy serving of fruits and vegetables and &#8220;clean&#8221; proteins like chicken and fish.</p><p>And if all that is not enough, the doctor wants me to exercise more? What a killjoy!</p><p>I understand the importance of staving off diabetes and heart disease to have a better quality of life. I get it. But I want to enjoy my food and drink now, not 30 years from now when it will be pur&#233;ed baby food.</p><p>The struggle to behave and eat right is difficult given the stresses of daily life and the bonanza of temptations out there.</p><p>I do like my dark chocolate, coffee, wine, vodka and tonics, margaritas and indulgent dessert once in a while.</p><p>But if it comes to moderation vs. deprivation, I will almost always go with the former.</p><p>At some point, you just have to pick your spots and assign a value to the things that you enjoy that may not be good for you and the things that are good for you that you may not enjoy.</p><p>As my old man used to tell me:</p><p>&#8220;OK, Chris, now remember about clean living: No booze, no smoking and no carousing &#8230; . It&#8217;s clean, but is it living?&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Christopher Mele Mele&#8217;s Musings </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_mele.jpg</photo0><caption0>Christopher Mele Mele&#8217;s Musings </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_8436975164_8a6759fc47_o.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Abstinence is clean, but is it living? </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_8436975164_8a6759fc47_o.jpg</photo1><caption1>Abstinence is clean, but is it living? </caption1><photoCredit1>Nonsequiturlass | Flickr file photo </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Christopher Mele</p><p>Mele&#8217;s Musings</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Christopher Mele is married and dad of two sons and two stepchildren. His childhood in the Bronx defined his friendships, which endure today. A career newsman, writer and editor, the Lords Valley resident is glad to share stories and insights about the challenges that the modern-day middle-aged guy faces. Reach Chris at seaosprey22@gmail.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Mele’s Musings: Moderation over deprivation as 50s take their toll on body