Team,
I got a message a few days ago that my dad had a stroke while I was on an extended field exercise. Overall, the guy’s doing pretty well. I guess it was a TIA stroke, so very minor and no long term effects. Ultimately, we’re viewing this as a wake up call.
My dad doesn’t exercise much and hasn’t had a great diet in the past few years. I’ve never tried to square away his diet because about six years ago he had non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, resulting in a hole in his throat. He went about ten months without eating solid food or even swallowing (he had more spit cups in the house than any infantry company in the world).
My mom is trying to clean up his diet (less eating out and more fruits/vegetables) and I’ve taken on the responsibility of putting together a workout program. I’m planning on focusing on fat loss (circuit workouts with something kitchy that he likes, kettle bells or sandbags, I don’t know) and mobility. I have two concerns - 1) I don’t want to push him too far and risk a heart attack or anything like that and 2) I want something that’s efficient in fat burning that he’ll continue. I wanted to see if you guys had any recommendations or “best practices” on the matter. I’ll post a program that I come up with in a week or so, but any help in the meantime would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!