They were...  

Already started looking for some IIIa plates.  If anyone has suggestions which to get or not get, I'd appreciate it.

You're wanting Level 3a (pistol) plates or Level 3 (rifle) plates?  Poly Level 3 plates are light enough to float.

I was thinking just the pistol plates.  But a friend of mine from my Army days told me I should think about rifle plates.

My personal advice = get Plates rated for M855 rounds!

44, 6'3", cancer survivor with 22 years in LE.  Two bad knee injuries on the job have caused me to not be as mobile and as fast as I would like to be and in turn made me a little heavier than I should be.  Part of it is an issue with my endocrine system and part of it is my lack of ability to be as active as I want to be.  

I have adopted a less is more campaign and try to be as "gray" as possible for a 6'3" 300 lb man as I can be.  I will have no problem switching roles and being the best I can in that role as I age.  Nothing wrong with it.

I'm going to be 45 this year.

My entire physical fitness regiment is essentially built around my physical issues (shoulder, knee, forearm, etc.).   Rehabilitation both before and after exercise is like 80% of my focus.  Nutrition has never been more paramount for me.

Learn to listen to your body. One thing I have learned is that I have to be really conscious of the fact that my workout routine needs to be flexible. I can't just have a fixed workout routine that run the same way each week. If my knee starts to have pain or my shoulder starts to give me issues I need to adapt to that and work around it so that I don't make them worse.  I will use straps and bands and sleeves and you name it as well.  The Foam roller is my friend.

It takes daily effort, but if you are willing to put in a few hours a day thinking about your health and acting on it then it will keep you combat effective for years and will contribute to a longer more active and happy life.

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good either. Maybe you're not ready to jump into a hardcore training regiment, fine, do at least 10,000 steps a day and cut down on consuming calories from fat and drinks.  If you don't drink you calories, eat only low fat things (even if you just eat low fat Monday through Friday), and get in 10,000 steps a day things will slowly get better for you.   The main thing is that you do something, because if you don't drop weight you will not be a combat effective man no matter how much knowledge you have and skill you have acquired, which would be a sad waste.  We need the grey haired pipe hitters to be fit.  

They're good for cardio exercise.

Good post