What’s your health status?
What is my health status? Male; Over 55; non-smoker; obsessive exerciser (that’s another story); healthy eater; very occasional drinker; no history of medical ailments in the family. I don’t need to go to a doctor to know that I would fall into the healthy category. (NB – make sure you have a regular check-up though – at least once a year. There are some things we just cannot predict).
What’s your health status? Like me, you probably have a pretty good general idea. You know what the indicators and risk factors are. Most media modes do a good job at throwing them up in your face ad nausea. It is very important that you stop and think and know these general flags before embarking on any sort of fitness regime. Not heeding these could prove to be a recipe for disaster.
Your body is made to move. That is one of the reasons we were put on this planet. Luckily, I figured that out at a fairly young age, with the help of other like-minded people, and have derived a great deal of enjoyment from this fundamental life skill. In fact, throughout my life, I have been lucky enough to find employment in areas that help facilitate the movement skill – and continue to do so.
If you do not find yourself in a situation that allows regular movement then you need to make time for it. That action itself can often be the hardest part and create the biggest challenge. Not only do you need to find the time for exercise (motivation); you then need to make it part of your life (commitment); and keep it going (persistence).
Some of you will look at the paragraph above and immediately respond – too difficult. I hear you, but I do not believe you. With some creative scheduling and support – you can do
Take a look at your day. Your normal work day and your normal weekend day. Look at the time you take to do various things. Are all those things absolutely necessary? Do all those things need to take the time they do? Absolutely not – especially when we are talking about making time for you to help improve your quality of life.
Television and social media. Two of the biggest time wasters in society today. Think about the amount of time you spend on those every day; every week; every year. These are designated non-activity times. Sure, they can be a good stress release (however, I would argue, these days, watching the News definitely does not fall into this category; or, reality TV programs where we can watch people fail and argue on a public platform). Current figures show that Australians on average spend at least three hours a day sitting in front of some sort of screen – TV, computer or mobile phone. This is the minimum figure! This figure increases alarmingly during teenage years – male and female.
Chop, chop! Let’s wind it back. Just think, if you reallocate one of those hours to physical activity every day you are meeting the recommended daily physical activity allowance as recommended by the Australian Health Department. Put the phone down, turn off the TV.
You can do it! Yes you can!
Nick Byron
