Welcome to another article, today I will be discussing the benefits of training, which I am sure a number of us are already aware of as well as touching a little on diet. I would like to discuss the growing trend in our society revolving around a lack of exercise and poor dietary habits, the implications that has on our health and also our society and some simple ways you can get started. I will also be sharing a personal experience which I hope will help you see that you to can make a change if you truly want to. Lets get started.
It is important that we stay active, since our beginning for survival reasons we had been instinctively born to move in order to stay alive. Fast-forward to today and a totally different story has emerged. We no longer hunt and forage for our food having simplified that to fast food and paywave We are no longer being born with the same natural instincts as before as the notion of survival has dramatically changed. I believe that our financial state now more than ever dictates our survival as opposed to our physical state, which is too commonly put aside for ‘more important things’. Sedentary lifestyle is vastly increasing with only 1 out of every 3 Australians participating in some form of physical activity on a regular basis (heartfoundation). This is worrying, if our sedentary lifestyle increases and exercise decreases, more degenerative diseases will increase such as Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis, which is already becoming a common trend. Furthermore of the 1 in 3 remaining active, around 60% are still falling short of the weekly-recommended amount as indicated by the Department of Health. So what are the repercussions of us neglecting our physical health and is it really that big of a deal?
Non communicable diseases (NCD’s) such as Cancers, Heart Disease and Diabetes to name a few are at an all time high and many experts would agree that this is largely due us neglecting regular exercise, increasing our sedentary activities and continually poor dietary habits. Lets look at a few alarming statistics from a single report WHO (World Health Organization) released in 2014. They looked at the Mortality of 147,000 individuals in Australia and found that 91% of deaths were contributed to NCD’s. It found that the probability of dying prematurely (Ages 30 – 70) from the Major 4 NCD’s (Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Respiratory Disease & Diabetes) which was a 9% likelihood. That’s almost a 10% risk of you dying early from something which is largely preventable. The cost to the Australian People is in excess of a staggering $27 Billion just for the largest 4 NCD’s which is more than 30% of the total allocated health expenditure, funds we could be using to upgrade our hospitals, facilities, pay for research and employ more doctors and nurses. I would be willing to wager that you would like to enjoy your hard earned retirement years, who wouldn’t? Well with the alarming number of NCD’s a person not eating right and neglecting regular exercise will incur over their lifetime, I doubt that will be possible. Seriously, love and appreciate yourself enough to make that change right now or at least make it for your family or friends.
Appreciate yourself enough to make small changes starting now, commit to a half hour walk each morning or afternoon for example and get your family involved as well. Of course you need to find something you enjoy or think you’d enjoy: running, swimming, yoga, hiking, rock climbing, surfing whatever it may be, there are literally thousands of activities you can tryout, just start by doing something. It is easy to make small changes and build from them, you’re not expected to make an all out change right away. It is near impossible for most to simply flick that switch, all things take time and that’s ok. As the old saying goes ‘the journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step’, Lao Tzu. Whilst starting your exercise routine, simultaneously start watching what you’re eating. Again, I’m talking about taking small steps. For example, the next time you reach for a candy bar, grab a piece of fruit or yoghurt instead, prep some healthy meals so you are not tempted by junk food when you’re short on time. The more you do this and actively pull yourself out of bad habits the more you will educate and condition your brain into eating healthier, more nutritious food groups. If you need motivation to do all of this, picture your family or friends and remind yourself why you’re doing this, or picture a healthy happy retirement with your partner. As your body adapts, you will soon stop craving those unhealthy foods and exercising wont feel like a chore, in short it will get easier and you will begin reaping the benefits of a healthier lifestyle, that I can promise you.
I feel compelled to share a story from my personal life with you. When I broke my neck at age 18, it took me a year and a half before I could start training again. Prior to that incident I was incredibly fit, I was strength training via weights five times a week and playing AFL consisting of two additional training nights each week and a game on the weekend. I was a pretty fit kid and I had a very good self-image. After that year and a half passed, my self-image had diminished completely and I could barely look at myself in the mirror without tearing up. I had gone through bouts of depression having lost all that made me feel special but also all career prospects due to the severity of my injury. My physical fitness was all but gone and I was in a pretty lost state. What I learnt from that experience looking back now is that no one could have changed that state I was in except me. Ultimately I had to be the one to motivate myself again to get my life back on track. It took a lot of time to get myself to a state I was happy with, but I eventually did and it wasn’t a result of doing nothing. I had committed myself to getting back into the gym five times a week, I had committed myself to eating healthier, I had committed myself to pursue a career I would enjoy. It is easy to do nothing, but no reward was ever achieved by doing nothing. It is important to note that I didn’t achieve my goals all at once either, I had to work on them slowly, but the more I did, the easier the task became and my accomplishments grew, as too did my goals. Please start by making small changes in your life, ones you know are for the better, the more you do the more empowered you will become and the more you will achieve. It’s on you.
Thank you for reading.
Liam Correy.