Take a moment to reflect on your present state of health and fitness. Ask yourself a few questions:
Am I happy with where I am at?
Have I had a recent comprehensive medical? If not, why not?
If I have a health issue, do I know what I should be doing to optimise my health and fitness?
Do I currently have health and fitness goals?
If not, what is standing in the way of my setting and achieving some?
Life changes and events
When did you last make a change or have a life event of the magnitude of the following:
Exiting your practice
Uprooting your family
Selling / renting out your former residence
Leaving your support network
Finding new accommodation
Settling your family in a new location
Consider your job. Do you often reflect on the following?
My lifestyle is very sedentary
Often the subject matter and the people are unpleasant, both of which are out of your control
My work is very demanding (circuit work, deadlines, unexpected occurrences, the requirement for perpetual courtesy and order.
Combine those reflections with those major life events and changes and you’ve got buckets of stress.
In order to deal with these stresses in our lives, we are genetically programmed to turn to resources that aren’t good for us, like comfort food (fatty and/or sugary) and alcohol. Without a healthy exercise regime, there is a likelihood of dramatic weight gain.
How do we rectify this?
Work towards getting fit and staying fit. The absolute best thing you can do to preserve brain function and to optimise recovery from illness and injury. Here is the formula for how you can make changes to your body and exercise regime:
Hardwire exercise into your day
Aim for 4 days per week on average (minimum of 3 and maximum of 6) where you will do some form of exercise.
You must have at least 1 rest day per week
Daily exercise goal
Exercise for a minimum of 20 minutes per session close to your aerobic threshold (which is around 70-80% of your maximum heart rate). To find your maximum heart rate: 220 beats per minute minus your age.
An example for age 50:
220 - 50 = 170 max heart rate
70% of 170 = 119 beats/minute
A rule of thumb is that when walking and jogging you should just be able to converse comfortably.
Work out alone or with a friend?
This is up to you. If you think you’ll stay with your programme better with a friend, this may be a good option. If you think it’s more likely you’ll only have time to work out alone, this is also fine.
Should I sign up for the gym?
This is also your call. Be wary of gym trainers who may try to push you to up your tempo. Think about the travel involved with getting to and from the gym. Is this going to hinder your availability to exercise regularly? Sometimes a walk around the block may be more achievable than driving to the gym, working out, then driving home again.
Exercise suggestions
If you think you’ll get bored with going for a walk every day, here are a few other options to consider. Pick three to ensure you’re using all your muscle groups. A single repeated activity will do your head in. It’s also not suggested to do high-impact, anaerobic sports.
Walking
Jogging
Swimming
Cycling
Mountain biking
Pilates
Yoga
Zumba
Tai Chi
Gym workout
Weights
Exercycle
Treadmill
Rowing
Kayaking
Waka Ama
Golf
Dancing
Aqua jogging
Kapa Haka
Skiing
Team sports
Start slowly and set yourself reasonable goals.
Practicalities for exercise
Try to make access to your exercise regime as easy as possible. That way you’ll stick to it. It’s suggested you have three sets of exercise gear. Store them:
by your bed, so you can put them straight on in the morning for a workout,
in chambers for lunchtimes,
in your car to take on circuit or for when you’re away for the weekend.
Keep an eye out for any opportunities to move.
Take the stairs
Stretch and engage muscles as you sit in your chair on the bench
Leave the car at home and walk to and from work if possible
Get off the bus a few stops before your stop and walk
If you’ve got a 15-minute break, take a brisk walk around the block
Nutrition
Your metabolism is slowing down. You need fewer calories than you used to. But it’s critical that your intake is enough for optimum brain function for you to be able to do your job throughout the day. Some nutrition suggestions are as follows:
Go for the healthy options as per the food pyramid: fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, fish, lean meat. Avoid fatty and sugary foods and refined carbohydrates.
Maintain blood sugar levels with snacks: nuts, dried fruit, muesli bars during the day (before 10am and morning/afternoon tea. Keep a supply in your desk.
Go for smaller portions at lunch and dinner.
The smaller and more frequent regime will contract your stomach a little, which in itself will help with weight control.
Alcohol
Practice sipping, it works! Have a drink of water first to quench your thirst.
Injuries
90% of the time, your body will completely repair the damage of up to moderate injury if given time, therapy, and rest.
Sports massage and good physiotherapy are usually helpful, as is yoga and gentle aqua jogging to maintain a reasonable level of fitness while recovering from injury.
Life is a marathon race, not a sprint. Start slowly and set goals for yourself. Initially modest and sensible goals, like a 5km walk, or a Round the Bays walk. Along the way, you’ll meet wonderful, positive people who themselves will be an antidote to the nastier aspects of the job. You’ll find your efforts richly rewarded.