Why the only thing that matters is your health!
I’ve been focused on my health most of my life not because I wanted to live until I was 100, but because I just had a general interest in staying healthy and performing at my best in the sports I played.
Sport was a big deal where I grew up. If you weren't playing sport you were probably stealing cars or breaking into houses. It was a common theme in the area. I’m glad I chose sport at a very young age. I played AFL (Australian Rules Football) or Aussie Rules as it's called at home.
It put me on the path to Health and Fitness for many years to come. I wasn’t the most skilled player but I realised from a young age I could out work most other players. If I was fitter, faster and stronger I could still compete and hold my own.
So keeping fit has always been a big part of my life but as I moved into my fifties, my focus changed to being super fit to being more well rounded and healthy. I think when we work out so hard for so long we aren’t necessarily healthy, just fit. My body suffered a lot of injuries during my 40 odd years of competitive sport. Now my focus has turned to just being all around healthy.
What does being HEALTHY mean to me?
Health to me is being able to do the things I want to do when I want to do them.
I still love to ski, mountain bike and hike. I exercise everyday so I can still enjoy the things I love to do. I eat well now because I want my body to perform at its best for many years to come. I want to be able to work for the next 20-30 years and bounce out of bed everyday.
I heard a quote by Jack Cowin the other day. (79 year old Australian Business man and franchise owner). He said “Health is the only thing that matters” He still works and works out everyday. His mind is super sharp and he has no plan on slowing down.
Without our health we don’t have a lot to look forward to. A good friend has this saying:
“People don’t value their health because it's free”.
It's an interesting thought. If we had to buy our health and pay it off over time, and the cost went down the more you looked after it. Would we pay more attention to our health? I don't know but it’s an interesting thought.