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 I’m assured things have changed in school sports now. Good. But that leaves many of us over a certain age with the legacy of two exercise-aversion sessions per week in our formative years. All that conditioning may have made us distain exercise as something for people who aren’t very good at reading books.
But I promise that whatever you think, there is something out there that can entice you back into trainers. To find the joy of better health, better life expectancy and firmer buttocks, ask yourself the following:
Are you competitive? It isn’t a sin if you aren’t. This is about physical activity – not outrunning Linford Christie.
If you are competitive, is it with other people or with yourself? Teams of one are as good as team of eleven. It’s what suits your own personality.
Are you excited by distance, time or scores? Some people like to walk for 20 minutes, some like to run a mile in ten minutes, some like to win a Judo competition. Pick a criterion of success that appeals to you.
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If you’re a ‘not competitive/team of one’ person, how about a half hour volleying session on a badminton or squash court with a friend?
It isn’t against the law to not score. Warning: there is an above average chance of laughing a lot while doing this - also good exercise. If you’re a ‘competitive/competitive with self/time oriented’ person try swimming/running/walking and get your performance up over a period of time.
And lastly, close your eyes and imagine ten years in the future if you don’t do anything. Feel the weight around your middle and the burning in your lungs as you run to catch a shop before it closes, hear the wheezing in your throat, look wistfully at the item of clothing you want to buy but can’t, because you bulge in places that it doesn’t.
On July 29th 2007, I joined two thousand women in Gunnersbury Park to run the three mile ‘Race For Life’ in aid of Cancer Research. It was an inspirational event and a wonderful day.
I haven’t done Judo for years, but I’ll always be grateful for the insight it gave me on a whole new world, an insight that ultimately led to that Sunday. Good luck with your all insights today, and the differences they’ll make to your life over the next ten years and beyond.
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