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My blog posts are normally constructed around what I see in the fitness industry or something topical that needs addressed, but I’m not too sure where this came from today, or if it will mean much to anyone – I just had a cancellation and felt I needed to share it with you.

I turn 40 this November, and with a young family and running a business it can be a tough time in life.

There are a lot of balls to be juggling and it does feel quite relentless at times. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my life and would not swap it for anyone else’s in the world. I have a great family, a job I love and good health, so I really do have everything I could wish for.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t listen on enviously to my clients in their 50’s, 60’s and beyond as they describe the fun they are having with their hobbies, and I see the free time and autonomy many of them have manufactured / earned in their jobs.

…and I will admit I am jealous of the complete order my mum keeps her house in with everything in its place. The fact she has the time and brain space to have the Barney or Mickey Mouse teddy at the window waving, ready for the boys and I coming…

Signifying their focus for that afternoon is fully on playing with the boys.

At this stage in life that just seems hard to imagine right now for me (those that know me well, please don’t rain on my parade and point out the obvious thing that I will probably still be this messy when I have more time!).

Now, I know many of you reading this will be doing the same thing the other way around – looking at people like me with young families and full days and think those were the good times! I know these are great times as well (although it didn’t feel like it last night when Joseph was still crying himself to sleep at 9.30pm as we could not find his beloved humpback whale).

…and I am also not naive enough to think that being in your 50’s and beyond does not come without it’s worries, I see clients struggling with the responsibility of their ageing parents, or being emotional as their kids start to flee the nest and all the physical changes (women in particular) need to go through.

So I am not looking ahead and thinking that it will all be sunshine and rainbows.

I just feel very lucky that I get to work with this age group and get to see on a daily basis what a great joy getting older can be. I am regularly inspired by our clients and what they are doing. Still playing 5 a side football, playing squash or tennis, running races, climbing hills, doing great things for their community, still progressing in their careers and travelling the world.

But what seems abundantly clear to me, is that everyone who manages to do all these great things can do them because they are prioritising their health. They are eating relatively healthy diets, getting enough sleep most of the time, minimising their stress, working out, doing things that challenge them on a regular basis.

That said, they are certainly not living like saints, they are just getting it right the majority of the time.

And for those of you reading this in your 50’s and beyond that are maybe not managing to prioritise you health as much as you would like – you inspire me. I have watched countless people like you come to us not in great shape, tired and sore and thinking that you are on the way down.

Then and I am regularly encouraged at how amazing our bodies are, as you start to make quick improvements and start to thrive again.

I am now so convinced that no matter your age if you start doing the right things to get healthy you will gain much better health and wellbeing in surprisingly fast periods of time.

So please don’t think it is too late for you, as chances are this might just be the perfect time for you to start making time for taking better care of yourself.

So I suppose this is a bit of a “Thank You” letter to everyone we work with, for continually inspiring and teaching me every day.

It’s also a bit of a ‘There is so much to look forward to” message for those my age and younger.

Finally, it’s a “It’s not too late” message for those not quite getting the whole health and fitness thing right yet.

Thanks,
Paul

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