What are you thankful for in 2021?

There's a quote which I read from time to time:

"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some"

I'm grateful, though I may not have hit all of my fitness goals, I can certainly see and say that I'm a work in progress.
I can see the little victories and I'm able to celebrate those and fuel my desire to improve and achieve more.

I may not be at my ideal weight, but I'm not at the weight I was when I started 2021.

My current workout schedule is a far-cry from what I expect it to be; but I'm grateful I can workout…….maybe not as much as `I would love to, but I'm grateful.

Let's close out 2021 with a thankful heart and plan to start 2022 with a bang!

Making the most of life in relation to your health and fitness requires you to be inventive and come up with interesting ways you can inject movements and exercise into three areas of your life:

- your work
- your hobby
- your passion

While I'm an advocate of dedicating time for your workouts, I also understand that life can sometimes get busy; rather than waiting for when you can find time, I'm encouraging you to bring mobility, movements and exercise into some key areas of your life.

In this episode, I talk to Gary, an over 40, a husband to the beautiful Sarah, a dad to two children, VP of Sales/Marketing at USystems, a football coach, a chairman of a grass-root football club, a great friend and a neighbour.

Gary is an avid football fan, a staunch supporter of  Everton FC, and an ex semi-professional footballer who played in the FA cup.

We discussed the realities of staying fit while navigating life challenges and manoeuvring the ups & downs of staying fit.

Gary started playing football in the U7 age group with Stafford Falcons and progressed with playing football to a good standard as a very fit young man.

He had the opportunity of playing in the FA Cup, the oldest national football competition in the world.

We talked about the mental struggles of getting fit…….making healthy choices with food and diet and the benefits of drinking water

Did you know that to be considered physically active, you need to put in about 150 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity a week? 

Basically, if we do the maths, that's exercising for 30 minutes each day for a minimum of 5 times a week; or perhaps, 50 minutes exercise 3 times a week.

In a health guideline released in September 2019, the UK Chief Medical Officer reiterated a clear message about physical activity: here's what he said “If physical activity were a drug, we would refer to it as a miracle cure, due to the great many illnesses it can prevent and help treat.”

All round fitness starts with awareness of your health and fitness; then small repeatable actions which you can sustain.
All round fitness is smart fitness!

Have you heard the saying "the 12th man" or "12th player" before?
If you're familiar with football, you would know that each football team has 11 men or 11 players or 11 women…….

The term 12th man or 12th player refers to the support the teams get from the crowd.

Who's cheering you?
Who's challenging you?
Who's encouraging you to take one more step?
Who's encouraging you to walk one more mile?
Who's walking that mile with you?
Who's telling you to do one more rep?

As a noun, support means - to hold-up, carry, or bear all or part of the weight of something (brace, reinforce)

As a verb, support is - a thing that bears the weight of something or keeps it upright (like a pillar, a post, an under-pinning or even a foundation)

Consistency is a key ingredient that can always guarantee success in every endeavour. 

Health, fitness, wellness and vitality can be considered destinations you can reach through an abundance of options and choices.

All the options and choices available to you would likely lead to benefits in both your physical and mental health; however, the only way you can enjoy and secure those benefits is by STARTING and continuing!!!!!

Now when I say continuing, I don't mean for a few days, or a few weeks; perhaps for a few year - no no no - I mean for the rest of your life.

You have to think of your health and fitness, not only in terms of now, but tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow...........

Minding your health & fitness is a fundamental part of the journey to better health and the foundation for your healthy habits.

In order to mind your health, you need to take stock of where you are right now.

Minding your health is a foundational step which would pay dividends in the long run.

Being Fortyfied is all about the small steps: Little Thing Make BIG Days

Being Fortyfied is all about building your health like a castle, one brick at a time.

If the brick doesn't fit, remove it and replace with the right-sized brick and keep lining up the bricks until you build a wall, and another wall, and another......

Being Fortyfied is all about having a learning mindset.