Why Governments Should Abolish The Concept Of Retirement

The recent announcement by the Australian federal government to change the retirement age from the age of 65 to the age of 67 has sparked outrage by many union groups. ACTU national president, Sharon Burrows said that many people would be struggling to work at that age due to illness, aches and pains and suffering from various arthritic conditions.
Like many people, Ms. Burrows seems to think that retiring means stopping and resting and beginning all those sedentary activities that are “befitting of one with advancing years.” I think that is rubbish. I think that all Governments should ban retirement like this and only allow “re-tyrement”.
To me, when you “re-tyre” you put on another set of tyres and keep going in life. You keep participating and contributing in life.
Each Sunday when I go for my early morning run on Mooloolaba beach on the Sunshine Coast I am continually inspired by the scores of “re-tyrees” who are out walking, jogging, swimming and paddling and actively participating in life. They are proof positive that ageing is much a mental process as it is physical. Their approach to ageing is definitely working because according to a recent Australian Bureau of Statistics survey the people living on the Sunshine Coast live longer than in anywhere in Australia.
Surely if you are in that poor shape, retirement isn’t going to be that much fun regardless if you are working or not. From observing Ms. Burrows own lack of physical conditioning during TV interviews; she has every right to feel concerned. But the extra couple of years until retirement are only an issue for people who are out of condition.
Rather than complaining about having to work an extra couple of years how about getting into shape so you can handle the extra work with ease? Ageing is inevitable to all of us but it doesn’t mean that we are doomed to a life of becoming an invalid. The two clear choices you have with ageing are similar to two clear choices you have when you get a new car: you can grow up to be an old “bomb” that can’t go anywhere that can only be used for parts or you can grow up to be a vintage classic that is priceless. It all comes down to how well you look after the car (yourself).
For instance if you had one car and it had to last you all of your life, how would you look after it?
Would you thrash it around, throw poor quality fuel into the tank and then complain because you have to wait so long for your car to get repaired at the mechanics after it is broken down?
Or would you treat the car with respect, put in great quality fuel, get regular preventative maintenance tune-ups to ensure that it keeps running well?
Based upon the answers you gave to those questions; consider that you do have one body that must last you all your life. How well you treat your body will determine if you end up a retiring old bomb or a re-tyring vintage classic.

Government Health Campaign Isn’t Interested In Getting Results….

I spoke to some health department representatives recently regarding the Australian Government’s Measure Up Campaign designed to reduce soaring obesity levels.  My initial impressions were positive. I was pleased that they were encouraging people to measure their waistline as opposed to the common mistake of using the scales to monitor your progress.

My call initially was to find out how I could support promoting such a campaign but after closer inspection I was concerned about some of the their recommendations to lose weight. Most notably was the advice to include 30 minutes of walking a day as exercise. I mentioned this to the health department representatives. I shared with them how many studies are showing that walking did not have any significant benefit to weight loss. Sadly the response was not one of curiosity but was a typical case of stonewalling that Government bureaucrats have longed been criticised for.

“We are aware of the research showing that walking isn’t of any benefit but this (30 minutes of walking each day) is the Government’s current recommendations for exercise,” she stated.

“But isn’t the aim of this campaign to help reduce the rising rates of obesity?” I asked.

“Most certainly,” came the reply.

“So how are you going to let the public know that they need to exercise differently than the current recommendations suggest in order to effectively lose weight?” I continued.

“We are unable to share any information that goes against the current Government recommendations for exercise…”

“…Even though the recommendations are proven to be ineffective,” I interrupted. “So what you are telling me is that the real purpose of this Measure Up campaign is not to help produce any tangible reduction in obesity rates but it is designed to be seen like you are doing something about obesity rates.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone. “No wonder people get cynical of Governments.”

Why Teachers Are Still Stressed Trying To Cope With Their Workload

Over the last 18 years of helping people rebalance their health I would have to say that teachers are amongst the poorest in term s of work life balance. After seeing yet another influx of stressed out and run down teachers I spent the last six months doing a lot of research in developing a work life balance guide specifically for teachers. I wanted to find out the real issues that were affecting teachers. In saying that, I was not after some education department political spin. I wanted to hear from the teachers in the front line but I came across more roadblocks than you would find between Israel and the Gaza  strip.

I contacted about 20 schools many times over by phone and email. With the exception of four schools all the people in charge of human resources claimed that they were too busy to offer any assistance. My children’s school was the only school that helped. Three schools said it was against school policy to allow an outside organisation to speak with or survey their teachers with one of the human resource managers saying, “To survey our teachers regarding their work life balance would infer that we have a problem in that area.” I suppose it is easier to sweep it under the carpet, isn’t it?

So I then approached the Education department. They told me that I could fill out a Magna Carta -like application form while at the same time informing me that they only allow access from academics from Government funded Universities. That way it is easier to maintain the Government line.

I then tried contacting the teachers union who agreed that work life balance is a huge issue for teachers.  They had done some research that showed that 50 % of first year teachers couldn’t see themselves still being a teacher in ten years. The major reason the teachers gave for not wanting to continue teaching was due to difficulty in coping with the workload. They said that it would be ideal for me to come to their next meeting in February where I would be able to get great feedback.

 Early in February I hadn’t heard from them so I called them up. The meeting had already happened. The union delegates decided that it wasn’t appropriate because I wasn’t an academic from a University because they get their funding from the Government.  It seems self preservation comes ahead of making a difference for their members. As a result the teaching profession continues to leak talented individuals because they haven’t taught teachers the skills and lifestyle to be able to effectively cope with a demanding workload.

At least the Queensland Teachers College were of some assistance, letting me view a DVD on positive psychology that they send to teachers to help reduce teachers stress.

But work life balance involves a lot more than just positive psychology. It involves communication, exercise, nutrition, injury prevention, effective resting, emotional management, conflict resolution, family and parenting issues and a lot more. Teachers do not have resources on how they can help themselves in these areas. They are left to learn in at the school of hard knocks but the problem is that education can come at a price. It can cost you your health, relationships and costs many their careers.

Despite all of that, the majority of teachers, schools, unions and the education department were, if anything obstructive to the development of a guide that helps to improve the work life balance of teachers. They must be happy to have a high proportion of run-down and burnt out workers among their ranks. They may be happier to complain about how burnt out they are than to be actively interested in a solution.

Coping with a large workload requires certain skills that can be learned and lifestyle modification that can also be learned. Ironically though, it seems that teachers may not be that open to learning new approaches.

How To Keep Motivated While Exercising

When we train or exercise by ourselves there is often the tendency or temptation to cut a few corners or not train with the intensity that will give me the best results for effort.

Today rather than going for a run early in the morning I took my son with me to exercise at the local athletics track late this afternoon. There were 8 younger, more athletic and more talented athletes there finishing the final stages of their training. Not wanting to make a fool of myself amongst these athletes and coaches i decided to use their presence to my advantage.

With others watching on i found myself running with a good technique and i managed to maintain a running pace and intensity that gave me a real high and a sense of achievement.
As i drove back i remembered a hilarious and novel way in which one woman also used others around her to keep her motivated during her exercise. Every morning she would run along the main road wearing a shirt that read, “Honk, if I stop running.” Now that’s motivation.

Listen To Your Body

When it was time for me to go on my long run I was feeling less than exuberant. I was feeling a bit low in energy and wasn’t sure if this was because I was in vacation mode or that my body actually needed some more rest. So how do you tell? You listen to your body…

I began my run along the beaches of Surfers Paradise. i wasn’t setting a cracking pace. After twenty minutes of slow jogging you normally feel fine and if anything you feel a lot better in yourself. On this occassion I continued to feel flat and if anything felt even more tired. To me this was my body telling me to slow down rather than trying to push through the discomfort. I then stopped  and walked the beaches focussing on the beautiful climate and scenery and focussed on resting.

With the benefit of the extra days rest i woke the next morning feeling fantastic and went ona really strong and energetic run.

It reinforced the importance of listening to your body. Sometimes you feel flat and tired because you haven’t done any activity and sometimes you feel the same way because you are tired. The solution is to start exercising slowly and if you feel worse stop and make sure ou rest.

How Do You Tell If Your Health Kick Is Effective?

So many people monitor their progress by the bathroom scales….BIG mistake.

During the intial stages of my health kick my weight actually increased and that is a good sign.

Why?

Because it is showing that i am beginning to build muscle again and this will cause my metabolism to increase.

I can recall a patient called Rebecca who went from a size 18 to a size 16 dress size in a couple of weeks as the result of improving her nutrition, exercise and especially in her case through improving her water intake. She was ecstatic. That is until she went to a Weight Watchers class and she discovered that she had put on an extra two pounds.

Her response was to get angry, then frustrated and then she threw her hands up in the air saying, “I give up. Nothing seems to work for me.”

Everything was working perfectly for her. It was just that she made the mistake of judging her progress by a criteria that doesn’t mean much at all. Let me clear, your weight is not an  accurate indicator of your health.

What is a more reliable indicator of your progress?

I use these two indicators:

1) Size does matter. 

Try a tape measure around the waist or  pay attention to how easy you get into your clothes. A change in your body shape is a more accurate indicator of healthy progress. Muscle weighs more than fat but it takes up less space.

2) Your energy levels.

To me your energy levels reflect the efficiency of your body. A car doesn’t expend as much fuel when it is tuned perfectly and the same goes for your body. So the healthier you are the more easily you can produce energy and  maintain it.

A fun way I have also found that is giving me positive feedback which is quite motivational is the Body Test component in Nintendo’s Wii Fit program. It measures not just your weight but your weight distribution and your coordination and balance. Based on your test results it then calculates it into your Wii Fit age.

I can’t vouch for it’s scientific accuracy but it has been a useful, fun and motivational tool for myself.

Thank You America

As I lay there on my couch, my three year old daughter, Erika snuggled herself into my arms where she quickly fell asleep unaware of the much needed change that was taking place over the opposite side of the globe. It was truly a magical moment, laying with my beautiful daughter in my arms witnessing the inspirational speech of President-elect Barack Obama to the people of the United States of America and to all the people round the world.

I don’t know if many Americans have been aware of this but many would be shocked if they truly knew what the rest of the world thought of their country. The harsh truth is to most people outside of America, the USA has been anything but a beacon of hope and a land of freedom and opportunity over the last decade. Most foreigners laugh at the audacity and arrogance at the self-anointed title as the USA being the leading nation of the free world.

 Instead, the USA has been a country derided by most countries it’s for it’s arrogance, intolerance and greed with many of it’s foreign and monetary policies implicated in the escalation of conflicts and the global financial crisis. The United States had lost the respect and credibility of the global community.

The inspiring words of Barack Obama left me convinced that the United States has taken the first steps towards joining the global community rather than trying to impose it’s will on the world. Esher Hicks once said, “The purpose of your life is not to make the world the way that you think it should be. The purpose of your life is to make the owrld around you the way that you think it should be, while also allowing the world to be as others want it.” With the election of  Barack Obama as your new president,the previous American climate of arrogance and fear has been replaced by an America full of humility, hope and peace. This is the kind of America that inspires me and can help bring peace and prosperity to this world.

As a citizen of the world I would like to congratulate the USA on the election of their new president. If the eloquent and genuine speeches of both John McCain and Barack Obama reflect the evolved consciousness of  todays American, then America is certain to thrive in the future. If the Barack Obama’s words of building and mending bridges reflects America’s future foreign policy, then the world is certain to thrive in peace.

After watching these historical moments unfold before my eyes on television I could understand why my daughter was able to rest so comfortably in my arms. To all you citizens of the United States of America i woud like to congratulate you all on your choice of president. I also would like to echo the sentiments of many people from countries outside of America and to say thank you. It is our sincere wish that your new choice of president brings you hope, peace and prosperity.

With Barack Obama soon to lead the USA (instead of George Bush) I think that, like my daughter many of us will be resting easier tonight.

For those who wish to revisit Barack Obama’s tremendous presidential victory speech, here is a complete copy of the speech:

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

Chicago, Illinois

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

 

Modify Your Nutrition & Rest To Support Your More Active Body

One of the key ingrdeieints in creating an exercise program that is sustainable is to minimize the interference to the rest of your life. Particularly in the beginning phase of your exercise program your  nutritional and rest requirements to your more active lifestyle will probably change.

Firstly your fruit and vegetable intake needs to increase to combat what is known as oxidative stress from exercise. Oxidative stress is the production of these bad guys called free radicals that cause all types of damage to your body causing anything from wrinkles to cancer. These free radicals are like the sparks that fly off from the fire that can do damage to your house if you don’t have a firescreen.

When you exercise your internal fire gets bigger givng you more energy but you also give off more sparks. That’s why you need to increase our firescreen by increasing  your fruit and vegetable intake. Fruits and vegetables help neutralize free radical production.

Many of us have given up on exercising due to illness, injuries and aches and pains. Most of this can be prevented with adequate fruit and vegtable consumption and a bit if rest.

Some people think that they have that covered by taking a multivitamin or antioxidants. They are not fruits and vegetables and they don’t get absorbed into your body. Fruits and vegetables have 12 455 different vitamin, minerals and antioxidants. If you are having trouble increasing your fruit and vegetable intake i recommend you try what i have been taking for the last 10 years…

It’s called Juice Plus. It’s a fruit and vegetable supplement that has been shown to reduce the level of free radicals by around 75% and one third of the subjects showed  no free radical damage at all. A recent study also found that it helped lower the markers of this oxidative stress resulting from extreme exercise performed by a Swiss anti-terrorist squad.

One of the more demanding days of training involve running for more than 80 minutes. I originally started doing this early on Sunday mornings and then I would meet my family at the beach where our children would be doing training at the local surf life saving club for the following two and a half hours. The problem was that by the time we got home i was feeling too weak and tired to do much at all. I burnt up so much fuel during my run and i hadn’t replaced it with any good nutrition ( only water).

I’ve now changed my time for my more demanding exercise to late saturday afternoons or late Sunday afternoons depending upon my family, business and social committments. I’ll choose whichever time best allows me to have a good meal after my exercise and put my feet up and have after all recovery is as important as your exercise.

Keeping In Shape When Working Away From Home

Like many people my work often involves travel and working away from home. For the next two weeks I must get used to going back to a hotel room after work.It is hard enough to stay in shape when you are at home let alone when your schedule changes when you work on the road.

 

I never go on holidays or away on business without taking my own pillow. Most pillows in hotel rooms bear closer resemblance to pillowcases than pillows and provide poor support for your neck. It is hard enough for your body to get used to a new bed without the added stress of adapting to a terrible pillow. Take your own pillow when you travel so you can start your workday without having a stiff neck.

 

Continuing my exercise program while away on work created a few challenges. After a late night on Thursday night and knowing that I had a late start to the day on Friday I made the energy-sapping mistake of sleeping in. When you change your wake up times, it throws out your circadian rhythm or body clock leaving you with a type of jet lag. I woke up feeling very flat and it took a lot of effort to haul myself out of bed.

 

The best time to exercise is at the same time in the morning. Exercising at the same time each day helps to establish a habit because research suggests that exercise can increase your metabolism by 25% for 4- 16 hours. That means more energy for your waking day if you exercise in the morning.

 

So what do you do if you get out of the habit of exercising? What do you do if you had one of those mornings like I did when you just want to stay under the covers?

 

This is where you need to come up with a big enough reason to keep up with exercising. It wasn’t until I began to focus the pain of not walking my talk that spurred me to go out and exercise. I focused on the importance for the health of my children that I am a role model. That was a reason that keeps me going.

 

So how do you come up with a reason that motivates you?

 

You find answers to these 3 questions:

 

What’s most important in my life?
How is exercising going to help that important thing?
How is not exercising going to hinder that important thing?

 

When answering these questions, don’t try to be logical about it. This is an emotional exercise. When you find an answer that causes an emotional reaction you know that you have found the ideal motivation for you.

 

What do you do if you can’t think of anything that gives you that reaction?

 

You repeat the same three questions with the word “could” inserted into it.It will help you think differently.
 
What could be most important in my life?
How could exercising help that important thing?
How could exercising hinder that important thing?

 

When you are motivated to exercise, the key to an effective exercise program is in the variety of your exercise. It is important to exercise at different intensities as if you were exercising different gears in a car. You may be wondering how to exercise at different intensities?

 

 

Here’s an example of how I exercised at different intensities during my first week on the road…

 

Sunday exercise: a long 60-minute jog done at snails pace

Monday exercise: It was rest day so I went for a relaxing walk

Tuesday exercise: 4x 150-meter sprints at a local park

Wednesday exercise: push-ups and sit ups and stretches in my hotel room

Thursday exercise: rest

Friday exercise: 4x 3minute runs with 2-minute rest breaks in between at local park

Saturday exercise: a light jog for 20-30 minutes at the local park

 

This variety aids recovery and helps prevent injuries and is a lot more effective way of boosting your fitness in a healthy way.

 

Just remember that I have come from a sporting and exercise background and have regularly exercised over the years and have just become a bit slack over the last 6 months. If you aren’t used to exercise or you are concerned how your knees, hips and ankles will cope with the added workload you can adapt this exercise program to suit your circumstances. You can choose an exercise that you enjoy like walking or cycling but it is important for you to puff when you exercise.

 

Starting Your Fitness Kick

I had completed a half marathon last year and was surprised how easy the actual race was because I felt full of energy at the end of the race. The race was the easy part; the training program was the hardest part. Just getting those miles under your belt to prepare yourself for the race put so much strain on the muscles and tendons of my legs and feet, not to mention the blisters.

 

The prospect of training for a marathon seemed quite daunting and a potentially painful experience and I think I am allergic to pain. When I seek advice on fitness I only ask people who are fitter than me so I asked my friend Marc Dragan. Marc, a former professional triathlete and three times runner-up in the grueling Hawaiian Ironman triathlon, is now in his early 50s. He is still in superb shape, runs two very successful businesses and maintains a close family unit with his wife.

 

Remembering so many patients exercise programs being derailed through aches and injuries, I asked Marc, “How on earth did you manage to do all this training without your legs screaming under the load?” 

“Throughout my career, the only time you saw me running on a road was during an actual race. I did all of my running training on sand, grass or on a proper athletics track.”

 

Now what kind of training should you do?

 

If you haven’t exercised much before, the important thing is to get into the habit of exercising and not so much what kind of exercise you should do.

 

The key to look for in a training program is variation. You need to train at different intensities, which means that you must puff to varying degrees when exercising. It’s a bit like training different gears in a car. When you use all different gears your body’s engine works a lot more efficiently. This differs from the all or nothing training approaches that are a sure-fire recipe for fatigue, injury and illness.

 

I checked out many websites offering fitness-training programs and in my opinion the training programs that encourage a great variation in intensity are at www.endurancetraining.com.au. Check it out and you can adapt it to suit whatever kind of exercise you like. You can even get personalized training programs supplied to you.