Invest in your health and fitness. You’ve heard it before, you’ll hear it again. It’s the best investment you’ll ever make. For writers, it’s even more important. When you’re stuck butt in chair all day it’s easy to forget exercise and reach for the chocolate box. That’s no way to build a sustainable and healthy writing career.

Health and fitness have been important to me for most of my life, I envision they will continue to be so. I’ve always enjoyed healthy food over junk food, an active lifestyle over a sedentary one. My biggest weaknesses are wine, cheese and chocolate. In excess they can cause a problem, in moderation, I’m free to enjoy them.

Getting old is inevitable, feeling old is preventable.

Now that I’m on higher end of 30, even with healthy eating and regular exercise, I’m noticing the little niggles here and there that at first were easily ignored but are now become more nagging, and because I’m so conscious of how my body and mind operate I can’t help but be concerned that age is starting to show its face.

I might be fit but I’m still edging closer to the fourth decade of my life and health and fitness are becoming even more important. When I’m in my forties, fifties and beyond, I still want the energy to do triathlons and run a marathon if I so wish to.

I want to wake up in the morning with the stamina to go for a bike ride or run around on the beach with my kid and sit at my desk and write a book without working about carpal tunnel, back pain or pulling a trapezius because I moved the mouse a little too aggressively during a writing stint. 

Nowadays, it’s easier to pull a muscle. Getting up in the morning requires a little more stretching. Planting my feet on the ground first thing out of bed means a little tightness and soreness in my legs. Sometimes when I type the joints in my hands start to ache. I don’t like it. 

My body is telling me something is up. It’s the little niggles that are waking me up. I’m healthy for the most part but there is always room for improvement. 

I always thought these little concerns wouldn’t start until the 50s but I guess this is one way my body is warning me that if I want to maintain health and fitness, it’s a long term investment that starts now. 

The problem

As my days are spent behind a computer for the most part – I’ve got my butt to chair for around 10-12 hours per day. Crazy!!! 

Then there’s my love of wine, pasta, cheese and chocolate.

Over time the body is going to protest. The little niggles will become major concerns. I don’t want that. Whilst we can’t prevent every ailment that might threaten us, there are a number of preventative measures we can take. And prevention is always better (and easier) than a cure. 

It’s the start of the year and it’s a good time as any, even if you haven’t started on the 1st of the month, to start today. Invest in your health and fitness, invest in your future and your ability to write, work, function, and perform at your very best. 

Time is always of the essence. It’s something no money in the world can bring back. It’s finite, that’s why it’s so precious. So why do we waste it? Why do we not take more pride in ourselves?

Our health and fitness is the foundation of good living.

Without our health the rest of it all just falls away into insignificance but we only realise this when our health is at risk. 

I ask you, I beg you, in 2020, look after yourself. Invest in yourself. Invest in your health and fitness, mentally and physically. It’s the first and best investment you should make. 

10 Ways To Invest In Your Health & Fitness

You don’t have to sign up for a marathon to invest in your health and fitness. A small commitment to get active is a great start.

Doing everything at once can lead to burnout and giving up in a matter of days. Instead try to focus on one thing each week. Then the second week, add something else. The third week add again. After ten weeks you’ll be healthier, fitter and happier, and it would be all thanks to having started to invest in your health and fitness. 

Here are 10 tips you can incorporate into your life starting to day.

Start walking.

Walking is free. It can be done anywhere and anytime. No need for fancy equipment or driving to the gym. Walk around your block. Walk to the local part. Put on your joggers and start walking. Start with 20 minutes a day, then add 5 minutes each week until you’re walking for at least 45-60 minutes on most days of the week. 

Keep a food diary.

Whether you do this for a week or two to analyse your current diet or maintain it as lifelong practice, that’s up to you. A food diary will keep you accountable and show you how much you’re really eating. Nine times out of ten you’ll assume you’re eating a lot less than you really are.

Start the day with a healthy breakfast.

For cereal lovers, sorry but cereal is not healthy. Usually it’s packed with sugar and other crap that your body does not need to start the day with.

Choose scrambled eggs with chopped herbs on rye toast with half a tomato, some avocado and rocket leaves. Maybe have some greek yoghurt with banana and sprinkled with mixed nuts and seeds. Or choose a home made smoothie based on coconut water filled with green goodness of spinach, spirulina, strawberries, beets and mango.

These are just examples, choose something that you enjoy. Food is meant to be enjoyed.

Choose your snacks wisely.

While it might be easier to just reach for a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar mid afternoon, you’re not doing anyone any favours. That 3pm energy slump is a pain but you’re more likely to overcome it by having a chopped up carrot with hummus or a banana than you are with some junk food. 

Include weight training.

Weight training has many benefits and no, ladies, it will not bulk you up. Instead it will trim you down. A kilogram of fat is about three times the size of a kilogram of muscle.

Healthy and strong muscles (strong not bulky) support your joints and daily movement. Strong muscles can prevent back pain and strain and if you’re sitting on your ass all day in front of a computer screen like I do, then working on building muscular strength should be a focus. Get a personal training to show you the ropes until you feel comfortable doing it yourself. 

Add yoga.

Flexibility is important for overall healthy so is breathing right. Yoga is as much about breathing as it is about bending your body in awkward poses. Even 15 minutes a few time a week can improve your posture, flexibility and general wellbeing. It’s also a time that can double as meditation. Clear your thoughts, focus on the breathing and get back in the good books with your mental health. 

Finish the day off with a nutritious dinner.

Steamed fish or grilled chicken with vegetables or a vegan version if that’s your thing. If you aim to start and finish your day with a healthy meal your body will thank you for it. The morning provides you with energy for the day, the evening ensures you have good nights’s sleep rather than tossing and turning while your food tries to digest properly. 

Take time out.

Our mental health is as important as our physical health. We live in a time where life is easy, everything is created to make our way of life simpler, more accessible and on demand, and yet people have lost their purpose. Depression is on the rise. Gratefulness is a forgotten virtue.

Take a moment every day or a few times a week to sit or lie down and be thankful for all the wonderful things in your life. It’s easier to focus on the negative, believe me, I know, I’ve been there, at some point in my life that thinking changed. It was frustrating. Now, when my negative thoughts start spiralling out of control, I fight them with positive ones.

I contradict them.

Sometimes I feel better within moments, at other times it takes a little bit longer. But it sure is more pleasant focusing on the good. That doesn’t mean you forget the bad, you just perceive it differently. It’s also much easier to seek out solutions. 

Consult your doctor.

Get check up regularly. Discuss any changes your planning on making to your diet and fitness. Just remember, the GPs do limited ours on diet and exercise. They want to help you but they are the ones putting money in pharmaceutical companies. Sometimes we need those pharmaceuticals but they shouldn’t be the first thing we resort to, they should be the last.

Invest in your health and fitness, talk with your GP about it. If they roll their eyes, find a new GP. I’m not a doctor or a health professional so this is general advice only. Use it wisely. 

Laugh and have fun.

Take opportunity to connect with family and friends. Go out and make friends. Humans are social creatures. We need each other to be happy. We’re not living in a bubble. Surround yourself with warm hearted people. 

These are just some of the ways that you can invest in your health and fitness. Start with one thing, then build on it by adding another each week. In ten weeks time your health and fitness levels will improve, the niggles might even disappear, you’ll sleep better, you’ll think better, and more likely than not, you’ll be happier, saner and more productive.

Related: Are You a Healthy Writer: 10 Tips to Help Writers Stay Fit & Healthy

11 quick tricks that will help you invest in your health and fitness

1. Invest in a stand up desk and alternate between sitting and standing
2. Make sure your desk and chair are positioned ergonomically
3. Drink plenty of water throughout the day 
4. Eliminate soft drinks from the menu 
5. Aim for 10,000 steps a day
6. Limit caffeine to 1-2 cups of tea/coffee per day
7. Take regular breaks – aim to get up and stretch every 45-60 mins
8. Meet friends for a walk in the park instead of coffee and cake
9. Take a up a sport that you love
10. Remember every day can be day one
11. We only have today, make the most of it every day

How do you stay fit and healthy every day? Does it make a difference to your writing?

Disclaimer: I’m not a health professional. This post is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I do hold a Certificate IV in Fitness and have trained myself for numerous fun runs, triathlons and regularly train with weights and yoga, etc. I incorporate most of the tips above into my lifestyle. Check out www.runningcandid.com for more info if you’re interested.