My Life
I have always tried to live as well as I possibly can. Though I must admit that I can be somewhat lazy at times, for the most part, I am generally trying to keep myself busy with things that are productive and lead towards a positive lifestyle.
I have always loved sports. Watching sports is fun, but actually playing a sport is way more satisfying. When I was in high school, I went to boarding school. I was extremely fortunate to have gone to one of the most beautiful schools in South Africa, and I enjoyed my time in the hostel a lot, maybe a little too much at times. But I did not enjoy all the study times we had to sit for! So, to get out of the afternoon (and sometimes even night time) study sessions, I would play whichever sport I could that would keep me outside during those study sessions. The only time you were permitted to miss a study session was if you were practicing sports. I did it all: cricket, rugby, athletics, tennis, field hockey, and football (soccer). And when my practices did not coincide with the study sessions, I would become cultural and join the school’s live performance group. Anything to avoid study time.
Needless to say, my academics suffered a lot as a result of my choices, but I still managed to do well enough to pass all my subjects and get into a good university.
My passion for sports has never wavered, and even today, more than 20 years after leaving school, I still play cricket whenever the opportunity arises. Tennis also remains a favourite of mine, though I do not play as often as I would like to. Now I keep my body active by trying to get to the gym every day and working out as hard as I can.
After school, when I went to university, I realised that I needed to focus on my academics if I wanted to successfully complete my studies and attain my degree. So, no more skipping study sessions for sports practices. I had to learn to balance these two parts of my life. I could not be as active on the sports field anymore, but I needed to keep my body active, and that is when I started going to the gym and working out. I still played cricket during the summer, but that was only for about half the year. The other half, I needed to find something to do, but that would not keep me away from my studies. Unintentionally, I found a new way to get focused through training in the gym. My workouts had purpose and focus and required a lot of discipline. I learned to transfer this discipline over to my studies and completed my studies without needing any additional time.
Ever since my first year at university, working out in a gym has become an integral part of my life. My goal has never been to become a powerlifter, bodybuilder, or fitness model. My goal has simply been to get to the gym every day of the week and work out as hard as my body will allow me to. I find immense pleasure in completing a tough workout, and the added benefit of a stronger, better-looking body does not hurt. It has become a way of life for me, and I cannot imagine what it would be like not having the gym as part of my day-to-day life.
Along with all the training comes a balanced diet. Over the years, this has changed a lot as it has not always been easy to remain consistent. Without the right fuel in your body, your workouts just are not as effective, and it can be very frustrating putting in all that effort then not having enough (or the right) “fuel in the tank” to push through and feel like you have achieved your training objective. Therefore, I have found that consistency in both workouts and diet is fundamental to having a good time working out.
Another very important by-product of this lifestyle is the frame of mind it puts you in. I feel energised and refreshed, which helps me stay positive and focused. I find I have a lot more patience, and my mood is a lot better when I am training consistently. I feel stronger and also much better about myself, and thus I am a lot more confident in my approaches to all situations and life in general.
Of course, the opposite is again true for those periods when I am not as consistent with this lifestyle as I want to be. Life does happen, and I am not always able to maintain the training schedule and diets I have in place. During these periods, I find my mind drifting, and I begin to enter those dark and negative realms that I work so hard to keep out of. There is never a quick fix for this; all one can do is put your head down, place one foot in front of the other, and move forward, taking one step at a time. Start again from the beginning and just do what is necessary to get back into a consistent training and diet routine that will bring you back to a place of peace and confidence.
Fortunately for me, at this point in my life, the beginning is not too far away from where I left off. It also seems that, and I know how clichéd this is going to sound, but the older I get, the faster time seems to pass. This is good in the sense that it does not seem to take too long to get back into all the good habits. The trick is just to start and not to EVER give up!
Moving forward, I will be using this part of my blog/website to write about my thoughts, ideas, experiences, and opinions on life. I’ll probably be focusing a lot on the fitness and dietary aspects, but from time to time, I’d also like to share some of my other life experiences and thoughts. Hopefully, those reading this will be able to relate to what I am going through, and either find solace in the fact that someone else is experiencing a similar issue to them or find guidance and inspiration from my words. I do not profess to be an expert in anything, but I have been around the block a few times, and I am sure there is quite a bit of value that I can share with others!
I wholeheartedly encourage all my readers to engage with me on any of the topics I write about. Feel free to challenge my ideas and leave a comment below. I will always do my best to respond to all comments, and hopefully, we can all learn a little more from each other.
