One of the questions I nearly always get asked is this:
“Paul… What do you do to keep fit?”
And I often think the person asking it is hoping that I’m going to reveal some secret strategy that I’ve been keeping to myself which makes keeping fit or staying healthy easy – the type of “insider” advice that only a medical professional would know about and no one else.
Well, the bad news I don’t really have anything like top secret like that!
And that’s because no such strategy exists. And besides, it’s not really needed.
Keeping physically fit and healthy boils down to one main thing – and that’s keeping moving! I’ve heard it said by many of my clients in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, that the biggest difference they can make their own lives is to simply “keep moving”!
Might seem like a really simple piece of advice – but it’s a really timely one too. With the dark nights fast on us, and the weather making it increasingly less likely that you’ll want to get out and do something like “get some exercise”, then it’s a good time to make some plans about ways you’re going to keep moving this winter.
And what I’ll do is let you in on my own plans for the winter ahead, so that you can maybe get one of two ideas of how you might be able to form your own “keep moving” routine for the next few months.
Note, this is just what works best for me. I’m showing you how easy it is to create a structure to your weekly routine that will see you feeling a lot healthier:
Monday: 60 minute swim at lunch time at the Mill House baths
Tuesday: 45 minute Jog around the town (reflective and protective clothing on)
Wednesday: 90 minute bike ride after works (various routes in and out of town)
Thursday: 30 minute jog after work
Friday: Back in the Swimming pool of the Mill house baths
Saturday: 2 hour bike ride
Sunday: 1-2 hour walk around the headland or at Seaton.
As you can see, I try to do something everyday! In the summer, I’d not be in the pool and I’d be more likely to replace swimming with bike riding or another walk if it were summer. Now, in between that, I like to do something like Yoga or Pilates too. And I start every day with at least 5-7 minutes of stretching – usually in the warm water of a shower at 7am!
But that routine is just what works for me!
I’m fairly addicted to exercising as I find I really helps me to relax and enjoy my evenings at home a lot more when I’ve had chance to unwind or let go of what ever is pent up in my head from a day at the clinic – if I can get on a bike, in my runners, or my goggles on!
My tip for you – if you’re struggling to find a routine or have no idea where to start at keeping active, just go for a long walk – and while on that walk start to think about some of the things you might enjoy doing – and then commit to doing them even just once per week!
Amazing things happen when you’re active and you’ll find it much easier to come up any amounts of ideas to keep active this winter and keep stiffness and tension at bay.
Printed In The Hartlepool Mail Oct 2014
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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