There, far, where the sky meets the earth
on an unbroken line of stark reality,
sparkle the infinite lights that beckon my heart.
There, far, where the eye sees the birth
of an unpolluted, crisp morning;
there hides the magic that war can not part.
Today as I write, my motivation is pretty low. I’m not superhuman; and I think we all go there once in a while. Things are not going according to plan with a few aspects of life, and here I am, down in the dumps.
I injured my leg (hip, adductor and surrounds) and hence can do basically no exercise without risking further injury. Having become highly reliant on my daily dose of exercise to build energy and decrease stress levels, this “inability” frustrates me immensely.
Having enjoyed a short chat with a colleague a little while ago, I realised that I truly need to listen to my own advice today – I often tell people that when it comes to eating healthily and exercising, and improving your life in general,
Only you can help you – if you need a hero, it needs to be YOU.
What it really comes down to is is one simple decision: be happy, or be unhappy.
I marvel at human nature. It’s a strange thing. 
Have you noticed how we think that people who excel at sport or fitness-related activities are “heroes” or “superhuman”?
I beg to differ. The average human body, if looked after correctly, was designed to perform at least a specific set of motions without too much strain. You know, back in the day, we didn’t have wheelbarrows or cars or chairs. Sure, sportspersons are extremely dedicated, have bucketloads of talent, and spend practically all their time training and often have specialists training them and looking after their muscles etc. So they will clearly be better than one of us ordinary citizens. However, we must not sell ourselves short. We can do extraordinary things too!
I believe there are basic motions that we really should be able to perform – if we cannot, then it’s a sure sign that intervention is necessary.
I’ve tried to steer away from gym terminology/ jargon and relate these back to daily life as much as possible.
Go through the list and see what you can do! You might just surprise yourself.
If any of these make you feel very uncomfortable, stop immediately.
If you read through the list and wonder how you’re meant to do this, it may be time to have an honest chat with yourself about the state of your health.
Remember: YOU are the only person who can help YOU.
Do you want to be average or awesome? Maybe it’s time for a change!
There seems to be a bit of confusion among us humans. Most people think that exercise is the be-all and end-all of becoming healthy/ healthier.
Now, don’t get me wrong – leading an active life, and making sure you are strong, fit and mobile are all key concerns that any person should prioritise.
BUT in a general sense, it’s really not as complicated as we make it sound.
There’s a healthy lifestyle support community that I’m part of: Sleekgeek South Africa. The bulk of activity occurs in the Facebook group, with hundreds of discussions going on daily.
The topics range; how to get avocados to ripen quicker; the uses of coconut oil; how to cook healthy meals; how to treat callouses (hint – just be proud of those!) or blisters; or where to get good advice about training shoes or physiotherapy. Those are just a few examples of the things that pop up in this thriving community. I do a fair bit of observation and I’ve noticed a worrisome common thread coming to light: the ugly face of misdirected competition.
It’s an exceptionally easy error to make; being surrounded by humans, it requires a substantial amount of self-psycho-analysis to navigate around this nasty habit successfully.
So…
You look at someone else at the gym who is lifting more than you or doing more complex work than you.
At a park, you look at someone who is running faster or further than you.
In a restaurant, you look at someone eating something that you see as unhealthy, yet this person is in such good shape.
I often hear people say that they don’t have the time to exercise or prepare healthy meals.
It also echoes in my mind, words that the old me surely repeated often.
I must stress my view of time:
We don’t HAVE time.
Time has us… It’s not like there is a way for a human being to decide to have more hours in a day or to have more days in a week (or more preferably, a weekend! ).
The only decision we can make relating to time is how we use it.
It all comes down to priorities, and it can be a long and painful lesson:
YOU, and only you, decide how your time gets used.
For instance, many of us spend a fair amount of time watching TV most days.
Think about the amount of time you spend looking at your computer, phone, and other devices daily. Do we really want to add to that?
There is that old adage, “Charity begins at home.” and I think that it can have multiple meanings.
Your body is your home. Have you ever thought, seriously, about the fact that if your body gives up on you, that’s it..?
The sad case of the modern human is that the majority of illnesses are avoidable. We have become victims of our own endless desire for convenience, and with convenience there are often strange ingredients being added to foods that our bodies aren’t capable of processing.
Have you stopped to wonder where low-fat or skim milk come from? There are no low-fat or skim cows! 
These and related products have been altered by a process to end up in that state. And this makes me rather paranoid. Personally, I’d rather be paranoid than dead.