Upon the occasion of my 30th birthday, I swore that my fortieth would not catch me overweight, unfit and in an unhealthy relationship. On the up side… I wasn’t in an unhealthy relationship but upon reflection regarding my physical health, being single seemed a bittersweet achievement.
Through some of my thirties I was, at various times, fit but never slim and then came publishing. With the fabulous publishing lifestyle came relentlessly long hours at work usually followed by eating out or a beverage or two at functions. In short, it has been a lifestyle only conducive to a massive weight gain, which for me meant stacking an extra 23kg on an already not-so-small frame.
This entrenches me in the obese BMI range, and at risk of a whole swathe of severe health conditions. As I have got older I have watched close friends battle life threatening illnesses – a few have passed away- and I have begun to realise that my health is not to be taken for granted.
On setting myself an immediate target of losing 20 kilos I realised my work life balance needed to change. Would I do it?? Probably not without making a forced commitment of some kind, it’s easier to blame the amount of work or any number of other things. So, with this in mind we decided to look at healthy ways we could get fit, lose weight and involve our community. Over the next few months I’ll be sharing my experiences of going on this quest. I’ll let you know what works and what doesn’t work for me. I hope you’ll share your thoughts and join me on the journey.
OUTinPerth’s Editor Graeme Watson and Publisher Alexandra Maltby have taken up the challenge of getting fit and healthy over the next few months. Follow their journey here on our website as well as on our Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Read Graeme’s first blog entry The Time Is Now
Read Alex’s next blog entry So am I skinny yet?