Column: Spring is in the air . . . so put it in your step!

I started writing this whilst out on my walk with the dog this morning. The sun was shining in a clear blue sky. It was still and peaceful and I started to notice that nature was working really hard, all around me.

There were the shoots of daffodils pushing through the earth and searching for the sunlight. The snowdrops are out and the crocuses are not far behind. There are signs that the buds on the bushes and trees are starting to swell, whilst the birds were at full voice creating a wonderful soundtrack.

This made me think about the gym last night and how the mad January dash had already ended. The people who’d made enthusiastic resolutions are already slipping back into their old habits and mediocrity.“I’ll do it tomorrow” or “I’ll smash it next year”. We’ve all heard them. There’s a chance this could be you. In four weeks these people have given up on their best asset – themselves.

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Don’t allow yourself to be one of those statistics. There is no law that states that you can only resolve to do something at midnight on December 31. You can do this at any time and on any day. You choose, so if you’re feeling guilty because you’ve quit already, resolve to get started again. You could do it right now, you could get your trainers on and go for a 20 minute walk, jog or run, right now. You could go for a ride or get back in the gym. If you have joint or weight issues you would benefit from taking a swim. This is a great all over body workout, and the best thing about is that the water will support your weight, so no jarring through the body.

Your health and fitness is all about creating a good habit and to create a new habit you need to do the same thing for 30 consecutive days. We can all find “reasons” why we can’t exercise, children, housework, the job are all after your attention. But we need to remember that we’re only given one body. We can’t trade it in for a newer model, we have to look after it or pay the price through ill health. After all, how can we look after our family if we can’t even look after ourselves. I’m in the privileged position to be able to help many people get back to being active. I take a couple of run groups under the Let’s Get Active banner for DMBC. What we’ve created there is a fantastic transition with people who are now full of vigour, enthusiasm and they love supporting each other. Maybe this is the way ahead where we can get into a group that will provide support and friendships and not judge. I just love the progress that these groups have made and no doubt some of them will outgrow our group and go on and join a proper running club in the future. Whatever what our excuses have been up to now, we can change them if the desire is there. You will find support and advice if you just bother to ask for it. You’ll be glad you did.