The Importance of Exercise & An Active Lifestyle for A Healthier YOU

You never stop reading about how important physical exercise is for your health, and I’m going to tell it to you again.

I’m going to sound like a broken record, but never put physical exercise aside! Commute via your push bike when feasible. Take the stairs instead of the elevator if you’re only going a few floors, or always, if you’re feeling overly invigorated. Seriously, you hear this kind of stuff time and time again because it makes a difference.

The key is consistency

I played a bit of sport here and there, but never really stayed consistently active until 2010 when I dove in and bought a power rack and barbell to use at home. I joined up with the Melbourne University Weightlifting & Powerlifting Club in 2011 and haven’t looked back. I feel much better now with an active lifestyle over my sedentary days. For me I’ve found the key to consistency, was having an awesome group of people to train with.

Having the club to go back to every training session motivated me at the very beginning, but now it has become second nature to maintain a training schedule. The only time I ever not train heavy is right after a competition, and even then I can feel it when I am taking a lighter week of activities for recovery. You must strive to form a habit of staying active - and as a side effect of your metabolic system improving, you get to eat (a controlled amount of) more food!

“Just Do It”

It does not have to be a club or a group of people. You can find a training partner i.e. gym buddy who is able to clear the same set schedule as you can, and go from there. Gather some friends to play your favourite sport, or find a nearby sports club to engage with.

If you’re located in Australia and looking to get into strength training or Powerlifting, look no further than to Powerlifting Australia’s Affiliated Clubs for an extensive list of vetted options.

Otherwise if you just “can’t find the time” to fit in gym time, then start taking smaller steps in your daily routine. Sit at a desk all day? Take a break every now and then to walk around and hydrate yourself. Pushups and situps can be done (almost) anywhere.

There’s a reason why you always hear about how great exercise is for you, and that’s because it is! Give it a try, stay consistent but don’t be put off if you fail to be consistent at first. The important thing is to continue pushing, learn to love and embrace the ‘active lifestyle’. You can’t put a price on the value of physical exercise and you KNOW it will improve both your physical and mental health. At the end of the day your health should be at the top of your priorities, along with family and friends. So go on ahead and just go do whatever it takes to get started!