LATE last year, I got acquainted with a group of 46-year old men right smack in what looks like their midlife crisis — and I mean this in the best possible way.
While other men their age routinely go through their 40s contented and settled, these secondary schoolmates are shaking things up by collectively going for runs and hikes.
They live in different parts of the country and have certain must-run races that most of them register for.
On other weekends, they join smaller races of 5km or 10km, alternating between road races and trail runs. They also go on hiking trips and these activities they sometimes do in consecutive weeks.
Some are teachers, engineers, officers, lecturers, doctors... you name it — and they are bound together by a school in Klang they attended for two years as teenagers, and by a strong friendship they now share.
Not all of them are naturally active people. Some played basketball and football in school but left their sporting days long ago and exercise isn’t something they routinely do as adults, at least not until the group was active.
Some have been on the bigger side since they were teenagers and they got into the exercise routine after seeing happy faces and shrinking sizes of their friends who have taken exercise seriously.
FITNESS JOURNEY
Through their WhatsApp group, these men get together virtually every day. Steps challenges are thrown in their Garmin group and they keep outdoing each other. And as months passed, the group grows bigger and races and hikes are attended by even more people.
As the number of people grows, the body weight of these individuals reduces. I know this because my husband is one of them, and I join him on those runs and hiking trips.
One of them dropped several sizes that a wardrobe reboot was mandatory. He could no longer fit into his old clothes. And it has not even been a year that he has joined his friends on their fitness programmes.
My husband still holds on to his now-oversized shirts, but he has dropped a few centimetres off his waist and can no longer wear his jeans without the help of his trusted leather belt.
I find these men inspiring because instead of allowing age to take over, they move in the opposite direction and they do so at an age when most people would be satisfied with a weekly brisk walk at the park and call it adequate exercise.
These men — and other people who make healthy changes late in life — are proof that you are never too late to be the change that you need.
Whether you want to start reducing your food portion, get more greens on your plate or learn a new sport, taking a step in the right direction is the most important thing you need to do to be a better you.
GIVE YOURSELF TIME
Those changes need not be big or monumental. You don’t even need to join races or aspire to run a half marathon. Getting up an hour earlier on weekends so you can do some light jogging or keeping a pair of shoes in your car so you can exercise on your way home works too.
Even getting an extra hour of sleep will do you a lot of good. Adequate rest allows the body to regenerate and rest, something that most people take for granted. Ideally, we should get between seven and eight hours of sleep and going on for years with less brings a host of health issues.
I heard countless women telling me how they have no time for exercise, yet I see that they can spare hours trawling malls or watching movies.
At the other end of the spectrum, I know women who swap sending-kids-to-school turns with their husbands so they can run in the morning. The next day, she sends the kids and he goes running.
Ultra trail runner Tahira Najmunisa Mohd Zaid has my deepest respect for her ability to raise her three young children while balancing her 30km long runs, cycling and swimming.
Most importantly, I think you first need to want to make those changes, because that’s the only way to make it consistent and only through consistency can you reap the benefits of good health.
You can have a good fitness tracker or the most expensive pair of shoes, but if you think sleeping in is better than sweating it out, no one will be able to get you out of that rut.
If you really want to see those changes, and have a group of friends who think he same, then consider yourself to be very, very lucky.
A firm believer in Queen’s line, “build your muscles as your body decays”, Syida Lizta Amirul Ihsan thrives on running and hiking. She believes that you are never too old to work out and be healthy. Reach her at slizta@nst.com.my