I WILL BE 42 this year. 2021 for me will be like any other year; balancing work, family, and my health. Sometimes it’s tough and you have to make sacrifices for all three of these things. As I’m getting older, I’m making clearer and more decisive decisions. But this article isn’t about that, today I’d like to talk to you about how my health and fitness have changed over the years and how I’ve adapted.
As a young kid, say ten years old – I had an unbelievable amount of energy. I could run all day but of course, at that age, I never considered what I was eating or putting into my body to fuel myself. At 15 I started playing a lot of basketball and also lifting weights. I can remember my Dad taking me to our local Argos and I was struggling to lift them out of the boot, my friends in the street were all laughing at me. “I’ll show you.” Every day I’d lift weights and play basketball. For hours and hours and hours. Nutrition at this point was not even a consideration. I ate what I wanted when I wanted.
I’d say within six weeks I had a six-pack and my strength was increasing. I’ve always had a very good metabolism so I was always lean. Nutrition still wasn’t a consideration. By 18, I had stopped playing as much basketball and was introduced to the local pub.
At 21, I took up five-a-side football and would play every week. I also started running but drinking alcohol was also high on my list. I wasn’t as lean by this age but still very fit. This was a combination of me not doing as much high-intensity exercise and not caring about what I ate and drank.
Between 20 and 30 my health really suffered. I still played five-a-side, took up running, had a punch bag and cross trainer but I‘d lost the energy I once had and my skin was in bad condition. I didn’t consider what I was doing – I was having fun, felt invincible, and wasn’t that bothered about looking after myself from a nutrition point of view. I thought as long as I was exercising a little bit, everything would be okay.
At 26, I stopped playing five-a-side – my age was going up, my exercise going down, and my poor eating habits remained. It was a recipe for disaster.
By the time I was 30, my skin was crying out for help and when I saw my reflection in the mirror I didn’t like what I saw. I can remember carrying my baby boy to the car and feeling my arm ache – I had got so weak! I think it was at this point that I knew I needed to do something. How could I carry on like this, no exercise and no consideration for my nutrition? I wanted to set a good example to my little boy and so enough was enough. This was my moment.
I started blogging with my friend Deano and we founded 4Ever Fitness. We had our own blogs within the site where we would write about our experiences. Deano and I started to train together – lifting weights and running, and he inspired me to launch Father Fitness in 2012. It was and still is, a place where I document my experiences from an unfit dad to a fitter one. I will be forever grateful for the advice that Deano gave me. It was also at this point that I started paying attention to what I was putting in my body.
Deano moved away a year later but I kept the routine going. There’s the key word, routine. I was weight training at least three times a week and also running once or twice a week. I signed up to a few challenges to give me something to aim for and it provided excellent motivation.
Throughout my 30’s, I did a hell of a lot. I look back on them with a sense of pride – much more so than in my 20’s. I had started my own business, had two children and my health and fitness were well and truly heading in the right direction.
I’m now 41, fighting fit, and I’m looking forward to the future. I am sure many men in their 30s and 40s can relate to the way I have changed over time; that things happen in life that makes you realise we are all growing in similar ways. I guess I needed to experience life in my 20s to get my life back on track in my 30s.
If I can offer one piece of advice though – and this is true, no matter what age you are – find the exercise you enjoy. You’ll have a much better chance at sticking to it.
Thanks for reading. Don’t look over your shoulder, only for memories. Live your life right now and forget how old you are.
With respect, Paul
Paul Stainthorpe, editor of Father Fitness
#fatherfitness
