health2u.co.za

One of the keys to a healthy lifestyle is consistent activity. To eat healthy is fairly easy for me. I’ve acquired an enjoyment for unrefined food, find out that cooking is a nice hobby and got a couple pieces of equipment to make it easier to eat healthy.

But personally, being and staying active is one of my biggest challenges. And I am not alone. A lot of people find it generally difficult to add activity to their life.

There are a couple of reasons I find it difficult:
I’m too tired to go out and get even more exhausted.
I don’t like routine that much. Sometimes I get lost in what I do, that I forget to exercise.
There are a couple of exercises I’ve tried in the past that I don’t like. Running is on top of this list.
I’d rather spend time with my wife than to exercise.

Excuses, excuses, excuses. Although this is only excuses, and if I try hard, I could find solutions for this. I’d rather find something that makes my excuses vanish without me really noticing. That’s why I’m a great advocate to find an activity that you like.

A couple of years back, my wife started walking with a friend. While they walked, I used the time to be productive in my office at home, on my chair, behind my computer. She was getting healthier and I lived the typical sedentary lifestyle.

When her friend could make these afternoon walks any more, she asked me to join her. I had lots of excuses, but in the end I started to cycle while she walked. After a couple of months of being frustrated by cycling so slowly, I joined her to walk. Months later, I realised that I enjoy walking. My dog enjoys it too.

Now, I’m looking forward to our daily walk. That is the best quality time I spend with my wife. I believe that is the biggest reason why I enjoy walking so much.

Let my name a couple of the other reason why I like walking:
I enjoy my wife’s company.
My dog gets so exited to get out.
We enjoy the outdoors and the sunshine.
We feel the health benefits of more oxygen and better blood circulation.

Some other reasons why it’s convenient to go walking are:
The area where we live is very safe. There is very little traffic and virtually no crime.
We’re outside city boundaries, in a country village where we see open spaces of veld around us. Nature is almost uninterrupted in our area.

Reason why I enjoy this so much is because I combined a couple of things that are important to me into one activity.

When you’re looking for an activity you really like, do the same. Make list of some of the important things in your life. Examples of that is your family, your competitiveness or the environment you live in. Choose activities that won’t ask additional inconveniences before you get active. (I don’t have to get in my car and beat the traffic on my way to enjoy a relaxing walk, for example.)

And lastly, experiment with new activities to add variety and keeping it interesting. I just bought myself a second hand kayak. I love the outdoors and the calming effect of water. So I believe that I’ll enjoy kayaking. Only time will tell.


The personal wellness coaching I’m offering to my clients is a perfect way to help you find activities you like and will keep up with. As your coach I’ll assist you to be consistent and enjoy the benefits you’re looking for.