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What does being in shape means to you?

To a lot of people, it means that you are within the healthy weight range, not overweight. To me, who are in perfect shape, in that sense, it means something different.

How many times did you wish you had the same vitality as to when you were 18? Lots of energy, didn’t know how to spell doctor or medical aid, awake until 11 in the evening and still be on top of your game the next day?

That is what being in shape means to me, to be in the same health as any 18 year old. As I wrote last week, I was on a much needed vacation. But what a shock waited for me, when I tried the same things as I did when I was 18, and ever older. I could spend the whole afternoon on a trampoline, without breaking into sweat. When we arrived at the resort, after we unloaded the car, we went to explore the area. I found a trampoline and jumped it immediately. Within 5 minutes, I was completely out of breath!

Wake up call. I realised, I needed to step up my exercise program to get back into shape. My moderate exercise routine was way to moderate. I want to spend the afternoon on a trampoline, without feeling the effort; I want to row a canoe for an hour and still be fine; I want to ride a 20km trip on a bicycle and enjoy my friends company when I arrive. That’s what I did as an 18 year old student.

There are two questions that come immediately to my mind. Is it possible to stay at the same level than a young man would be at? How do I achieve it, even when age is creeping up on me?

I firmly believe that it is possible to stay in perfect shape, even as time goes by. Jack LaLane said that people don’t die of old age, they die of neglect. At 93 he is still an excellent example of health and fitness. Or just take someone else who is better known than LaLane, Chuck Norris. Even at sixty nine he is a role model for every health and fitness conscious person. These two people are perfect examples that you don’t need to lose shape as time goes by.

The second answer is a little more difficult, because it’s not a philosophy, it asks action. To find the answer on how to stay in shape as time goes by, lies in LaLane and Norris’s examples. If you want to be wealthy, do the same as wealthy people does. If you want to be healthy, do the same as healthy people does. If you want to be fit, do the same as fit people does.

Here are some pointers on how to achieve the shape you want to be in:
• Choose the level of fitness you want to achieve.
• Identify a person or two who are at that level, now for some time.
• Find out what they’ve done to be in that shape.
• Do the same.

What is even better is to find someone who was in the same situation you are now and changed it to the place you want to be in.

Currently, I’m build like a road runner; that is very skinny. I found a guy with the name of Vince delMonte who were a skinny guy. His mates called him Skinny Vinny. About the same height I am, weighed the same as me. Then he started to work out and gained 20 kg within a couple of months. Now he was in the situation I’m in now and achieved what I want to achieve. He is a perfect role model for me.

Find your role models and find out what they’ve done. Then make use of a support system to keep you going towards this level you want to reach. Once you’re there, use the same support system to maintain that level, for it is easy to fall back in old habits.

Now, get in shape, the shape of what you used to be when you were 18.


Using a wellness coach is one of the tools in the support system toolbox. As a wellness coach I’ll support my clients to reach their ideal fitness level and help them to stay there. Contact me to talk about the ways I could assist you.