Are you the best possible version of you? Do you do all you can do to look your best, so you feel great and are healthy? We don’t live a long time on this planet. So why is it we all don’t want to look and feel the best we possibly can for the relatively short time we are here. Most of us know New Zealand as it stands, rates the third most obese country in the world. Not only that, but the number of New Zealanders living with diabetes has doubled in the last 10 years to 250,000 and is expected to double again in the next 10 years to 500,000. It’s also estimated over 1 million people in New Zealand have pre-diabetes and have a high risk of developing the condition. Most of these cases could prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes with healthier eating and exercise, especially in the form of resistance training which helps regulate blood sugar levels. These stats astound me, as it indicates that we as kiwis lack discipline and accept mediocrity far too easily.
I learnt the meaning of mediocrity at a young age and it taught me a valuable life lesson. I was waiting nervously for my swimming race, I had been to QE2 many a time but had never attempted to swim the length of the main pool. It was more than double the length of the pool we had qualified from in order to compete at QE2. To make matters worse a girl from my class who had also qualified and who had been winning her race suddenly stopped and finished the race with 10-15m to go due to exhaustion! I remember looking at Mum from the opposite side of the pool in the stands with tears streaming down my face not daring to wipe them in case anyone noticed the size of the pool had me terrified! It came time to race and I decided while standing on the blocks waiting for the gun to go that no matter what I was going to finish the race. I remember that race clearly I swam the race as slowly as I could, as I finished the race and hopped out of the pool it suddenly hit me I didn’t give the race everything I had because fear had gotten the better of me. My teacher was calling my name and I didn’t dare turn around, I was far too disappointed with myself and kept on walking. That night Mum was on the phone to a friend and the friend asked how I had got on, Mums reply was he got last, dead last they had to hold up the next race up waiting for him to finish! The moral of the story is my fear of failure had brought out the mediocrity in me. Even though I was very young, 8 years old in fact, it taught me a life lesson I have never forgotten. Always try your hardest to be the best you that you can be and never accept anything less.
If you want to be the best you that you can be and look and feel great it takes effort, stickability and discipline. Never let fear stop you from achieving your goals or you will look back one day when it’s too late and think – if only. At the end of the day each and every one of us is only accountable to ourselves. It’s not just taking pride in our appearance at the same time we are also preventing the onset of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, as well as preventing fat buildup around the heart blocking arteries and causing heart disease. Our actions determine the way we look and feel – it’s up to each and every one one of us to do cardio, do resistance training and make healthy eating choices or face the harsh reality of poor health as we age. As the saying goes: “when the going gets tough the tough get going”. So strive to be the best version of yourself!
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