Why Do I Exercise?

Not An Athlete

Why do I exercise? Should I not just take it easy at age 67 and kick back and smell the flowers and all those cliches? Let me reveal some profoundly personal stories from my life to explain why exercise has been a lifesaver in several dimensions.

As a youth, I was not sporty in the slightest. At primary school, I had to endure the shame of being one of the last picked for the playground footy game. Tall for my age, gangly, and uncoordinated. It went on into secondary school. For the first years, I could not get onto any team. In athletics, I could not pick up any points across the disciplines other than a freak discus throw one day, which I could never repeat.

Learning About The Power Of The Mind

I learned about the mind and willpower in my last two years at school. I remember the cross-country trials. My role was to trail around at the back with all my fellow wasters. That day, something clicked in my head, and I decided to push on and see what happened. It was an odd feeling; I felt I didn’t deserve to put effort in. I wasn’t allowed to, but I did so all the same.

Accelerating, I was mocked by my waster colleagues for putting an effort in. I passed dozens of runners and exited the woods to the finish line to gestures of shock from the teachers and spectators. I was in the top ten. Undoubtedly, I had cheated. Nope. The same happened when I put a tonne of effort into rugby practice when all around me were coasting. I got picked for the team. I learned that the mind is powerful and can lead the body to unusual efforts.

That stuck with me. The mind is a powerful tool that can push the body to achieve unexpected things.

My Family History

Another answer to the question, “Why do I exercise?” My family haven’t enjoyed the best of health. My mother had poor health for decades and died of diabetes-related diseases. My father went a little further down the line, but with his alcoholism and lifelong smoking, he just scraped into the biblical three score and ten years.

In the next generation, my maternal grandmother died within weeks of my grandfather retiring. My maternal grandfather saw a life of manual work end in a lonely flurry of drinking, smoking, and the rapid onset of dementia. My paternal grandmother suffered severe depression – it was called a nervous breakdown in those days, in whispered tones. I remember seeing one of her sons, my uncle, one day in the street. Even at my young age, I could see a grey and broken-down man, and I knew his mental health was not good. My paternal grandfather died of cardiac arrest in his early seventies on the pavement outside the newsagent.

Lack of exercise and poor diet were undoubtedly at the heart of this broad catalogue of poor family health. Granted, it was different times, with a different socio-economic environment. We can bleat all we want about the world’s problems, but healthcare and education on healthy living have never been better in human history. It’s on all of us to make use of these advantages.

Choosing To Exercise

I was in my mid-twenties before I chose to pick up exercise again, initially running daily. At thirty, I took up cycling seriously, doing it initially to compete in cycling events. Somewhere along the way, I realised that it was good not only for my physical well-being but also for my mental health. I had been an anxious and depressed youth, and this was not going away as I aged. I didn’t start exercising regularly until my mid-twenties when I began running every day with a bunch of friends.

By the time I turned thirty, I had taken up cycling seriously with the initial goal of competing in competitive events. As a young person, I had struggled with anxiety and depression, and with age, these issues didn’t disappear. Exercise became a way to alleviate some of my gloom, at least for a while.

Why do I exercise? Because it supports my mental health. Regularly releasing endorphins through exercise is crucial in maintaining my overall well-being. Exercise stemmed my gloom, at least for a period.

A Turning Point

Using mental illness as an excuse is not my style. I own my actions. I struggle to contemplate how things may have turned out without the support of my wife and the natural high and sense of progress I derive from exercise. It’s not an exaggeration to say exercise has been life-changing for me.

Here’s A Piece Of Advice

Here’s a piece of advice. If you suffer from depression or anxiety or any number of mental illnesses, try to add exercise to your life. A walk in nature, a short jog, a visit to the local sports centre gym. Hop on a bike and if you own one, hire a Lime bike for an hour. You will feel better. Before I found a rewarding cycling family, I would set of on rides, my head buzzing. After a while, my thoughts would quiet. Some miles further, calm would wash over me. Physical exertion and the release of endorphins is a powerful medicine. Why do I exercise? Because it’s done me more good than all the antidepressant medicines I have taken and do take.

There’s a longevity benefit too. I’m not interested in living the next twenty years being semi-invalid as lifestyle related conditions overtake me. I want to avoid diabetes, and high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, end obesity and all ailments that go hand in glove with an inactive lifestyle. So I have kept at it. Now I find myself in the top 15% of all athletes in my age group in terms of VO2 max and other key measures. The kid who couldn’t get picked at primary school kept working, while others fell by the wayside. My medical is this week and I know they will tell me to lose five kilograms but will tell me I’m in very good condition. I know that my comeback from two severe accidents has been remarked on by medical professionals as remarkable, and that’s because I’m robust.

Do Something!

The science of exercise being a key element in having a long healthspan is indisputable. I want readers to understand this doesn’t have to be an extreme exercise regime. Studies suggest that taking 8,000 steps daily can lead to a 50-60% reduction in all-cause mortality compared to taking only 2,000 steps per day. Here is a meta-analysis of the science in this area. This reduction is attributed to improved cardiovascular health, better metabolic function, and overall physical fitness associated with higher physical activity levels. Do something. Be in the game. The key to improvement is to do something more intensive than lifting the Netflix remote control.

So Why Do I Exercise?

Exercise has also been a cornerstone of my social life. Loneliness is a growing trend in modern society, and sport brings people together. I’ve been a huge loner for all of my life—it was taught to me as a child—and I’ve enjoyed superb times out on my bike with my adopted family. It’s interesting to see the growth of running clubs in London at present, and community rather than running being the emphasis of these clubs.

Will I Always Exercise?

The answer is yes. Some months ago, I met a spry-looking man on Hampstead Heath who was doing what might be called a brisk power walk with a dumbbell in each hand. We chatted for some minutes, but his demeanour and aura were not those of a man in his early eighties. He was trim and energetic, and exercising allowed him to interact socially. That’s the dream combination – the body and mind deriving the benefit of exercise and the activity delivering social contact. Will I be a version of John in fifteen years? I genuinely hope so.

By exercising, you aren’t just helping yourself. Physical inactivity is costly to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). According to a report by Public Health England, the estimated annual cost to the NHS is approximately £0.9 billion. In addition, as a fit individual, you are much more likely to make a positive contribution to society by, for example, being part of the workforce or volunteering.

If you’re not exercising regularly, you can start modestly. Taking on something too ambitious can be intimidating and, before long, dispiriting. Even 2,000-3,000 extra steps daily will make a big difference to your general health. Once you have established that platform, you can expand your activity in any direction. If you are exercising regularly, congratulations to you; keep going. There is no better medicine for body and mind than exercise. It’s a lifetime pursuit. Keep at it.