YOU ARE ALL YOU NEED TO STAY HEALTHY

Written by: Gbemisola Ibrahim.

A week after I got back from school due to the current pandemic, my dad called one early morning to wear my track suit and joggers. “Where are we going?” I asked not because I don’t know but I don’t want to go out for ‘training’ I still needed my early morning sleep because its one of the highlights of my day. After much persuassion, I left the house reluctantly. After working out for about an hour, I told my dad “not anymore, I’m not doing again”. Unknowingly to me I was still going to skip about 200 times when we get home. Arg, I was mad. I kept giving my dad the evil eye throughout the whole thing.

I woke the next day in pains. My legs felt like they were not mine anymore. After complaining to my dad, do you know what he said? “Those body pains are expected because your body is not used to that much work. So, my dear,let’s go or you feel twice as much of that pain by tomorrow”. “You have got to be kidding me” I thought. That was how we followed the same routine again! After freshening up, my dad called me and said “Your body is like a car, you don’t have to wait till your brake gets faulty before you service it”.

By God, I felt those words down to my hurting legs. Since then, I made up my mind that I won’t be reminded before getting up to go for my work outs.

To most people, when you tell them you are working out, the first thought is “This babe is getting fat, she wants to lose weight” we fail to see at that moment that there are many reasons why we should exercise. Some of these reasons are:

• To improve our health; Exercising goes a long way to making us feel strong and healthy.
• To keep fit; You are the thinnest person you know but you can’t turnover the chair in your sitting room without panting, that’s not good enough.To maintain a healthy weight; Don’t wait till you gain a lot of weight before you start exercising. Being slim is not an excuse to avoid working out.
• To strengthen the immune system; exercising reduces the risk of getting sick. A lack of physical activity causes approximately 6% of the burden of disease from coronary heart disease, 7% of type 2 diabetes, 10% of breast cancer and 10% of colon cancer worldwide. Overall, physical inactivity causes 9% of premature mortality worldwide. This is not to scare you but I want you to know that you have nothing to lose from exercising regularly.
• It keeps you mentally stable; Going for that early morning walk can help reduce anxiety, depression or fear. It really calm your nerves.
• You feel happy; Since I started exercising, I feel like a new person, I feel refreshed and in control. At times, when I don’t feel like jogging I take a walk which has been helpful in planning my day because I think more and reflects on anything that comes to my mind.

I could go on and on about the importance of regular exercise and we need to take it seriously especially during this pandemic. But the question is “How do you keep up with it?”

The first thing is making up your mind. Take that decision today to exercise regularly ,promise yourself to be fully involved in your growth, don’t just whisper to your mind that you want to stay healthy bring your words into existence, Act healthy!
Now,you have made up your mind to act healthy.

What to do next? Set reminders! This could be in any form. You can decide to set an alarm on your phone, put your trekkers beside your bed, have a small sticker on your door. Just do something that gingers you to make a date with your fine body by exercising. You have nothing to lose! If anything, you only look finer and younger!
Sighs, setting a reminder could actually be a waste of time to some of us. Again, what to do? Instead of engaging in that how fast you can eat a cake challenge, why don’t you start a workout challenge? You have nothing to be ashamed of, make that thriller video!
Welps some of us are not into all these social media wahala.

My dear, inspire others to join you! Call your sister the next time you are going for a workout. Having a companion can really boost your commitment level. You don’t want to disappoint yourself or your companion, do you?
To make things easier for you, set a goal. Make a plan. How many hours do you intend to exercise daily? What type of exercise do you plan on doing? Which form of exercise suit your health conditions best(if you have any)? What kind of sports are you interested in? These are questions you need to ask yourself. Don’t make keeping fit a tiring and hectic affair. Engage in activities you like best! For me now, skipping feels like a form of punishment but I will happily jog with my music blasting in the air.

At first, exercising can really be a pain in the ass but as we all know. Nothing good comes easy. You have to stay committed, make it a fun filled habit, and keep pushing until it becomes a part of you. Don’t let that bed deceive you, that movie shouldn’t tempt you. You can always come back to do these stuffs but a time wasted can never be retained. And as for those that are lagging behind or decided to stop completely, its not too late to be an ambassador of an healthy body, a thankful heart and a sharp mind.

You are all you need to Stay healthy! No pain, No gain.