On the Friday of the recent Bank Holiday Weekend I managed to walk a mere 3,170 steps, which is pretty abysmal as my step count is usually – but not always – in excess of 10,000. The reason for this was a 7 hour car journey on our atrocious motorway system so that we could spend the weekend with our son in Wales. After spending an interminable amount of time on the M25 and then the M4 car park, we eventually crossed the Severn and paid for the privilege of entering this beautiful part of the British Isles. When we finally arrived at our son’s house, tired and fed up, we were greeted by a warm hug and a highly nutritious meal prepared by our son’s own fair hands.

You may think I sound surprised about that and, by now, I shouldn’t be but this is the child (child? I should mention he is 29 now) who did absolutely no exercise – he used to drive to work which was less than a ten minute walk away from our house – and lived on garbage (well, not actual garbage but you know what I mean, burgers, fries, kebabs, pizza). He now has a gym membership that he actually uses, cycles to work most days and eats far better than I do, rarely touching processed or fast food. I must make him sound like a saint but he is far from that. The ‘garbage’ is still in his life but this is now a rare occurrence rather than the daily norm. He’s not a gym bore either but does try to ensure his activity levels are maintained every day and, as he doesn’t own a car, he has to walk or cycle pretty much everywhere.

It should come as no great shock that there are proven links between nutrition and exercise as lack of energy in your diet will leave you feeling weak, tired and unable (or unwilling) to get out and move more. My son is lucky enough to live on a street that has a great fruit and veg shop on the corner where supplies are plentiful and cheap (I wish I had one at the end of my road so I could buy fresh fruit and veg every day…….5 avocados for 50p anyone?). So, Saturday began with a tasty, nutritious and filling fresh juice drink that set me up for a busy day in Cardiff.

After a brief trip (on foot, of course) into the city centre, we headed for Bute Park, a lovely open and beautiful green space on the edge of the city centre. It was lovely to see so many people out and about, walking their dogs, riding bikes, jogging and generally just being outside in the fresh air. The Park hosts not only a cycle trail but also an active trail; at regular intervals along the trail there are exercise bars and instructions on how to use them. I thought this was a great idea as it gave people an opportunity (free of charge) to be more active. For my part, the step count for the day exceeded 22,000 but oh how I regret not packing my trainers!

My reason for telling you all this is because my son is the inspiration for my desire to get fitter and healthier. He has transformed his life from one that saw him happy to sit around indoors, playing computer games for hours on end and living on unhealthy, fatty foods to one that gets him outside, moving his body and eating fresh home cooked food. If he can always find the time to cook, then so can I. And if he can run 5km, then there is hope for me.

I bought a huge bagful of fruit to take home with me that I intended to prepare and freeze (I did actually do that, by the way) and left with a newfound determination to try and cook from scratch – or at least heat up something I had prepared earlier, in true Blue Peter style – rather than get a takeaway. My son and I compare notes on gym sessions and running through the ‘I can’t do this’ barrier and he often gives me recipes for meals. I think he is lucky to live somewhere that has so many opportunities to get outside and the beautiful Welsh hills are a stone’s throw away. But there are no excuses for me to not get outside as well; the coast and open countryside are both easily accessible from where I live and possibly the reason I was running along the seafront at 05:15 this morning………….

If you need some inspiration to get more active and/or eat better then look around you and I am sure you will find somebody to give you that. The internet can be a very useful tool for any number of recipes and exercise videos. If you are new to exercise (and work or study at CCCU) then you might want to consider heading down to the CCCU Sports Centre (www.canterbury.ac.uk/sports-centre). The staff there are very friendly and supportive and you will find the encouragement you need to set you on your path to being more active. Memberships are an absolute steal and there are no awkward contracts. In fact, the only contract you need to worry about is the one you make with yourself to get up, get out and move more. So, find your inspiration if you need to and look forward to the rest of your life.

Ceri Spain
Statutory Returns Officer
Planning Office