What or who has inspired you recently? 

Has anything? 

In any sphere of your life?

What? Not even a little bit?

I know this newsletter is about health and fitness, but inspiration can come from anywhere and apply to any part of life. And it can often be a sneaky little whatname and come out of nowhere, smash headlong into you, and then disappear leaving you thinking “Wow! What was that? Have I just been tangoed?” (If you are too young to remember those adverts from the 1990s, use a search engine!).

Inspiration, like motivation (two very different things apparently – perhaps a subject for another newsletter in the future?), is often fleeting and can hit you hard, leave you thinking how cool it would be if you could do X or Y or Z, and how great it would be for you to actually do at least one of those things. And that’s the trouble with inspiration.

It is fleeting. If you fail to act on that spontaneous and intangible force that has just sidled up to you and smacked you hard around the chops, it will shrug its shoulders and wander off to find a more willing collaborator (no… not victim!).

Often we see something when we are scrolling through social media or watching TV or reading or doing something completely different to what that inspirational force was about, but that doesn’t mean you have to act on it straight away. Merely acknowledging it will keep it hanging around for a little while. And that time will allow you to act on whatever it was that inspired you.

I’ve said it before in previous editions of this newsletter, that I am often inspired by stories and reels on IG – that’s Instagram for those not in the know (Get me! Down with the kids eh?) – of guys and girls in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond performing great physical acts, like lifting heavy weights, performing calisthenics or running marathons. And lots of these folks only took up their particular hobby once they hit a milestone birthday. Why does life have to slow down when you hit a certain number?

Your body is awesome. It will adapt and keep on adapting if you continually ask it to do things. And that includes getting stronger, fitter, leaner and healthier; no matter what age you start. And that famous English nineteenth century author, Mary Ann Eves, otherwise known as George Eliot, seemed to know that with her quote at the top of this missive (well… maybe she wasn’t talking about health and fitness, but hey? Why not apply her common sense to this subject?)

So, going back to the earlier question, have you been inspired by anyone or anything recently?

If you have been inspired to be stronger, fitter, leaner and healthier but are not sure how to go about it, get in touch with me. I would love to help you act on that inspiration. Go on! Click this link!