34 kilograms got in the way of a better connection with my son and now is the time to enjoy healthy leisure and fun outdoors playtime during the upcoming holiday season.

What will inspire YOU to make a change?

Over the last few weeks I have shared my transformational personal journey that I have taken during this year.

Last week we ran our final leadership forum for the year, where I unveiled our new program – Creating Healthier Workplaces, an integrated health and well-being program combining the psychological aspects as well as the physical aspects of making health changes.

As we head towards the holiday season, I thought I would share with you an insight into a major change I have experienced which cannot be accounted for by a waist measurement, weighing scales or the time to complete a run.

Too often in life, we can default to accepting the mediocre and end up living a life of limited and partial enjoyment. Most likely this is because we forget the fundamental benefits of an integrated commitment to our long term health and well being practices.

This pattern, of limited focus on personal health routines, coupled with our negative capacity to psychologically minimise, justify and rationalise away any slackness or poor decision making; simply habituates us to our less than optimal stateof well-being.

We justify it thus…

It’s just because I am busy at work and getting closer to fifty that I have put on all this extra weight and one day.......in the never, never land of some mythical, fanciful retirement future......., I will then finally be able to work less and enjoy more relaxing leisure time.

My anecdotal story below is a small personal example of the bounty that unfolds when we give ourselves permission to make health and well-being a priority in our lives - NOW !

My 20 year old son recently moved back into the family home to relax on his holiday break for a couple of weeks, after a big year of living out of town & ( allegedly ) studying hard as a full-time university student.

To my delight he has stayed reasonably healthy while living on campus and playing lots of college sports throughout the year, in between a few social drinks no doubt.

He has always been a much better surfer than I, and as a born and bred Gold Coast boy, a big priority on his holidays has been to catch up on a few waves. Luckily for me, I get invited to come along for a paddle as well sometimes, and here is where the tale of our recent beach trip early last weekend morning gets really interesting...

Thanks to my transformational health & wellness journey throughout 2013, I am now 34kgs lighter than I was in January.

In the past, with that much extra bulk pushing down on my mini-mal board I would have typically been pounded in the break, paddled desperately hard like a panting dog struggling to get through the break and maybe eventually staggered out the back in an exhausted state to rattily catch two or three rides before I was spent!

However what a magnificent difference this time, pacing smoothly with my athletic son and flying effortlessly out the back together. Next, powerful full strokes with easy breathing as I paddle joyfully onto wave after wave after wave and almost no fatigue!

Just pure fun that had been missing for me for far too long!

Remembering my out of shape body and limited strength, coupled with easily losing vitality and quickly fatigued - from back in January - I laughed about how after even catching one wave in to shore back then, would have resulted in: an out of breath; poor recovery struggle as I got washing machine pounded back in the dump zone like a big, fat, floundering fish.

My point is that my hard work of the past 11 months to get fit, lean and healthy again was fully repaid in just that one joyful shared experience last weekend of surfing effortlessly for an extended time in a graceful, relaxed fun activity with my son.

Whatever health and wellness goals you are currently working on, may I respectfully encourage you to focus on the benefits, pleasure and delight you will experience as you become, fitter and stronger and playfully step up into more and more fun outdoor healthier activities....this makes the journey so rewarding, satisfying and worthwhile... just keep going and enjoy the rewards !

What will inspire you to make a change?

I’d love to hear you comments, and what precious activity you would like to claim back, please feel free to share with us in the comments.