What's next? Maintaining your healthy lifestyle

WHETHER it took you a year or maybe a few to achieve your desired weight, there comes a point where you might start pondering the question, "now what?"

You've crossed your finish line and can carry yourself proudly as you walk through life. But even as a person stands on the peak of Mt Everest, when they look up they can see the sky is still much higher. As man sends rockets into space, there is still plenty of the unknown left to explore.

What does the vastness of space have got to do with healthy living?

True that genetics play a major role in determining how our bodies grow and the sort of builds we end up with, the road to healthy living doesn't necessarily stop when your initial goals are reached. There's much more out there, especially those who develop a deeper interest in either exercise or nutrition.

If you've already obtained the ideal weight, body shape or even bicep size, it would only be natural to want to maintain it. By then you would've understood what you need to do to keep yourself in shape and more importantly, your nutritional needs. And that knowledge is crucial in not allowing yourself to slip.

By then, you should also realise why they call it a "healthy lifestyle" and not a "healthy season" because from what you eat to the amount of exercise you do, everything needs to be made a comfortable part of your life and not simply a quick fix.

Men, particularly would be more interested in bulking up to the ideal of their idols. Who can blame them? With impressive builds like that of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Chris Hemsworth who plays "Thor", it only fuels many to aspire to look like them.

But one of the easiest things to do after realising that you're reached your mark is to continue spreading the message of good health to others. Avoid being the guy who can't stop talking about exercise regimes and food you have completely sworn off. You can still be a positive role model to others who have yet to achieve their goals.

I've seen people who come from being gym members to inspirational familiar faces and all the way to part-time class instructors. That's another route that one can take especially if you are done with being a follower and wanting to look into being a leader.

It's definitely not for everybody because standing in front of a crowd to do your thing and motivating others isn't easy. But at the same time, those skills which go beyond knowing correct form can greatly add onto your existing character. People who are normally backstage can take the spotlight very much like how Clark Kent transforms into Superman or Bruce Wayne to Batman.

So the next time you look at yourself in the mirror doing your dumbell curls, counting silently under your breath, wonder why you're in the gym. Is it merely to get fitter and stronger for yourself or could you picture yourself sharing your knowledge with the rest of the world?

"The sky's the limit" the old saying goes but these days, we know that the sky is only the beginning. Now what? Now what are you waiting for?

The views expressed by the author are his own and do not reflect the views of The Brunei Times.

The Brunei Times