How did Pierre get started?
Pierre was 55 years old when he decided to put physical activity
back in his life.
Just like all of us, he was very busy, had too little time for himself,
had no energy and little motivation. He had been into sports
when he was young, but his life had become too complicated for
organized activities...and anyway there was no time. He didn’t
have enough money to invest in a health club either. He knew
that he needed to exercise – his doctor had told him so on many
occasions – but he just didn’t get around to doing it.
Jot down some ideas on how
you can take your first steps:
One day, he was talking to a friend who told him that a mutual
acquaintance had just died of a heart attack at 56. That’s me,
thought Pierre, I’ll be next. That day, he decided he had better
do something. But what? Here’s what he did.
He went to his doctor for a check-up and asked him if he could
help him get started. This was Pierre’s first step. The doctor asked
him what he wanted to do. Pierre laughed and said, “Nothing
Doc, but I think I’d better do something!” The doctor gave
him a brochure from the Heart and Stroke Foundation and
the Handbook for Canada’s Physical Activity Guide to Healthy
Active Living to get him on the right track.
Pierre went home and discovered that he could
build activity into his daily life at work, at home,
on the way, and he didn’t have to join something.
He put a simple plan together that he could fit
into his day and posted it on the fridge.
It simply read:
Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
I’m going to walk to the bus every day–
that’s 10 minutes. Next week I might decide
to do more.
Every step that Pierre took was progress. He
thought about it, asked for advice, read information and
reminded himself to try. After one month he walked 10 minutes
most days of the week.
Now Pierre does 60 minutes of physical activity most days and,
not only that, his family is more active too, because they keep
reading his fridge notes!
Pierre was 55 years old when he decided to put physical activity
back in his life.
Just like all of us, he was very busy, had too little time for himself,
had no energy and little motivation. He had been into sports
when he was young, but his life had become too complicated for
organized activities...and anyway there was no time. He didn’t
have enough money to invest in a health club either. He knew
that he needed to exercise – his doctor had told him so on many
occasions – but he just didn’t get around to doing it.
Jot down some ideas on how
you can take your first steps:
One day, he was talking to a friend who told him that a mutual
acquaintance had just died of a heart attack at 56. That’s me,
thought Pierre, I’ll be next. That day, he decided he had better
do something. But what? Here’s what he did.
He went to his doctor for a check-up and asked him if he could
help him get started. This was Pierre’s first step. The doctor asked
him what he wanted to do. Pierre laughed and said, “Nothing
Doc, but I think I’d better do something!” The doctor gave
him a brochure from the Heart and Stroke Foundation and
the Handbook for Canada’s Physical Activity Guide to Healthy
Active Living to get him on the right track.
Pierre went home and discovered that he could
build activity into his daily life at work, at home,
on the way, and he didn’t have to join something.
He put a simple plan together that he could fit
into his day and posted it on the fridge.
It simply read:
Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
I’m going to walk to the bus every day–
that’s 10 minutes. Next week I might decide
to do more.
Every step that Pierre took was progress. He
thought about it, asked for advice, read information and
reminded himself to try. After one month he walked 10 minutes
most days of the week.
Now Pierre does 60 minutes of physical activity most days and,
not only that, his family is more active too, because they keep
reading his fridge notes!
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