The Science Doesn't Lie

What is middle age without a traditional midlife crisis? Thankfully, a professional sports coach is just waiting to batter you into shape. If nothing else, the training will leave you in better physical and emotional shape to deal with your grey hairs.

- David Moseley

IT’S NOT EASY BEING FIT. Once you get there, you have to (or should at least want to) stay there. But first you have to get there.

And sometimes, that can be the biggest hurdle. For men and women of a certain age – say, those who have been out of varsity for more than 15 years, or sitting (or standing, or bouncing on giant gym balls or whatever the trend is these days) behind a desk for 15 years, essentially anyone in those mid-30s doldrums – there’s a longing to be lean, lithe riding machines. 

Doing something about it is a different story, though. 

Time is the eternal deterrent. Time and a lack of focus. Or perhaps time, a lack of focus, and a smidgen of apathy towards raising one’s training intensity. It’s really a combination of factors that even the best-intentioned struggle with.

For me, lack of focus and a lot of apathy about training outside of my comfort zone were the snack-munching monkeys on my back. Then one day I looked in the mirror (and, I should admit, at the scale as well), and decided I wanted to get fit fast – ever hopeful that renewed training vigour would chase away the bag-eyed man before me.

Also, I suppose, with that time-honoured magical number of 40 fast approaching, I wanted to stare the demon down in the best shape possible.

IS THERE A FAST TRACK TO FITNESS?

I’ve dabbled with near-impressive fitness – a solid four-year period in my late 20s and early 30s of almost-but-not-quite sub-90 half marathons being my personal Olympian moment – but somehow, I’ve always managed to fall back into slovenly suburban bliss.