Fitness is not something that most miners worry about. They spend a lot of their time either doing manual labour, or at least running around an office trying to get things done.
The last thing we usually want to do is go to the gym.
Though we’re active folks, we aren’t always perfect specimens of health. A lot of us have issues — thanks to processed foods and lack of time and energy — with diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.
Things have to change, that’s for sure.
Luckily I spoke to some folks from Inspired Life, a gym (if you could call it that, as it’s so much more) in Kalgoorlie. Their place is insane: it has everything you could ever want in a health and wellness centre, from yoga classes to steam rooms.
Getting fit, they said, is just about getting through the door. Even those people who work out five days a week for years on end have plenty of times when they would rather do anything else than exercise. They work, like the rest of us, and just want to come home to a glass of wine and a film.
The trick is to just go without thinking about it. Make exercise such a part of your life that it becomes almost automatic. You would feel strange, even out of place, if you didn’t hit the gym on the way home like you always do.
It doesn’t really matter what you do. Yoga, footy, CrossFit. As long as you make it a regular habit. Hell, even if you are going for neighbourhood walks with your friends — any of it is preferable to letting your health get away from you and having to deal with insurmountable issues.
Regular exercise is crucial when it comes to mental health, something that needs a lot of attention in our industry. Without moving our bodies we start to feel sluggish, lethargic and down on life.
Group classes will help you get over the awkwardness of starting out at the gym when it’s been a while since you last worked out. There’s guaranteed to be people like you who are dusting off the old trainers and getting active. Plus, it’s harder to quit when there are your regular workout friends who will know when you haven’t shown up.
A great trick is to find a regular exercise buddy, someone who also wants to make a change and start their fitness journey. Go for a walk together, then progress to a light job. Before you know it, you’ll be lifting hundreds of kilos while everyone else at the gym looks on in envy.
The most important thing is to just get out there and start getting healthy.
Check out the video of my chat with the team at Inspired Life Kalgoorlie
And listen to my entire conversation with the team here.
