I am tall, slim and apparently look healthy. I attribute this to the fact that I had a mental illness that stopped me drinking alcohol for over two years. I then set about drinking lots of water and eating plenty of fruit hoping I would heal myself. I didn’t, but it possibly resulted in the ‘I look healthy complements.’

Looking healthy and feeling healthy are two very different things. You can appear slim and fit but still have a terrible cardiovascular level of fitness, and that is what counts.  While I was, and am, off work ill, I have become apathetic and found it near impossible to get to a gym or even dust of those trainers but eventually I succumbed and found a nice pair of trainers from a local charity shop.

I had specifically chosen a route that was more a meander than a run and is not too close to the public eye, in case I stop to huff and puff, then I would not feel too embarrassed as people passed me by. I am shocked by how unfit I have become over the years and the fact that I am even unable to run consistently, even slowly, for one mile, is shocking, but I am heartened by the countless news-paper articles about super healthy octogenarians all pumping weights at the gym and running marathons at the weekends.

It’s easy to fall into apathy and hard to get out of it. The warning signs are:

1. No energy to do much beyond the daily chores of getting up, cooking for yourself, mild-shopping and going to the shops.
2. Negative thinking along the lines of I can’t do this, I can’t do that, resulting in a lack of clear goals.
3. Isolating yourself from people and not building bridges in any way. This is easy to do in our online world but some daily communication is a must.
4. Career goals are diminished and you can’t see past tomorrow. Blindly applying for jobs without thinking clearly about what you want.

So the first fight back is to get those running shoes on and go for a run and see how you feel afterwards. Try drinking more water each day to make you feel healthier. Get some fruit inside you and keep those goals alive.