Exercise through my life.
Nick, 63, Lewes, UK

This Curious Life has the privilege of chatting with Nick, whose journey towards fitness and longevity serves as an inspiration to us all. Nick embarked on his path to wellness in 2014, at the age of 53, following a diagnosis of diabetes, gout, and depression. Despite facing significant health challenges, Nick refused to be deterred. Over the course of a decade, he shed three stone, became a certified personal trainer, and embraced the disciplines of running and triathlon. Not only has he regained his physical fitness, but he has also found profound happiness along the way.

TCL. What exercise do you do now? How does it make you feel? Has it changed as you have got older? 

Nick. My main exercises are running and Hiit training. In the summer I incorporate swimming, cycling and triathlon. I nearly always feel substantially better after exercising, particularly running which gives the largest endorphin hit! Over the years my exercise choices have varied – I used to play a lot of tennis – and the intensity has varied.

TCL. What makes it tough to exercise regularly, even when you know it’s good for you? 

Nick. Luckily my job as a PT means that I have very few reasons for not exercising – though it can sometimes make it slightly difficult for me to follow a specific personal schedule. As I prefer to train outside bad weather can be a good excuse!

“More could be done to encourage everyone to do a little more.”

TCL. What could your government, local community or where you live do to help you exercise more? 

Nick. Could the government and local community help more? YES! The government should be funding the NHS to provide exercise classes and counselling services to keep people off medication. I’m part of a fairly active local community, but more could be done to encourage everyone to do a little more.

TCL. How do you know what’s good advice for staying healthy? Who do you trust? 

Nick. I tend to trust information from the NHS and there are many trustworthy apps available. Nutritionally, I’m wary of processed ‘health’ food products sold by supermarkets preferring whole foods.

Nick with some of his long distance clients

TCL. Do gadgets like phones or watches help you exercise, or do they make it harder? 

Nick. I find a step tracker/smart watch to be a great asset. Apps on the smartphone are also useful, however this comes with the added distraction of the doom scrolling option 😅 So, as with most things, self-control is required to get the most benefit from technology.

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