Health & Fitness No. 1 - How to Keep Fit After 40

To be healthy, don't die. Seems obvious enough yet some of us take actions every day that produces that result. I'm not talking about jumping out of a plane, I mean the boring stuff, good food and regular exercise.  I don't preach about abstinence, God know's I have had my fair share of unhealthy, yet very enjoyable things. But now I am a dad, I think about my future and that of my kids and I want to be healthy and vital for my two boys and hopefully their kids. That means taking care of myself and now a big part of my life, is dedicated to my health and fitness.

So my stats...I'm 43, height 172cm, 78kg, never smoked (well hardly ever), drink regularly, eat everything, exercise three to four times a week for 20 minutes at a time. Here is a recent selfie of me at the gym for context.

Apologies for those not use to seeing me like this! However I feel it is important to share honestly how I got to be what I call 'fit at 40', because I see so many people give up.  I truly believe it is your choice! You can be fit at any age and to get there it isn't about food and sport - it's actually about values.

Your values in the context of what's really important to you. This is reflected in how you spend your time, your money and what you prioritise. There is no right or wrong values, they just are so don't fight them, use them to your advantage.  The seven common values I discuss with clients are: family, friends, money, business, spirituality, health and learning. So where is health on your list*? For some of you it will be towards the bottom because you don't dedicate time, money and attention to it. 

Now for the good news! You can make health important by linking it to your top order values. How does your health support what is important for you? For example my drive to be healthy comes from my top values of: kids, business, relationships, self pride, lifestyle even financial. If I am not fit and healthy I am not giving my boys the best dad they can have. They learn from me and what I do, not what I tell them to do. They see me swim, run and be fit, therefore they replicate. In business, people respect and are attracted to my brand as I have vitality, plus I need energy to work long hours. To attract a partner who is attractive and vital I need to be the same and finally it saves me money on Doctors and medication!

Some might say it's easy for me, but I wasn't always healthy. I love eating junk food when I was a kid and lacked knowledge of nutrition and how to manage my body. In fact my nickname in school was 'Tubby', thanks Mick! It was only when I became more empowered and knowledgeable about my body that I learned that I was in control and could look and feel how I wanted. So I changed it. I will share what I do and how I can help you to be the same. The power is yours to be who you want to be, take it slow and start now.

* To assist on determining your values see Dr John Demartini's free Value Assessment  here.

 


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Andrew Ford

Marketing expert Andrew Ford, the founder of Social Star, has discovered the secret of ‘Powerful Branding’. With a fire for unleashing people’s inner brand and developing business models to generate profit from an individual’s passions, Andrew leverages ground-breaking digital and social media marketing techniques to create digital strategies for clients to attract maximum opportunities. Having established a strong name for himself in the field, Andrew blends traditional business techniques with now-necessary tools for entrepreneurs to achieve scale, quality, and influence in their niche. Andrew’s comprehensive business background and qualifications consist of a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) (RMIT 2003), a Graduate Certificate in Management (MBA Executive Program, University of Sydney 2005), and a Masters of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Swinburne University 2011). Continually on the cutting edge of his own education, Andrew has tested his marketing theories in forums such as the BCG Business Strategy Competition, which he won in 2005 against all Victorian MBA schools, and the Venture Cup Business Plan Competition (Swinburne University 2003), which he won in the Masters category. With experience working at Hewlett-Packard, Sensis (Telstra) and IBM, Andrew also has mentored dozens of junior staffs to help them achieve their professional goals. Meeting and influencing high-profile public figures helped Andrew to realise just how many professionals require more understanding and control of their public brands or appearance, and need help with the skills to use the many amazing free tools at their disposal to generate success. At Social Star, Andrew consults with clients to uncover their personal brand – both where it is today and where it can be tomorrow – and refine and define how that should be displayed in social media in order to attract their perfect target audience. Andrew mentors his clients to rapidly grow their business’ audiences, resulting in larger potential client bases and higher revenue. Applying formulas that integrate over twenty years of Andrew’s business experience and fifteen years of formal business education, Social Star specialises in building clarity and velocity for clients’ brands using the ‘Understand, Build and Leverage’ methodology. ‘Having a Personal Business enables people to have an authentic, congruent connection with their valued clients and partners, using their brand as the bridge,’ says Andrew. ‘I’m highly driven to work with the new breed of entrepreneurs and small business owners – people who have a passion for making the world a better place. Traditional business models are stepping aside as people follow their innermost dreams and my role is to see them operate within their values while creating wealth. Some people think you have to sacrifice what you love to be successful in your business, yet it is actually the opposite. Follow your passion and success will come.’ Lecturing at Swinburne University from 2009 to 2011 on brand dynamics and digital marketing, presenting at numerous conferences, and consulting to hundreds of clients, Andrew has seen his philosophy work that if you follow your unique path, based on your skills, experience, values and goals, you will automatically attract the opportunities you desire and achieve the success you deserve. Living his mantra, Andrew has created a successful business and attracts high-profile clients including musicians, athletes, authors, models, entrepreneurs, professionals and small business owners, helping them find their ‘why’ in their business and fulfilment in their lives. Business for Andrew is more than work, it’s personal. Running a personal business means that he is able to fulfil all of his values rather than separating his life from work. It supports his two boys while providing social opportunities, educational development, fitness opportunities, spiritual fulfilment and many valuable friendships. Social Star has now become the vehicle for Andrew to crystallise his mission in the world, to help people love what they do, supporting his ‘why’, that if more people loved what they did, the world would be a better place.