JEAN PHILIP DE TENDER

I’m not a sports person. At school I would be the last to be picked  by the captain on either side of the football team. And I didn’t care. Sports was just not my thing. 

But things have changed. Not sure when, but at some time (turning 45?) I realised that I had to take better care of my body, in the same way as I’m taking care of my brain. Before 30 your body just copes with everything; at 40 it starts to show signs of collapse. When I took a leading management position at 37 I saw my body absorbing the calories. Often you neglect, as you think this is only temporarily.  Not so! Some may cope better but for none of us this is healthy.

So ever since I turned 45 I look at my body and brains as a temple and I try to treat them as such. It’s a learning curve, but I’m getting better and even more and more obsessed about it, now the clock ticks.

I now not only do sports, but I also enjoy it. You could sayI became slightly addicted. A few days not sporting, or not being active worries me.

This is my health regime:

• I try to do at least 10.000 steps per day. That means getting from home to the office and around on foot. Or checking out every corner of an airport, as long as I don’t indulge in the airport lounge too much.
• I consult with the Apple Fitness app. It provides me additional data, and wherever I am there is some training on offer (core, strength, meditation, ….) No excuse to say I had no options.
• I’m lucky to have Pedro as a personal trainer at Paul Tucker, who connects the dots.
• For the last two decades, I have been eating healthy. Processed food is rarely on my plate.
• I have reduced (social) drinking considerably and am exploring a whole new world of non-alcoholic drinks. Most beers are OK, wine is horrible, … exploring the rest.
• And … I’m reading to improve my academic knowledge.

And that’s where ‘Outlive’ by Peter Attia comes in. The book is a bestseller and on the shelves everywhere across the globe. Although it’s not an easy read, sometimes too academic, it gives you a really good gest of the levers one can influence to prolonge your stay here on earth. Exercise, food, sleep, emotional stability, … they all contribute to the ultimate goal of living a healthier life.

Two more final observations:

• None of this works, until you are supported by your partner, family or friends. I’m glad I have all the support it takes.
• Don’t become obsessed. I’m writing this on a flight from Frankfurt to San Francisco with a cheese platter and a glass of port wine.