Jake Bailey Make your fitness wish come true

First reluctant step you take towards gym will be hardest by far and it’s only going to get easier from there

Conversations about living a healthy lifestyle tend to do a great job of getting people to either switch off, or sit up and listen eagerly. It seems to divide people — either you love it, you wish you loved it, or you will happily roll your eyes at people in activewear.

Reps, sets, protein shakers, macros, HR, PBs, 1RMs are either an important part of your life, an aspect of what makes you up as a person, or it’s “a waste of time”. Maybe once a year, for your New Year’s resolution, you might dip your toes into that world of “the others”, and be scared off by large muscular men grunting and looking at themselves in the mirror while lifting weights. Fair enough, too.

Until recently I’d always been in the “wish I loved it” category. I’d certainly never been in the “loved it” category, but I didn’t dismiss it either.

I wasn’t afraid to admit that I was somehow not as complete as the more well-rounded people I saw around me, who ate mostly healthy and worked out a few days a week. In fact, I would have loved to be more like that, but for some reason I chose not to — I spent time wishing that I loved it instead.

I think I was actually in another category, which I’ve since found to be far more common — the “wish I could” category. There’s always a reason to not start out, and to be fair, it is an intimidating thing to start if you’re not sure what a supine reverse fly is. But recently, with some cajoling, I realised there was no reason not to switch to the “starting out” category. So I gave it a crack, going to the gym six times a week.

I learned that no one, regardless of size, strength or anything, should be embarrassed to start out, because by doing so you’re one step ahead of where you were. You’re a slightly better version of yourself, just for putting in some effort. You aren’t judged, because you’re making an effort.

My health is something I hold pretty dear, post-cancer. It’s great motivation for me to take better care of myself. However, that shouldn’t be a reason for just me, but for everyone. New Zealand has the third-highest obesity rate in the world, not a title that sits proudly alongside the Rugby World Cup and America’s Cup.

On a more global scale, studies suggest my generation will die younger than our parents, because of the rates of obesity and health issues linked to this. It’s the first time in hundreds of years that life expectancy will fall between generations, which must be incredibly frustrating for the doctors, scientists, engineers, and anyone at all who has a part to play in saving lives and getting us to this point, whose hard work is being reversed.

So if you’re sitting where I was in the “wish I could” category, consider this your call to action. Give it a crack. Health and happiness are probably the two most important things in your world, and 30 minutes’ exercise a day has been proven to help with both, so why not? It’ll get easier the longer you do it. The first time you go to the gym will be the biggest milestone by far. It does become addictive as well.

It takes some time, but once you’re at that stage, it’s a breeze. There are no excuses, you can make time for 30 minutes of exercise every day, and once a routine is established, you’ll naturally follow that.

It’s also so much easier than I imagined. It doesn’t have to be scary. You don’t have to start with a massive gym program. You don’t even have to start at a gym. Google bodyweight fitness and read about it. Park the car at the far end of the car park and walk.

Start by doing a bare minimum, something that will be sustainable and not make you hate it so much you swear off exercise forever. A half- hearted workout is better than none.

Aside from all the health benefits, the feeling of satisfaction from having achieved something is enough to make it worth it. And then you can be one of those activewear-clad people that you roll your eyes at but secretly admire.

It’s much more within reach than it feels.