Given that I was healing from a terminal illness, I was prepared to do any work and embraced it with an open mind. It has included psychotherapy, counselling, healing circles, shadow work, men only work, personal development, shamanic healing sessions, energy healing, breath work, different forms of meditation, yoga, special forces training with Ant Middleton and so much more. The result of all this, is that it has helped me remember how to feel fully. Those emotions that I locked away deep inside that at times lead me to drink too much, take drugs and do things I am not proud of. For some, I know psychological healing can be very painful, challenging and take time. That said, once you work through it, the rewards are can last forever. If you are struggling, find someone you can trust and speak to them, go and see your doctor, speak up and reach out to an organisation like mind.org.uk I hope sharing this part of my story will plant and seed for others to follow. There is light on the other side, shining bright!
Step 3. Functional Fitness To be fit and healthy daily exercise is essential even if it is just a 20-minute walk. The second highest cause for sickness and absenteeism at work after minor illnesses is musculoskeletal issues. This can be caused by the lack of movement and sitting at a desk all day. My personal vision for my body, which was inspired even more when I completed my first fell run last month (Pipe Dream), is to be ‘Healthy at 100’. At the event I was being overtaken by men and women well over 60. They were super fit and an absolute inspiration. It is a great time to be alive, we live in one of the most abundant times in human history and health is available to most of us. There are some cases which are out of our control I know, but in the majority it is possible and I am walking evidence. As leaders within business and organisations, it is our responsibility to lead through inspiration and be role models for future generations. Physical and mental health should not be reactive, it should be proactive. Self-care will replace health care in the coming years and it is never too late!
Step 2. Fabulous Food Most would think that to get fit, lose unwanted weight you would have to go to the gym three to five times a week. In reality, most weight is lost outside of the gym. My principle when it comes to food is to eat food that is natural, whole and minimally processed. At a health event I was speaking at in Monaco last year, I got the opportunity to meet the beautiful Jasmin Helmsley who wrote East to West and she said: “It’s not what we eat, it is how we feel when we eat it.” This was so important to me because there is so much conflict between different nutrition movements that sometimes I was eating something that was perfectly healthy, but the way I felt about the food was bad. The comment she made was a gamechanger for the way I felt about food having been rigid on a raw vegan lifestyle for two years to that point.
In January 2020, myself and the team at Fast Way to Fitness were challenged with creating a health community within an organisation, delivering solutions around the three steps I talked about in this article. The initial pilot has been a huge success and we are looking to work with other organisations and companies to bring health to their employees. Most employees spend a third of their lives at work – so lets take health seriously and support to them.n
MARK BRYANT If you would like to discuss individual health or a corporate health programme, please feel free to pop down to Fast Way to Fitness for a chat and a drink, or drop me a personal email on mark@ fastwaytofitness.co.uk
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