Celebrating International Men’s Day - Why Exercise is Important to the Men at PACE Health Management
Tuesday 19th November marks International Men’s Day, a chance to celebrate the roles of men in our lives and the wider communities. The theme for this years campaign is about raising awareness of men’s well-being and creating positive role models.
So we thought - what better way to create positive role models than to highlight the men in our practice and how they integrate physical activity into their daily lives.
What Exercise means to the Men at PACE Health Management
Ben Southam: Exercise enables me to find balance in my life. Mentally, it allows me to decompress, manage stress/anxiety and helps me to refocus on what is important. Physically, I love accomplishing goals along the way, whether this be metric (such as running speed or lifting capacity) or simply being able to adhere to an exercise regime during busy periods of my life. Without exercise - I would be a very different person.
Ash Gardner: I’ve been a regular exercise devotee for all of my days. But if you were to ask me who I am - I am a surfer. Surfing connects me to my environment, myself and others - it brings gratitude and that too me brings contentment. And all the exercise I do is based around enjoying the surf as much as I can when I am in the water. Exercise is like meditation for my mind and body.
I’m grateful that the more I do for my body the more it can do for me. In our profession we work alongside people who aren’t as fortunate as we are to have bodies that do what they ask them too, respond as they would like them too or are lucky enough for exercise to be something they ‘want’ to do. I saw a sign once at an elite sporting organisation that said ‘It’s easier to stay fit than to get fit.’ Exercise is tough if you are coming back from and injury or just getting back into it. But it is worth persevering because it becomes self-fulfilling.
Patrick Dossor: Exercise for me is something that is very powerful for me. It's something that I do just for me. I've made it a priority for my and I invest my time and money into it as I value it so highly. Exercise gives me a lot of focus, drive and enjoyment. It's something that I will continue for a long time coming. The type of exercise I enjoy the most is lifting weights, because of this I have taken up powerlifting. I have enjoyed the process of competing that much that I have become a powerlifting coach at my second job. I would classify myself as a novice competitor as I have only done one competition thus far (second one coming shortly) and it’s something that I have a lot of passion for.
This is one of the only things I enjoy setting long term goals for and short term goals for. I love achieving new personal bests and I love looking back from where I have come from. Continually reaching new personal bests, whatever these personal bests may be, boosts my mood, fuels my passion and gives me that mental clarity that helps me stay focused in my daily life. I believe in having the motto 'Proud, but never satisfied', this rings true for my powerlifting. I am proud as at what i've been able to accomplish but I strive for more each session. It’s something that I'll be continually be proud of, even with the highs and lows of it all. It keeps me coming back and wanting more.
Sam Thomas: Exercise is an integral part of my life. I see exercise as a necessity rather than a chore. Without it I feel sluggish, I find it difficult to concentrate and feel like just an overall worse human. It’s easy to take for granted good health and pain free living. Through my own experience with injuries and having sport and activities I love doing taken away from me, exercise has been a tool that’s helped me return to the things I love and given me the skills to help others in similar situations get back to what they love.
Mark Simpson: it's my favourite way to get a win on the board. Little wins build momentum, and I find a day that includes exercise always is more productive at work and more enjoyable in home life. Good choices lead to other good choices, and I love the flow on effect that one good day has into the next. Having exercise as the catalyst for this is a not only a useful tool, but also an enjoyable challenge, which yields results significantly greater than the initial challenge.
Dan Iacuone: Exercise to me is a necessity in my life. I feel without the inclusion of exercise, I am negatively affected with my cognition, mood, sleep and my mental health. Exercise has been a main continuous passion throughout my life, and has been something I have experienced the joys of success with as well as the devastating lows. I’ve been lucky enough to discover a job where I can continuously learn, be inquisitive and healthy whilst helping people achieve their goals and improve their quality of life.
My exercise world is something I feel in control of, something I am completely accountable for, something that has such a positive affect on me, my family, my friends but also something I can use to unplug myself from the connected life of 2019. I am so fortunate to have a body that now can do what I ask of it, as there was a time when I injured my back and it affected everything in my life. For a period of time I couldn't exercise, run, play sports, work or sleep. This is what started my interest for the industry. My ability to be able to exercise is something I will never take for granted it provides me with the platform to be a better version of myself, in all aspects. I look forward to learning what unfolds in exercise physiology as a profession and continue to help my clients.
Taylor Holmes: Exercise for me isn’t just something I do. Exercise is a part of my identity, something I believe that has shaped me into the person I am today! At the beginning, like most, before I knew what I know now it was all about having fun, the social interactions, the big wins and big losses. The weekends spent with the team, the forever lasting friendships made.
As I’ve grown older my perspective has broadened and knowledge expanded to appreciate the real daily benefits of exercise. Its effect on mood, productivity, energy and cognition. it’s forever lasting ability to teach lessons of Discipline, patience, perseverance, selflessness and the list continues! Exercise to me is a lifestyle choice. It has the ability to inspire, motivate and empower the individual to achieve not only health related goals but to accomplish some of their greatest life aspirations.
Exercise to me is largely responsible for where I am today. Shaping my career, social circles and overall health. However, I am guilty for taking exercise for granted, but as an exercise physiologist I am very grateful to be able to teach and educate people on the immeasurable power exercise can have on their lives.
Tony Kearney: When I was young I didn't consider myself an exerciser but rather I was a sport addict. I took any opportunity to play sports including rugby league, touch footy, soccer, cricket and anything that involves being part of a team. I loved the social aspect of playing team sports and the dynamics of all of the different personalities of my team mates which is probably why I currently complete group exercise classes when I go to the gym and also love taking my group exercise classes at my clinic.
Why is sport important to me, because it offered myself many opportunities to complete exercise in a fun and social setting which set lifelong habits of good health and well being.
In this technological world that now encompasses most facets of our lives, I believe it is important to lead by example and assist my children to move their bodies regularly to instill positive lifestyle behaviours for my families physical and psychological health and well being.
Josh McCarthy: Exercise allows me to live a life I enjoy. It has allowed me to be strong so that I can enjoy the activities that excite me such as snowboarding and hiking, and it has provided me with a release when I'm stressed. I owe everything to exercise!For as long as I can remember, exercise has been a part of my life. As a kid I would take every opportunity to be playing sports or running around outside; there was never the thought of being inside glued to the TV. As I've grown older the kind of exercise that I participant in has changed but the reasons why I exercise have remained the same.