A couple years ago, I started up a fitness Instagram account. It was kinda weird posting to it at first, but I stuck with it because I wanted to try something I never really saw myself doing.

For the first 20+ years of my life, I was a pretty sedentary computer nerd from a not-sporty family. Sometimes I'd ride my bike a bit, pretend to shoot hoops, and walk around the 'burb with friends, but nothing actually sporty. My ideal weekends were spent between bed 🛌 computer chair 🎮 and pantry 🍪

Now, I live a reasonably active lifestyle involving mostly calisthenics, weightlifting and sunshine walks. If I can get out of town, I enjoy hiking too. And even after quitting martial arts and football, there's still a bit of it in my life here and there. It balances out the hazards of writing for a living.

Anyway, even with my recent shoulder injury totally killing my motivation to post, I found after starting my fitstagram that I was more interested in, committed to, and aware of the role exercise plays in a happy, healthy life.

It isn't even really about exercise, I suppose. It's about enjoying my body while I still have it. Seeing older people I care about experience the inevitable process of ageing — and even people my age who are dealing with injury or disability — makes me realise that life is short and our bodies have certain needs. Science isn't advanced enough yet to keep us physically functioning forever, so we need to make the most of what we've got.

I’m not a ninja, not a black belt, not a yogi. I’m not super fit, not hyper-flexible, and definitely not a badass. But I don’t let that stop me (at least not all the time). I just try my best and do what I can.

Update 04/2022: I no longer have a fitness Instagram account, but am currently reviewing how I might get my fitness content back online.