I’m turning 40 next month. If anyone wants to send me a present I like flowers and chocolate.
The gym I signed up with for the purposes of teaching my kids how to swim offered to do a free MOT so I thought I’d do it given that I’m about to pass the threshold into middle age. Does 40 count as middle age?
I already know I can lick my feet which is definitely a sign of youthful vigour but it’s nice and reassuring to check up on other stats as well. So how’d I do? Pretty good:
BMI: 19.8
Blood pressure: 118/70
Aerobic fitness (VO2 Max): 40ml/kg/min – I have no idea what this is but I’m apparently in the very good range.
Resting heart rate: 59
Cholesterol: 4.34mmol/L
Blood glucose: 3.6mmol/L
If life begins at 40 then I’m hopefully diving in with a good start. What’s the secret? It’s living car-free, eating a predominantly plant-based diet, and probably a bit of good luck. Feeling happy with life certainly helps too.
I can’t emphasise enough how much living car-free adds to my health, happiness, and overall quality of life. This is because I have no self-control whatsoever. Ben brought me back a Toblerone from his recent trip and I ate the whole thing in less than two days. If there’s chocolate in the house I’ll eat it all in one go. The same thing happens with cars: when we own a car we end up using it for trips we could easily walk or cycle instead. Remove the car altogether and you have no choice but to use your own steam and then you feel good about yourself in addition to getting all the health benefits of physical activity. Bicycles FTW!
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