#BEATTHEBELLY Daily Tip: Picking Up The Baton

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I just became a father to a beautiful girl called Scarlett who is 3 weeks old today.

All my advice on keeping weight down has been very much a reality for me in the last 3 weeks as there has been little I could control in my environment and I really wanted to avoid weight gain.

In the limbo of hospital I couldn't really exercise, as I spent every day driving to the hospital to see my wife and newborn child in the hope of bringing them home by car.

Eventually with little sleep catch up after 48 hours wakefullness through labour, terrible hospital food and fending for myself at home with an empty fridge, we came home.

The timetable has been a bit different over the last few days with a 3 hourly feeding program to encourage the little one to gain weight. Our church and friends have been amazing at bringing around food every night for dinner. I have adopted a commando lifestyle, eating whenever food is available as you never know when the next meal will be.

I have managed one run and gave myself a mild achilles tendonitis as I bashed away at the turf too eagerly after weeks of self neglect.

Amazingly when the dust settled and I went back to work, I reweighed myself and found that I had not gained weight. That said, my midriff is pretty flabby with lack of exercise and I could do with a good 40 mile cycle ride!

Picking up the baton again after having laid it down for a time is hard, no matter what the reason for halting the regime. We all need some stick and carrot!

A friend of mine says many are motivated to exercise through fear of getting fat; I have been fortunate growing up to experience exercise as a buzz to look forward to! I crave the stress busting buzz of improved mental functioning that comes after intense exercise - immediately after my run my mind was crammed with new ideas and motivation for more mens health activity.

What is your motivation? Fear? if so look for something else more positive and sustaining. Never use the dark side of the force.

Whatever your motivation comes from you need to tap into the root of it to occasionally remind yourself why its good to exercise and have a healthy diet, not just to remember the benefits or potential problems avoided, but the buzz factor!

Dr Ben Sinclair
Sinclair Health Limited
Twitter: @menshealthtips

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