I am really blessed to be surrounded by amazing people.  I have an amazing set of friends.  They always seem to have just the right message at just the right time and provide wonderful insights.  One of those insights was shared with me by a dear friend Julia who is over in the UK from Singapore at the moment.  We had not seen one another since March of this year and we spent time catching up in our local Café Rouge on the river here in Chiswick.

We discussed our mothers and their varying states of health and then reflected on our own journeys and discussed what each of us was doing to stay fit and healthy.   The interesting thing that you discover as you get older is that health can become a challenge.  Anywhere between 20 and 50 is ideal time to make a great investment in both psychological and physiological health.   So many people that I see seem to battle with weight issues.  Many need to find a compelling reason to shed a few kilos (or stones if you still deal in old money).  The simple truth is this - you only get one body and you need to take very good care of it.  The emphasis should not be just about losing weight and then gaining again.  Keeping a healthy weight is undoubtedly pivotal to your long term prognosis for good health.  The other important thing is of course mobility.  Have a supple body that is cared for and looked after.  As Julia reminded me, your body is like your home and ask yourself "where else will I live?".  Treat your body like a home and build the foundations strong.  Make sure that you do regular maintenance and cleaning.  Take time each and every day to make sure that your body is looked after.  Ensure that you put only the best things into it and be vigilant about throwing wild parties that might do permanent damage to the structure.  You can change furniture, fixtures and fittings but if the roof collapses or the foundations crumble, where else will you live?

Thanks Julia, it is a great metaphor and I am really happy to share this with everyone.