Food is something I’m extremely passionate about! I love to eat it, I love to cook it, and I even love to buy it. For the last 20 years, I have devoured books about food and health, even before I was doing my Personal Training, because I wanted to know more, understand more and try and work out what was best to eat. I played a lot of sport growing up, and was always interested in what would help me play better or run faster.
These days food is in our faces everywhere. Supermarkets have a never ending supply of good, bad, and indifferent foods. Bargains, new products and half price offers tempt us the entire way through the store. The TV, our social media and outdoor advertising are all enticing us to eat. After all, it is an essential human need.
So at the end of last year, I finally signed up to my nutrition course! I have been researching and debating which course for years. It has been great learning more, understanding how different we all are, and getting more education under my belt. Without learning we are not growing. Our world is constantly changing, and we as professionals need to change with it to keep up. Sometimes change is easier than others, but learning is also fuel for the soul.
We are never too old to learn new things, and with the new year comes a time for reflection and (sometimes) a change of direction. There are so many ways we can learn and many options to chose from. I love my course for it’s content, but also for the method of learning. Chapter by chapter it combines a hard cover textbook (that weighs a tonne!), an online video condensing the chapter, FAQ’s, a workbook of handwritten questions to answer, and then an online test. A great learning method that helps teach through different channels to cement each chapter’s concept.
I know time is a precious commodity that we would all like more of, and of some of you might be thinking, ‘Are you crazy? I barely have time to get through a day as it is!’ But if we really want to do something we have to make the time. A little less TV, phone and internet, Netflix or whatever it is that is consuming your time. Knowledge is power, and the more we know the more informed decisions we can make about all areas of our lives.
So I ask you. What are you going to learn this year? A language, a musical instrument, how to cook or even start a degree? Do something and do it to improve yourself. It doesn’t always have to be about joining a gym or losing weight. Yes, food and exercise are very important, but so is feeding your soul. Good luck!