GERRY COLLINS .... BRING THE BODY, THE HEAD WILL FOLLOW!
"I love the healthy life I live today. It wasn't always that way but I now exercise regularly and eat really well (most of the time!). I am 54 now and the fitter I get the better I feel and the better I am able to face the challenges life throws at me every day. Exercising regularly and eating well definitely improves my life. It impacts positively on my mood and helps me to get better focused on the ‘doing' rather than the ‘talking'.
Just over 6 years ago I decided to stop smoking (60 a day). I told everybody who would listen that ‘I did not smoke' and every time I said that, I felt stronger and more powerful. My family texted me every day to encourage me and that goodwill brought me along on a tide of growing self belief that I could do this.
I was drinking approx 10/15 cups of coffee (3 spoons of sugar in every cup) every day. I was also drinking a few pints every night and more at the weekend. My diet consisted of Nicotine, Coffee, Junk Food, alcohol and adrenaline with little or no exercise. I had a stress test with a heart specialist who put me on tablets for very high cholesterol levels.
I wanted to make some changes and I fully understood that change driven by me was a much better place to be than change forced on me.
I began to go Hill walking every weekend and I loved the positive energy that came with all this exercise. I then joined a local boxing club with my son and started training twice a week doing circuit training. It wasn't easy at the beginning (I was 50 at the time) but the effects on my physical and mental well being were amazing.
I then made the decision to give up alcohol for 6 months (4 years ago now) and this was a great decision as well.
In 2008 I was physically fit and feeling really good mentally. I was contented with life and then I was diagnosed with Cancer - Tumour at the base of the tongue.
The oncologists said that I was a suitable candidate for an intensive treatment of chemotherapy and radiotherapy that had been tried in Europe with some success but it was very aggressive and it would be tough. They felt that my physical and mental fitness would help me tolerate the very toxic treatment. It was extremely tough and the changes I made in my life were definitely a major influence in my ability to tolerate the treatment both physically and mentally.
I am lucky to survive and am in remission now. It has taken over 2 years to slowly rebuild my life and part of that is being able to regularly exercise again. All this happened during the collapse of the Irish Market and I lost my recruitment business as a result. I was looking for a new career when fate intervened.
My daughter Lisa is no stranger to making changes herself and is experienced in managing International conferences and exhibitions. She had a dream of owning her own business and between us we decided to set up and run an exhibition/conference based on my experiences of managing change to a healthier lifestyle - The Healthy BODY Healthy MIND Show was born - (www.healthybodyhealthymind.ie). The Show is about the link between physical exercise and our mental health.
We were delighted when Mental Health Ireland (who had plans for a similar event) agreed to partner with us and we are now really looking forward to an exciting event next February in UCD.
We firmly believe that an overall sense of well-being and a positive outlook in life are necessary to good physical and mental health. We want everybody from families, teenagers, sports people and anyone who has any interest in adopting a healthy lifestyle to come along and be inspired to make that change. The event will have an array of exhibitors showcasing their products/services and host free seminars dealing with topical issues about the link between physical exercise and our mental well being. As the man said ‘Bring the Body....the Head will follow' See you there."