Heath Warnings Now Apply

As most of you know I turned 40 last year, I began to run, found I really liked it, ran my first (and so far only) 10k and have been on the fitness motorway ever since.  Since turning 40 I have also started to consider my health a lot more seriously, as in, which parts of me are likely to fall to bits over the next few years, and which bits of me should I start to get checked out on a regular basis?

The past year of self-monitoring has not yielded any useful information other than me wondering whether the slight ache in my wrist meant something other than a side effect of having slept on it awkwardly.  The past year has however seen me become more intentional with nutrition, supporting my diet with vitamins and other supplements as well as trying to understand the best approach to sustaining a healthy lifestyle despite constant travel with the associated hotels and restaurant food that goes with business trips.

As I am most definitely in the age bracket where health warnings now apply what were once vague warnings about things that could potentially happen to people a lot older than me, now take on a more immediate sense of relevance.

Of course my Doctor did not look like George -
but this post was a great excuse to have a picture of him

All this contemplation finally led me to pluck up the courage to go and have my first ever comprehensive health check this weekend, and by comprehensive I mean I was checked from head-to-toe, inside and out.  I am happy to report that overall I am fine with no overtly serious outcomes.  I do however have high cholesterol and a fatty liver - both of which my Doctor assured me while being a concern do not necessitate anything more serious than a move to a low fat diet to reduce my weight which will keep my liver and cholesterol healthy.

The good news is the running has helped to keep all my other bits in check and should, along with diet, help with the cholesterol. I should most definitely keep going.  With my foot now healed, the instructions to go low-fat to heal my liver, as well as to lose those stubborn kilos to keep it that way, have given me the long sought after goal to inspire me back to running.  And as it was my health that started me on this journey so it should probably be my health that keeps me on it.

Keep the stride and stay tuned for the return of Lara Lapin's running stories.  I am happy to report that the Bangkok hot season seems to be abating and the 40C heat is gone and if we are lucky the rains should soon be upon us.  Now whether that means I will be running or swimming is still to be seen.