The *BLEEP* Test

(During circuit training at a gym near you)

Brad the Instructor: Come on team! You’re letting yourselves down!
P.: ARRRRGGGHHH!
Brad: Had too many pies? Get moving!
P.: ARRRRGGGHHH!
Brad: It’s mind over matter. Your body can go on forever. It’s your mind that’s stopping you. You can do it!

Seeing the Future from the Past

Have you ever done the *BLEEP* test? If you can’t remember, then you’ve never done it. It’s not something you easily forget. The *BLEEP* test consists of a man with a monotone voice who counts up, level after level, as you repeatedly scramble, scuttle then eventually crawl from one end of the training room to the other.

Each leg is marked by the perpetual knell of the dreaded *BLEEP* that grows increasingly urgent with each round. They call it the *BLEEP* test because it comes complete with asterisks to enclose your choice of expletives as you struggle from one level to the next.

Body Futures

Brad reckons we can all see into the future. ‘Put it this way,’ he says, ‘you pay for the body you have now in 10 years’ time. Do you want to celebrate the future or regret the past?’

The clever among us will be adept at telling stories to ourselves to side-step the issue of personal fitness. ‘It’s too dark and cold out’ or ‘My favourite soap is on in 5 minutes’ or, more impressive still, ‘I have to put everyone else first before I think about myself’.

The Beauty of Baby Steps

The fact is, there’s no need for high-tech devices to measure the state of our health. All we need is a full-length mirror and the courage to take a good look at ourselves. Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to do. What’s the smallest possible action you can take to future-proof your health today?

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