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Life changes and so does physical activity

By Grace Koh

TV presenter Grace Koh shares her personal journey from being an active child to inactive young adult and how she found her way back to living an active lifestyle again.

It’s no secret that we all change as we grow up. The interests we had as children no longer excite us. But why is that? As a child, I loved to run and move my body. I had the luxury of indulging in a huge range of different hobbies including ballet, jazz, karate, swimming, cheerleading and gymnastics just to name a few. I craved creativity and adventure and loved coming home tired. I loved jumping in bed when my body was sore and exhausted because it meant that I’d done a lot that day.

These days when I’m tired it’s not because I’ve moved my body but because I haven’t.”

My older sister was a ballerina, and since she was my biggest idol, I wanted to follow in her footsteps and pursued dance from the age of 4 through to 17. At 17, I decided that dance wasn’t for me but I still loved the idea of entertaining people, so I packed up and moved from Launceston, Tasmania to Melbourne (or the ‘mainland’ as we call it..) in the hopes of becoming a TV presenter.

When I moved out of home, I didn’t realise how much responsibility I had. Besides paying rent, cleaning and cooking for myself, I found myself in a situation where, for the first time, I didn’t have a pre-organised activity routine. I was so used to mum or dad dropping me off at ballet classes 4 times a week and I had never thought about the impact the loss of those classes would have on my body or mental health. At 17 I was still going through puberty and my metabolism wasn’t the same as it was when I was younger and exercising so regularly. My body suddenly wasn’t looking the same and I was at an age where I was very conscious of what I looked like.

It didn’t take long for me to make a big lifestyle change. I started to take responsibility for my body and treat it right. This included actively putting more fruit and vegetables in my diet and exercising.

It took a while to find a workout routine that suited me.”

At first, I just went for walks and jogs and went for the occasional swim. Soon I ventured into a gym where I just did cardio and nothing else, mainly because I had no idea how to use any gym equipment other than the treadmill. It really helped going to the gym with friends who had a better idea of how to use equipment and helped me find activities that I liked. Once I was more comfortable with my body, I found myself finding more things to help it stay healthy and really enjoying playing games and sport. I even started dancing again-just for fun!

I like to think I’ve found a pretty good balance. I try to stay on top of my mind, spirit and body and make sure that each of those things are consistently being cared for. There are still weeks or even months where I get a bit too caught up in life, but I always find my way back into routine and my body truly thanks me for it.

I didn’t realise how much of an impact staying active and moving my body had on my mood and outlook on life.”

My sense of adventure has increased so much and these days I find myself just as excited as I was when I was a kid to simply go outside and be active. And I really appreciate the sore muscles and my tired body as I curl up in bed. Almost as much as I appreciate the bed itself.

Last updated: December 2, 2020 at: 10:09 am