Welcome to the second edition of my health series! If you haven’t read the first edition, then please click here. This month I wanted to pick the brains of my friend, Bertil. He is a passionate runner, father of a beautiful little girl, has run several (understatement) marathons and next to his full-time job also teaches a stretching course.
I hope you will enjoy reading this interview and please join the discussion in the comments below.
Here we go:
Name, age, occupation: Bertil Muller, 36, Brandmanager Volkswagen
What does health mean to you?
To me, as a runner, health means being able to pull out the maximum power and endurance from my body, ideally at any time. This should be on a background of feeling balanced on a day to day basis. The mental balance is as important as the physical one, but for me, mind cannot work properly without the body.
How do you achieve this level of healthy?
Beside a regular 40h/week job, a life partner and a daughter I run approximatively 100km a week. I probably exercise too much if I only consider my physical health, but for me this is part of being healthy.
To achieve and more important, stay healthy I try to eat high-quality food. I start the day with fresh orange juice and rolled oats with nuts and honey. I do not eat too much meat, especially not every day and close the gaps between meals with fruits and nuts. Then during the week I try to get min. 7 hours sleep a night (if my daughter doesn’t wake me up earlier 😉).
At the beginning it could feel like time management and self-discipline, but when you begin to feel healthy and strong it becomes your normal way of life, your way to happiness. In addition, mental health comes from time spent with my family and my friends.
Why is it important to be and live healthily?
For me it is essential to feel good and strong in my body. Being healthy is the key to my happiness and balanced life. How could one fully enjoy life without being as healthy as possible?
Why are you an expert?
I am not sure I am an expert…but, I have found myself to be a rather respectable runner at the age of 35. Especially considering the fact that I spent my teenage years partying, drinking way too much and smoking a whole pack of cigarettes a day. I never thought I would be considered a good consultant on health!
I have run 10 marathons with a personal best of 2 hours 39 min, 7 ultra-trails (including 2 victories) and 100s of other running competitions and still feel like I can improve my performance.
Without a healthy lifestyle these results would not be achievable in combination with a job, a family, and other hobbies.
What is your top health tip?
Health is very individual, for some people the physical part is the most important and for others it is the mental aspects. I would advice you to try and find the one thing that gives you the most satisfaction within your body and your life, and spend the most possible/available time on this one thing!
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Thank you so much Bertil for this very interesting insight on your views on health. I totally agree that being healthy is very individual and we all have to find out what works for us!
If you want more information, please find Bertil on Facebook. He would love to share his running knowlege with you. He can also help you get started!
Do you want to be part of my Health Series? Please email me. I would love to hear from you!
Want to know more about healthy living? Download my free mini ebook now. It contains great tips and tricks that have worked for me in my journey. Click here to get it.