I’m always getting asked why I’m not big. Big meaning fat. I do love bakery food. I really love cakes. But I’m fairly disciplined. Some of my family members have weight issues, and they’re not in the baking game, but I keep my mouth shut. Still, it’s a bit of a worry.

We can have all the material things, but without good health we’re buggered. A very close and wonderful friend of mine has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He’s only 55 years old with a young family – his youngest is only seven. It’s gone from his prostate to cancer of the spine and hip.

We all think it won’t happen to us. I know for the first 32 years of my life, I did not think about my own health. At age 32 I started to work on myself. Somebody pointed out that I was responsible for myself.

In the first half of our lives we abuse our body. And if we wake up in time, in the second half we take care of it. I walk every day for at least 45 minutes: rain, hail, or sun. I am prepared to work for good health.

I love chocolates and lollies and cakes: anything that’s not good for me. Luckily, I also love fruit and good healthy food. Plus, I enjoy being healthy. I love having the energy to walk in the bush and wrestle my grandkids (my own sons are too big and strong to wrestle now.)

I often use this quote in my talks: “I will loan my body to anyone who will exercise it for me”. I have learned that you don’t pay the price for good health, you enjoy the benefits. You need to keep that body moving and keep asking yourself, “Do I need to stick this in my mouth?” It’s so easy to eat badly, and yet so easy not to.

Treat your body like a temple, not like a woodshed.