Well Together inspiration from ICAS Member Jim McDonald CA
Well Together participant Jim McDonald CA shares his ideas, insights and inspiration for getting outdoors and staying active.
Introduce yourself:
I’m Jim McDonald CA. I live in Melbourne and work for the National Australia Bank as the Executive Finance for Investments and Strategy & Innovation.
How do you like to get outdoors, keep fit and stay active?
I’m a road cyclist, also known as a MAMIL (middle-aged man in lycra).
Tell us about your favourite place to exercise.
I love to get out on Beach Road in Melbourne which is on Port Philip Bay. There are thousands of cyclists doing that every day and tens of thousands at weekends.
What inspires you to get outdoors, keep fit and stay active?
It’s definitely helped me to stay sane during the hard lockdown we recently had in Victoria. It’s also a good way to catch up with mates for a coffee and it’s good to feel reasonably fit as at my age it would be easy to let it go.
How do you fit exercise around your work/family schedule?
We have two high-school-aged kids and I’m working eight till six, so I go out early weekday mornings around six and early at weekends. Some of the longer rides at weekends can take three or four hours so I need to work it around the kids' sport.
Has the way you exercise changed during COVID-19/lockdown?
I started road cycling as my commute to work but I’ve only been into the office three times in the last year so that has stopped. Instead I now ride with a group of mates two or three times a week and we have coffee before I rush home to drop the kids at the train station for school.
During the hard lockdown we had to ride in pairs and stay within five kilometres of home, so we created a loop with a five kilometre radius that kept us going for a few months. I’ve also been paying for a gym near work which I can’t get to.
Do you have any fitness hints and tips to encourage and inspire others?
Definitely do it with friends as that will keep you motivated. There’s nothing that will get you out of bed like knowing someone will be waiting for you. Also do something you like. There’s no point thrashing yourself just for the sake of it. The upside is that you feel better and it helps to relieve the stress that can come with work.
If lockdown wasn’t a thing, where in the world would you like to go for a run, wheel, walk, cycle or swim?
As a road cyclist I guess the ultimate would be a Tour de France stage. Closer to home, I’m planning on doing The Great Ocean and Otway Classic in April, which is a ride that takes in the Great Ocean Road from Lorne to Torquay.
Which ICAS Strava Club are you a member of?
What’s your Strava profile ID should CAs in your area want to follow you?
You can view my Strava profile here.
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