I've always considered myself a sportive person. I've been passionate about sports since I was five years old, starting with two years of swimming (and not football just because my mom "encouraged" me to try it). When I was finally able to choose for myself, I immediately gravitated toward football (European football, aka soccer), which became my main focus for the next 11 years. From the age of seven to nineteen, I played football in a team, dedicating much of my time and energy to the sport.
When I started university, I decided to stop playing football competitively to concentrate on my studies. Despite stepping away from organized sports, my love for physical activity remained strong. Football has always been my favorite, but over time, I've developed an appreciation for other sports as well — volleyball being one of them.
I also like to watch sports. Football, obviously, but also F1, American football, volleyball. I also enjoy watching live sports very much. I really like the atmosphere of the stadium and the emotion you can feel there is unmatched by the TV experience.
My Relationship with Health and Nutrition
For most of my life, I never paid much attention to my health or diet. I've always been naturally slim and never had trouble maintaining my weight (on the contrary, I've always struggled gaining any weight), so I assumed I was healthy without needing to put in much effort. However, things changed during my PhD when my girlfriend — who is an MD — encouraged me to get blood tests done.
The results were eye-opening: my sugar levels were higher than normal, and my cholesterol was elevated as well. This forced me to confront the fact that my eating habits weren't as healthy as I'd thought. For years, I indulged in sweets, especially Nutella, and always had sweet breakfasts — something I loved dearly. It wasn't until I was around 28 or 29 that I started incorporating savory breakfasts into my routine, slowly transitioning away from sugary meals. Now, I eat savory breakfasts almost every day, with only occasional exceptions.
After those initial blood tests, I made an effort to control my sugar intake and eat more healthily. While I succeeded to some extent, it wasn't until six months ago — just before moving to Canada — that I truly began to understand how food impacts my health and well-being. My latest blood test showed that my sugar levels were still higher than the safe threshold (though not alarmingly high). This - and a constant push from my fiancé - motivated me to take things more seriously.
I started reading books about sugar and how to manage spikes in blood glucose levels. I highly reccommend "The Glucose Revolution". Over the past three or four months, I've implemented a new diet and even measured my blood sugar daily for a month. The results have been promising — I've consistently stayed within safe limits.
Recommitting to Sports and Fitness
I think the diet alone didn't do the whole trick. In fact, at the same time that I began focusing on nutrition, moving to Vancouver marked a turning point in how regularly I engage in physical activity. Prior to this, my fitness routine was sporadic at best — I'd occasionally go to the gym once or twice a week for short periods (never more than a year), play football here and there, or go running without consistency.
However, over the past two years, I've been training more seriously for running events like half marathons. So far, I've completed two half marathons and have another one coming up in May! Running has become a significant part of my fitness journey — it's something I feel confident about now.
About running, I should do a whole separate post. All I want to say for now is that it came on the rescue in a difficult period and helped me a lot. I think running is a very nice analogy for life, but I shall keep it for my separate blog. For now, my best time on a half marathon is 1h44min, that is quite satisfying. My next goal is to get as close as possible to 1h30min.
Running aside, since January this year, I've also established a regular gym schedule and made strength training a priority. My current workout routine includes going to the gym three times a week, running four to five times per week, and participating in other sports like volleyball, indoor football, or tennis at least once a week. This balance keeps things exciting while ensuring variety in my training regimen. For the first time in my life, I've also been able to consistently gain weight!
Reflections on Progress
Looking back on this journey so far, it's clear that gaining awareness about exercise and nutrition has been gradual but steady. Over the past six months especially, I've accelerated both my learning and commitment to fitness — and the results have been incredibly rewarding! While staying consistent can be tough at times, I genuinely love the process and feel stronger both physically and mentally because of it.
Writing this blog post feels like taking a snapshot of where I am right now — a moment in time where all these efforts are coming together beautifully. It's exciting to think about how things might evolve in the future as I continue learning and growing on this path toward better health.