The Old Diocesan Issue 10 - Magazine - Page 66
THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY…
Seb Prentice has been “on a mission to make being healthier easier”
since his Stellenbosch varsity days. Five years on, he runs his own
gym, and offers great advice for physical and mental wellbeing
I
currently look at health in four
pillars: movement, mindset,
nourishment and play. All four
are interdependent. Without
one, the others will suffer. When
I’m feeling my best, all four pillars
are in place. The pillar most people
neglect is “play”.
“Play” is the activity we engage
in that doesn’t have an end goal
or result. It’s doing something for
no reason other than it being fun.
For example, in the gym, one of
the things [my training partner]
Gideon and I like to do for fun
is to see who can hang from the
pull-up bar the longest. This, for us,
is play. It can be as simple as that.
It doesn’t have to be complicated.
The other pillars?
“Movement” is any activity
we engage in for exercise. It’s
the deliberate movement of body
and limbs. Locomotion. Getting the
blood flowing for those endorphins.
Physical and mental health. All
that stuff.
“Mindset” is any activity we
engage in to build our mental
fortitude. It’s the process of
improving your resilience,
focus, determination, attitude
and approach to life, and how
you respond to things. A balanced
mindset allows you to deal with
whatever gets thrown at you.
“Nourishment” is any activity
we engage in to fuel ourselves. It
has to do with everything that goes
into your body and mind, including
the food we eat and all the media
we consume.
Without “play”, the other three
pillars start to feel a bit arduous.
“Play” fills your cup, rejuvenates
62 | THE OLD DIOCESAN
you and gives you the zeal to build
on the other pillars. Without “play”,
everything begins to feel like work;
everything feels like a box that
needs ticking or an obligation
that needs to be fulfilled.
“Play” also offers a whole lot
of learning and developmental
benefits. “Playing” allows us to
tinker, try, test, experiment and
take risks without any significant
consequences. If we “fail” during
“play”, it’s okay; it’s just part of
the game. There is no pressure.
There is no reprimanding. There is
no real, tangible looming negative.
Because of the lack of significant
consequences, it allows us to be
creative, to problem-solve, and to
figure out what we like and dislike.
It allows us to expand our outlook
on things.
“Play” has really helped me.
I encourage you to find a type
of “play” that fills your cup, too.
horizengym.com |
sprenna
horizenza |
Seb Prentice (2016S) is the owner
of Horizen Gym in Sea Point.
This column first appeared in
Le Blogue – see opposite for more…