Toowoomba radio host opens up about his new health kick

Find out how this local radio personality took control of his health again and why he’s encouraging other men to as well.

MEN’S HEALTH: David Iliffe of ABC Southern Queensland will be hosting the Men’s Health Matters workshop at Toowoomba City Golf Club in the coming weeks. Photo: Kevin Farmer

When it was bucketing down last week many of us had the perfect excuse not to exercise.

Not for the ABC’s Southern Queensland’s David Iliffe.

That’s how much his attitude has changed in the last year, having made a commitment to improve his health and wellbeing.

“The fact is that if you let things like rain stop you, then there’s no end to the excuses you’ll be able to come up with,” said the breakfast radio presenter.

So, when dropping his teenage son off at his CrossFit class this week, David kept his promise to himself.

“I know my son was super impressed when I told him that I was going for my walk or run even though it was pouring rain.”

Like most men his age, David came to the realisation that he needed to change his habits while standing in front of the bathroom mirror in early 2020.

“I immediately thought of Marie Kondo (the famous tidying expert who was on Netflix at the time) and her mantra about getting rid of anything that no longer gives you joy.

“If I followed her advice to the letter, this meant ditching the entire front half of my torso or about 10 kilograms.

“I was sick of being out of breath just climbing the short set of stairs from the carpark to the office.”

Alarmingly, 42 per cent of Australian men are overweight, and 28 per cent are classified as obese according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Over the last year, David’s secret to success has been an exercise app which he uses three times a week.

It starts with a brisk 30-minute walk but with 30 second sections where the app instructs you to start running.

Each session, the duration of the running section increases slightly – such a small amount that its barely noticeable.

His message to other men is to find what works for you, pursue your hobbies, and stay socially connected, because it all contributes to your mental and physical health.

“It’s so important, but I think men, in general, struggle a bit more with acknowledging health issues and they don’t ask for help,” he said.

“There are so many things that affect our lives these days that we feel powerless to control but you can absolutely control what you eat and what you don’t, how much exercise you get, how much sleep you get, the quality of your sleep, how much you work, what you do with your downtime.

“We’ve all heard stories of people who have ignored their health and dropped dead at 55. I had a workmate that walked out of the office on the day he retired, had a massive heart attack and died in the carpark.

“I want to be around to see my children and grandchildren reach all of their milestones. What more incentive do you need?”

David will be hosting the Men’s Health Matters workshop at Toowoomba City Golf Club in the coming weeks.

Starting at 6.30pm with light refreshments, men and their partners are invited to make an evening of it and come along to this free event focused on men’s health and wellbeing.

A clinical psychologist will lead the discussion, covering everything from nutrition and physical activity, early detection of cancer, important check-ups for men, diabetes and heart disease, mental health and wellbeing and relationships.

There’ll also be free health checks, gift bags, a lucky door prize and a chance to win a Weber Baby Q Premium barbecue.

This community health campaign is delivered by CheckUP in partnership with Hand Heart Pocket the Charity of Freemasons Queensland.

This Men’s Health Matters event has been rescheduled due to lockdown in the greater Brisbane area.

CheckUP will be in touch with a new date once restrictions have eased gain following lockdown.

A six-part webinar series is also being delivered as part of the campaign.

To register for the event or the webinar and find out more follow this link.

The next webinar is on stress management and will be held on Wednesday, March 31 at 6:30pm.