The excitement of winning and Blood P... - Anxiety and Depre...

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The excitement of winning and Blood Pressure

10 Replies

I've had high blood pressure stats for the last few days watching the tennis at Wimbledon and football as probably most of you all will have done, I think even for none football fans the excitement and frayed nerves of watching the match are there as the minute clock ticks away down with so many Brits holding their breath pensively until that final whistle is blown so what this weekend will do to so many I have no idea? It brings hope in the face of despair to so many Brits having just faced 18 months of sheer misery in what is an unprecedented event in most people's lives and the World has ever seen. I know exactly how the excitement of it all feels as I've been super competitive most of my living life with sports being my forte being such a fast athletic speed runner no one at school could come nowhere near catching me and being the only kid to be as fast at that time as Carl Lewis or Ben Johnson doing the 100 meters in 13.1 seconds flat, I equalled it. I also excelled at swimming too wanting to become like the famous American hero of mine, Mark Spitz so bought his Speedo trunks thinking they would make me swim faster which worked for me. Swimming dominated my pre-teen youth swimming not only for the school team, I also swam for my home town wining local galas and then swimming for my area winning trophies and then going on to be picked for the Olympics, but my parents would not allow me to away to training camp for 3 years because of the family business and me being more important to them than ever excelling at my carer. Sad really looking back as to what my future may have been had this taken place? Still, we can't weep over what we never got the chance to do?

My football career was just as compromised being the best and most lethal footballer in the school and left-winger or centre forward playing for the school then again the area and home town. Because games ran into the weekend my father would not allow me to play so I had to give both of these up for the family business. I did exactly the same in fishing excelling with my skills becoming junior champion then beating adults at the age of 11 beating my father who was a master fisherman himself. I then went onto race motorbikes against my father's wishes, building field dort bikes at a very young age being trying to simulate Evel Knevil, my hero at the time and of course wanting to be like World Superbike Champion Barry Sheene which we watched Grandstand on a Saturday evening after work watching him race at Donnington. I was lucky to meet Barry at Olivers Mount when he won the 750cc World Championship and he liked me so much he sat me on his Heron Suzuki and we had a photo together. Later in my late teens, I lived in Scarborough not too far from the Olivers Mount racing circuit and we met again 3 times in as many years becoming good friends. My career in racing took off and I have been fortunate to meet and race with the Worlds greatest riders, I rode for Ducati around the Donnington circuit following in the footsteps of all my heroes and it's thanks to them this has had si many fond memories and excitement in my life. I worked with Guy Martin the famous TV presenter and truck mechanic becoming best friends and worked alongside the Tyco team. it is not Suzuki based now but Motorrad BMW have now dominated the racing world.

10 Replies
Hb2003 profile image
Hb2003

That’s so cool that you did sports so sorry about your blood pressure going up high 🙏

Agora1 profile image
Agora1

DeepBlue, thank you so much for sharing your exciting and amazing life. To be an accomplished athlete and sportsman at such a young age gives you many fond memoriesto look back upon.

It is quite normal for b/p to rise while watching a game. The element of winning is what

makes the game exciting. It's all a normal response of a nervous system. If we didn't react

something would be wrong. The thing is to let go of that excitement after a while. Using

medication is one way that helps but also using your own power of thought in relaxing

and calming down by breathing.

Not many people have the accomplishments you achieved. Use that in walking a little taller

and being confident and having self esteem. I bet there would not be a lull in a conversation

that anyone would have with you. Your life was but a breath of fresh air to read. :) xx

in reply to Agora1

Thank you so much for all them kind words and again I feel humbled and a little amazed people think highly of me like this at all as I never seem to do it to myself. I was extremely competitive and never entered a race or a competition to lose, In swimming, football and especially field games and running I was very much the talk of the games feared by everyone who stood against me. I threw a javelin 74 meters at 13 years old. Won the triple and long jump and had many trophies for speed and technique. I was almost like a decathlete. My superbike racing came from my scrambling days as a child. meeting all the rich and famous and also being a semi-celebrity stature myself on the circuit having a fan base to being on TV as a famous TV show nightclub scene dancer back in the '80s, my life has been so varied living it to the full. and "yes, they were good memories. 👍 mum used to always say I lived the life of several people fitting so much into it. She never knew how I kept it all up. in comparison, it made her life look and feel so dull.

in reply to Agora1

It also reminds me also to add to the accolade of achievements I made, I was also regional ping pong champion, I can still wave a paddle around just as good as I ever use to be able to, it's like swimming, at 19 stone I was swimming 72 lengths in 50mins in the pool, these were above Olympic standard times for pace and time. the weight did not play a role in swimming even when I was at my biggest at 19 stone 6lb in 2010 I was swimming in locals pools beating their top swimmers in speed and stamina, so imagine when I was 9stone wet through what I used to swim like. .

Agora1 profile image
Agora1 in reply to

Thank you DeepBlue, I too am grateful in all I achieved and did in my lifetime.I guess I took it for granted until Anxiety and Fibromyalgia came along.

You mentioned you too have Fibro...it's certainly not the end of our lives but just

a different way to live it. I am so glad you are here with us. It's actually good for

our spirit to relive those moments that brought us so much joy and pleasure.

Thanks new friend :) xx

in reply to Agora1

Yes, I have type 2 diabetes with chronic fibromyalgia of the worst kind. peripheral neuropathy so can't feel my feet or toes, arthritis, anxiety, deep depression, need I go on......get me a gun now lol.....horses are put down for being less lame 😀oh! did I forget the grey hairs and wrinkles now, age and gravity are a sod when you get to this stage lol

Agora1 profile image
Agora1 in reply to

When life hands us lemons, it's time to make some lemonade my friend lol xx

in reply to Agora1

They always say the last stages of a flower are always the very best, Then just as quickly they all turn to seed? I know the feeling well....lol😂

Agora1 profile image
Agora1 in reply to

My mother use to say on occasion, "I feel like the last rose of summer"What does that mean? I don't intend to find out. :) xx

Isinatra profile image
Isinatra

I can see how your blood pressure would be affected by sports. Reliving every exciting moment that you may have experienced and from the sound of it, there were many. It’s nice to have something that can bring you so much joy. It’s worth the high stats. 🏄‍♀️

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