My Healthy Day with Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund - Dr. Carey Wallace

Being the Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund is no easy job, however, Dr. Carey Wallace , as busy as he is - is never too busy to put his health first! We jogged alongside him during one of the Jamaica Moves Corporate Challenge races to find out how his healthy day looks. Enjoy! Hope it inspires you!

How did your interest in fitness and health first develop?

There are so many things I want to do in my life that as I got older I felt like I’m not getting a lot of them done so I needed to stay younger and fitter in order to live longer to accomplish those things. Plus, I saw the correlation between the way you feel and how fit, energetic and enthusiastic about your life you are. So from that standpoint, it motivated me to work out and eat well.

What role do your family and friends play in helping you maintain an active healthy lifestyle?

When I relocated to Kingston about 2.5 years ago I decided to lead an active lifestyle so I joined the Pacers Running Club and I run about 2-3 times weekly.  The other 2 or 3 days of the week I go to the gym so that takes up my mornings; in the mornings is when I get my exercise routine out of the way and then I feel comfortable for the rest of the day.

What is the toughest event or workout that you have ever done?

I did the Reggae Marathon 10k about a year ago- that was the toughest.

Do you listen to music while you workout?

No, I don’t wear earphones primarily because I try and double up my running with admiration of nature and acknowledgement of others. A lot of people when they pay attention to their health they only pay attention to diet and exercise but there's another component to health and wellness which is the thoughts that you inject. Therefore, paying attention to your thoughts is very crucial so in the morning I try and admire the flowers, the great weather that we have, the beauty around us and when I run past people I make sure I say ‘good morning’ and smile. 

What is your approach to nutrition?

I am a pescatarian so seafood and vegetables are what I mainly eat; I cut out red meat about 20 years ago. I believe that one day I’ll become a strict vegetarian but for now, I’ll live a little. For Christmas and special occasions, I do indulge a bit but for the most part, I just have seafood and vegetables.

We’re curious, what do you eat on a typical day?

I try and get to work early to beat the traffic so after the gym or after a run I’ll just have a blended shake with eggs, bananas, almond milk and raw peanuts. I work in New Kingston so for lunch, I’ll order something from next door usually an ackee patty or maybe one of those fish breakfasts. For dinner, I’ll have a meal with seafood and fish again.

What would you say to someone who believes that he/she is too busy to make their health and fitness a priority?

Well, what I would say is that with your body being healthy you have more energy, your brain gets more oxygen, focuses more and it’s in a more creative state. If you don’t exercise you have diminishing returns meaning you think you’re saving the time but you’re taking longer to get work done. It’s like trying to saw a piece of wood with a dull saw- if you spend the time sharpening it you cut through the wood so much faster.  Likewise, that’s my approach to exercise; when you’re body is fit and healthy you get so much more work done in a shorter period of time.

What advice would you give to companies and leaders who want to build healthier cultures and aren’t sure where to begin?

I think friendly competition is always helpful and that’s why we joined the corporate challenge. Once they’re on a team and they’re competing against another team they end up putting out more effort so I think that’s a good way to start. Once the team comes out in their numbers it not only makes them healthier but it also builds camaraderie and staff morale They will start looking better, gain confidence and as those things spiral it gets better over time.