Chris Judd's heroes

Just like everyone else, I have my sporting heroes. Watching athletes do the thing they love the most is truly spectacular. But I know, as a professional athlete, you don't have many excuses not to be the best you can be.

Of course, there are plenty of sacrifices you have to make. But generally speaking, your day is engineered to allow you to focus on honing your craft without distraction. When you're operating at that level, all you need to do is work on being your best and executing that one skill over and over again.

If I had to pick though, older athletes like Roger Federer are most inspiring to me. I saw Fed play at the Australian Open and left somewhat in awe. He's still as elegant, technically precise and driven as he was in his 20s

He's 37 now, so his body must be struggling, but his game is still so bang on. I was 31 when I retired in 2015 and my body was starting to feel the years of exertion. So for Fed to still be competing at that level in his mid-30s has a special resonance with me.

That's not real life though. If you're not operating at the top levels of competition, your life is never going to be precisely optimised for you to perform at your physical peak. It's unlikely you're going to have a strict diet plan or personal chef at home, and it's unlikely you're going to be able to train for eight hours a day without interruption, so if that's your inspiration, it's not very realistic.

Day-to-day, people have an endless array of excuses they can make as to why they can't be healthy. 'I'm too tired', 'Work is too hectic' or 'I haven't got time to cook' are just a handful of examples.

It's the people who find the drive to rise above that noise who inspire me the most.

The ones whose lives are chock-full of commitments - whether they're home or work related - and still squeeze in the time for that workout.

Like a mentor of mine who, for a long period, was CEO of a large corporation. He used to get up at 4.30am every morning just so he could get a workout into his packed-out day. The energy required to commit to that kind of routine is something I admire him immensely for.

Or the single parents out there who are completely snowed under with work and family commitments, but still somehow manage to be healthy and fit themselves.

If you're looking for motivation to kick start your #onechange, just look around. There are people in our everyday lives who provide an inspiration more relevant than elite athletes because they've managed to overcome the challenges faced by many, rather than the very unique (and sizeable) challenges elite athletes are able to overcome.

There might be a woman you know juggling a new baby on her own who's found the time to be fit and healthy to make sure she has a long life with her kid. Or maybe there's a guy at your office working the same crazy hours as you but who takes time out every lunchbreak to train for a run.

Ask these people how they do it. Ask them what their tips and hacks are. You might be inspired to follow suit.

Former Australian Rules footballer Chris Judd is familiar with how to get your heart rate up and push yourself physically. Twice winner of the prestigious Brownlow Medal, Chris is an honoured sportsman and father to four children, Oscar, Billie, Tom and Darcy. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.