People spend a lot of time talking about trying to get healthy and the need to take better care of themselves. Is health something that can be obtained and maintained? Are people in general healthy or unhealthy? Is it simply an illusion? I mean most of us spend our lives thinking about and attempting to obtain it, maintain it and don’t want to lose it.
When I talk about health, I don’t mean just the absence of illness or injury. When I talk about health, I mean the whole shebang! I mean eating nutritious food, getting enough sleep, being physically active, having positive relationships and taking care of oneself. Taking care of oneself includes those little daily habits we engage in and decisions we make in the quest to optimize health.
But again, I ask, is this simply an illusion?
Most of us are going along, living our life, trying to eat healthy, trying to exercise, trying to get enough sleep, trying to manage stress etc, etc, etc.
Should we stop trying?
The food we eat is packaged, processed and manufactured. It might taste good but it is not nutritious. It does not nourish our bodies.
Between work, errands, taking care of the home, taking care of our loved ones there is little time to take care of ourselves.
We outsource the rearing of our children and the caring of our seniors making relationships difficult to nurture.
We relax with a glass of wine, bottle of beer and our favorite television show.
We go on vacation where we fly hundreds of miles, rush around to see the sights, spend too much money and come home more exhausted than before.
We squeeze in an hour at the gym or yoga studio in between work, cocktails and staying up till 2AM to finish the laundry.
How can we possibly obtain and maintain our health when our world, our society is so out of whack?
We are busy, stressed and tired. We are overweight but undernourished. We are surrounded by people but lonely.
But day in and day out we TRY to do it all. We try to eat right, to exercise, to sleep, to relax and to spend quality time with our loved ones. We try to squeeze these things into our busy lives.
Yes, I will argue we should stop trying so hard. When we try to do everything it seems IMPOSSIBLE.
Imagine if health was the foundation upon which we built our lives.
Imagine if health was our BIG WHY.
Think about it! If we built our lives around eating nutritious food, getting plenty of rest, socializing with our loved ones, moving our bodies, nourishing our souls – our chances of being healthy would skyrocket.
People get so caught up in the big picture of HEALTH that they often feel like it is too overwhelming. Pick one thing and make the changes necessary to have a real impact. It shouldn’t be about trying to be healthy. It should be about living our lives with meaning and purpose. One of my overarching goals is to grow old gracefully, naturally and easily. I used to call it a destination – I have come to learn it is a beautiful journey.
Seriously, pick one thing.
Getting that one new habit engrained can be just the catalyst (aka kick in the pants) you need to pick another thing!
Need some ideas?
- Go for a daily walk
- Take 10 minutes of quiet time daily
- Go to bed before 10 PM daily
- Stop all retail therapy
- Eat vegetables with every single meal
- Replace vegetable oil with olive oil or coconut oil
- Ensure all snacks are healthy and nutrient dense vs nutrient poor
- Spend more time doing activities you enjoy with people you love
- Make it a habit to do nice things for others
- Learn a new skill
Stop trying and start doing! Make that one thing non-negotiable and stick to it. Once it is engrained in your life, pick another. Rinse, lather, repeat!
Lake Girl
