Getting healthy is only half the battle. Staying healthy is the real achievement
Is there a time in your life when you’ve felt SUPER HEALTHY
Truly on top of your game?
When was that?
What did it feel like?
What were you up to?
If you can’t think of a time, is there a time you felt more care-free and relaxed?
What did that feel like?
What did your days look like?
What’s The Point?
My thinking goes that we all have times when we do this healthy living thing fairly well, but it’s maintaining it that presents the real challenge.
I got thinking about this today when I was chatting about a cleanse I’m doing right now. My girlfriend (Val) and I are trying out a 2 week low sugar, whole foods cleanse.
Now we generally eat pretty healthy – mostly home-cooked meals (Thank you Val), daily smoothies, very little processed foods, lots of superfoods, etc…
But we’re still constantly battling our unhealthy urges, food budgeting and time constraints.
In trying out this cleanse (and cheating daily) we’re realizing how much we can still improve.
We’ve been given guidelines (and a candida-busting supplement) from a naturopath, but man it’s been difficult.
I would say we are far from addicted to unhealthy foods, but the cravings for sweet foods have been intense.
I came to realize today why most people blindly take advice and pills from doctors…
It’s SO MUCH EASIER!!
Health is Hard
Getting healthy is an uphill journey, with all sorts of road blocks and traps and myths and challenges.
Staying healthy is another battle all over again.
So it’s no surprise that most people aren’t healthy.
But it’s Worth it
The only thing more important than how difficult it is to get and stay healthy, is how good it feels to BE healthy.
Even small improvements can create an amazing feeling – the feeling pf progress.
Tony Robbins says that Progress = Happiness, and I agree with him (within some boundaries).
Healthy living gives you more energy, making daily To Do’s less stressful.
Healthy living reduces our stress, allowing us to handle more and be more giving in our relationships.
Healthy living boosts our mood, creating a ripple effect of awesomeness in everything we do.
3 Starting Points – Choose One
Fuel
Making simple improvements in our nutrition can make a massive difference. Instead of trying to cut out the bad (focused on the negative), just try adding in some good, like a daily smoothie, a daily herbal tea or simply carrying around a water bottle wherever you go). Or if you’re making smoothies consistently, try adding 1-2 superfoods like Maca Powder or Goji Berries that help with energy, stress management and much more.
Fuel Matters – Keep it Simple and Add the Good
Movement
This is where I started my ‘wellness journey’ a few years ago after focusing primarily on mental health for a few years before that. I hired a personal trainer for 3 sessions (~$150) to get the ball rolling. Those lasted 3-4 months and I didn’t set my foot in the gym one time apart from those sessions, but it got me excited enough and it was simple enough that I started running more regularly (1-2 x per week @ ~2km). That led to feeling better and actually wanting to eat healthier. I started reading some inspiring books from Brendan Brazier and Rich Roll, which led to investing in a Vitamix blender, and all of a sudden I’ve run 3 ultramarathons and am about to attempt a 100km trail run in March.
Movement Matters and so does Momentum
Mind
Mental health is just as important to maintain and work on as fuel and movement. Some useful things I’ve done are to connect, learn and focus. I try to stay connected to friends, colleagues, professionals (GP, counsellor, etc..) and family regularly. I make sure to learn constantly, in fact if I’m addicted to anything, it’s learning which I have to pry myself from regularly to actually GET STUFF DONE. And I’m always aware of my focus. Is it negative? Is it distracted? Is it empowered? This keeps my mind active and positive and the fuel and movement are now extra brain boosters, all supporting each other.
Mental Health Matters whether you have a mental illness or not
Your Accountability
Choose one of the above areas to work on right away and publicly commit to it by sharing it in the comments below this post.
We’ll make sure to cheer you on!! And make sure to cheer on others as well!!
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