Health is Not Point A to Point B
We are becoming healthy. It’s a constant journey. It’s ever evolving.
Consider the idea that health is a state that ebbs and flows through certain action.
Sure, the exact definition is the absence of disease. There may be other definitions, unique to specific experts in different fields. Maybe each has their own slight bias.
But let me elaborate on this a bit further:
We don’t just wake up one day and all of a sudden become “healthy.” Being healthy is the result of healthy behaviours. Focusing on the moment at hand, and making the best possible choice now is what leads the positive results. It’s about being sure as hell these healthy choices outweigh the undesired ones.
Going to the doctor, dentist, eye care specialist, personal trainer, yoga instructor, etc, helps us stay accountable. (Not all of them, but the best ones will). We hit a requirement. We check off the boxes. We are healthy according to them. Until next time. These serve as valuable checkpoints, and benchmarks to achieve. They are sign-posts making sure we are moving in the right direction.
I’m of the opinion that the more emphasis we put on what’s in our direct control, the better off we will be. Health is achieved through action. Do our healthier choices offset the lesser ones? Over time, our history is exposed. What does our trail of health look like, and what does the picture look like now?
Right now, we have a choice and whether it aligns with our goals or not. Forget the weight on the scale. Forget the results of the test. For now. Because all those were was the snap shot of your current situation — the result of your past behaviours. What are you going to do now?
If we make positive, meaningful choices every day, we are healthier than we once were. This is amazing. Every moment we have the ability to alter our path. Our mindset, our movement, our diet, our work, our family. We have control over where our effort goes. And by focusing on right now, we can say we are healthy. Allow me to introduce a spectrum I find useful when I am trying achieve a goal.
Meaningful, Unconscious
Meaningful, Conscious
Undesired, Conscious
Undesired, Unconscious
Note: I couldn’t figure out a good word which is the opposite of meaningful, so I came up with ‘Undesired.’ (I don’t thing ‘unmeaningful’ is a word, so although tempted, I avoided that choice). Please let me know if you have a better word.
The goal is to bring awareness to to the Undesired, Unconscious choices we make on a daily basis. This is very difficult. Good news: we don’t have to change them just yet. Just try to bring awareness to the undesirable choices you seem to make on a ever day. No judgement. Just shine that spotlight on ‘em.
Next, figure out how you can substitute your Undesired, Conscious choices with Meaningful, Conscious choices.
Finally, double down on your strengths — your Meaningful, Conscious behaviours. Celebrate these as small victories every time you exercise the action. The more these are practiced, the more they get wired into our deeper nature. They become unconscious. They become a habit. They are within us.
We are becoming.
5 Minute Action
- Grab a notepad and pen. Title it, “Behaviour Tracking Journal.” Keep this beside you for the next week or so. Every time you exercise a behaviour you don’t necessarily care for, write it down. Then try to write down as many events that occurred leading up to this behaviour. You’re looking for patterns — triggers — to what may have caused you to make this choice.
- Do one thing that will get you forward — even if it’s the smallest thing. If you want to lose weight, maybe that’s getting up and walking for two minutes. You might want to start a blog, in this case stop reading this post and just write your own. (I won’t be upset). Remember that your “small” task will be different than someone else’s, and that’s okay. You’re learning what works for you.
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