Health is something that we all talk about. It is something that we all think about. Is it something that we all are doing something about? That is where things get a little less clear. We all want to be healthy. The difference between wanting to be healthy and being healthy is a finer line that most people think.
Let’s think about a healthy routine for a minute: you have to exercise, eat mindfully and take time for yourself to do these things on a daily basis. While everyone is busy wanting to live healthy, those that are living healthy are busy…living healthy.
What is the difference? Well, it’s not a matter of will or determination. It is not a matter of being stronger or being a healthy person or not. Living healthy comes down to the ability to keep going. The ability to get up when you’ve fallen down is the only way to live healthy.
The great baseball player, Babe Ruth once said: “It’s hard to beat someone that never gives up.”
This is true in all areas of life. Since we are talking health, let’s keep it focused on that area. How often does living healthy get difficult? That is a trick question, because living healthy is always difficult. The day to day can be a challenge and keeping it going week in and week out, month in and month out gets even more challenging.
The key is to keep going. When things get difficult, you have to find ways to overcome the challenge. When you get knocked down, and you will get knocked down, you have to do three things:
1. You have to decide that you are going to get up.
2. You have to figure out the best way to get up.
3. You have to decide where you are going to go when you get up.
Try it
When you set a goal, you are trying to do something. When you are simply thinking or talking about it, you haven’t tried anything yet. It may be take energy to focus on the goal even before you get started, but you haven’t gotten started yet. When you start trying, you will be putting in real energy and real time.
Get up and try again
This is a good start, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be set-backs. When you get started and start getting some progress made, there are going to be days that get difficult. There will be challenges that make you wonder if you can keep going or not. There are even going to be moments that make you feel like you can’t go on.
That’s right, there are going to be times that you have fallen and don’t know if you can get back up again. Guess what: you can get back up again.
Where will you be if you quit?
You have to keep going. You have to get up and you have to move on. Where will you be if you don’t get up and keep going? What will you have accomplished? Have you reached your goal? Are you going to be satisfied if you stop now? Probably not. That is why you have to keep going.
What progress DID you make?
It is one thing to say that you want to keep going. It is another thing all together to actually do it. That is where thinking and talking turn into doing. You have to look at where you were when you fell down. Did you get as far as you wanted to get? Probably not. Now it is time to think about what you need to do to keep going. You have to pick yourself up and get moving again. One way to do that is to look at the progress that you DID make. When you can look at your routine and realize that you made some progress, it is easier to start getting back on track because you are not starting from square one again. You don’t have to go back to the beginning.
What’s next?
Now that you have decided to get back up again, what are you going to do? What is the plan? The sooner you set a plan and get going on it. When you get your plan in motion, you are free to make choices and do what will make it work for you. If you run into challenges, you have to remember the reasons you started doing this in the first place. If you still want to reach your goals, why would you stop pursuing them? Why would you give up?
After all, if you don’t give up, you can’t lose. That is the beauty of health. The more you do, the more you get. As long as you get up and keep going, you get results.
When Babe Ruth was talking about not giving up, he was right. Baseball takes perseverance and determination. So does health, but in health, you are even more likely to succeed if you are willing to keep going. As long as you don’t give up, you can’t lose when it comes to health. In other words, it is hard to beat someone who never gives up.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Root vs. Fruit (Personal Wellness)
We like results. Results are what tell us that what we are doing is working. Results also tell us if what we are doing is not working. Either way, results are a measure of what we do. They are an outcome for us. The outcomes we are looking for come only from actions.
Actions are what bring you results. The actions you take are leading to outcomes. If you are doing things that lead to positive results, you must be taking the proper actions. If you are doing things that are leading to negative results, you must have some opportunities to change or improve your actions.
With our personal health and wellness, we get focused on the fruit. The fruit is just what it sounds like. It is the result of a healthy and well-nourished tree. When you set out to live healthy, you are looking for fruit. In order to make it turn out the way you want it to, you have some specific actions to take. A farmer planting a fruit tree needs to water the tree and give it time to mature. As it matures, the roots grow stronger and good fruit will be a result. The farmer doesn’t just stick a tiny apple tree in the ground and expect apples to grow.
In health and wellness, you actually have the same needs. You can’t simply focus on or hope for good results and get them. You have to put a plan into place, take time, find your motivation and have a certain amount of drive to carry out the actions needed to get the results you want.
Do you simply set a goal in hope it will happen? If so, how many goals do you reach? Likely, not many goals at all. That wouldn’t make much sense, would it? But in health, many people are doing just that. They want to lose weight and avoid long-term health problems, but are not doing anything to ensure that it will happen. Instead of taking action and working on the root of the issue, most people are simply making excuses and saying that they will start “next week” or “Monday”. This “strategy” is taking place all across the country. Everyone wants fruit. Everyone wants their health to be good and for their healthcare costs to be low. What they don’t want to do is invest in the root that will allow them to grow the fruit they so badly want and need.
Why does this happen? It happens because focusing on the fruit doesn’t get you anywhere without focus on the root.
When you focus on the root, good things happen. This works in all areas of life, but especially health. Take personal finance for example. You wouldn’t just hope that you had enough money to pay your mortgage. You wouldn’t assume that there would be enough and stop paying attention to your spending and saving on a day to day basis.
You have a budget and follow specific guidelines to make sure you don’t run out of money before the end of each month or worse, spend more than you have and can pay back. In this case, budgeting and guidelines are the root and having money to pay for your necessities like housing and food is the fruit. You can’t have one without the other. No matter how much you need a roof over your head and food on your table, without budgeting and planning, you will not be able to do it. Smart people know that focus on a budget and smart planning brings good results. In other words, they know that focus on the root leads to good fruit.
Personal wellness gives you that opportunity to focus on the root of your health. Without a strategy or a plan, there is only a mere hope and a prayer for health. If left to convenience, ease and general knowledge, most people in our society are seeing their health decline. It is getting worse by the day which means we are all paying more for health care.
Hope is not a strategy for health. The only way for you to get results is to take action. This is true in any are of life. Not only do you need to take action, but you need to take the right actions. When it comes to health and wellness there are many options to take. Unfortunately, most people know which options they should be taking, but have not found a way to make it work for them.
The fact is, any action is going to bring some results. The state of today’s healthcare environment is just what we’ve been hearing about: a crisis. This crisis is not due to insurance or other system flaws. It is due to health or lack of health. We are unhealthy and creating a larger problem by the day. A crisis is not the time to do nothing. When in crisis, shouldn’t action be taken? Any steps that help your personal wellness are the best actions you can take. Taking action is strengthening your root and that is the best way to get more fruit. If you want fruit, you have to focus on the root.
Actions are what bring you results. The actions you take are leading to outcomes. If you are doing things that lead to positive results, you must be taking the proper actions. If you are doing things that are leading to negative results, you must have some opportunities to change or improve your actions.
With our personal health and wellness, we get focused on the fruit. The fruit is just what it sounds like. It is the result of a healthy and well-nourished tree. When you set out to live healthy, you are looking for fruit. In order to make it turn out the way you want it to, you have some specific actions to take. A farmer planting a fruit tree needs to water the tree and give it time to mature. As it matures, the roots grow stronger and good fruit will be a result. The farmer doesn’t just stick a tiny apple tree in the ground and expect apples to grow.
In health and wellness, you actually have the same needs. You can’t simply focus on or hope for good results and get them. You have to put a plan into place, take time, find your motivation and have a certain amount of drive to carry out the actions needed to get the results you want.
Do you simply set a goal in hope it will happen? If so, how many goals do you reach? Likely, not many goals at all. That wouldn’t make much sense, would it? But in health, many people are doing just that. They want to lose weight and avoid long-term health problems, but are not doing anything to ensure that it will happen. Instead of taking action and working on the root of the issue, most people are simply making excuses and saying that they will start “next week” or “Monday”. This “strategy” is taking place all across the country. Everyone wants fruit. Everyone wants their health to be good and for their healthcare costs to be low. What they don’t want to do is invest in the root that will allow them to grow the fruit they so badly want and need.
Why does this happen? It happens because focusing on the fruit doesn’t get you anywhere without focus on the root.
When you focus on the root, good things happen. This works in all areas of life, but especially health. Take personal finance for example. You wouldn’t just hope that you had enough money to pay your mortgage. You wouldn’t assume that there would be enough and stop paying attention to your spending and saving on a day to day basis.
You have a budget and follow specific guidelines to make sure you don’t run out of money before the end of each month or worse, spend more than you have and can pay back. In this case, budgeting and guidelines are the root and having money to pay for your necessities like housing and food is the fruit. You can’t have one without the other. No matter how much you need a roof over your head and food on your table, without budgeting and planning, you will not be able to do it. Smart people know that focus on a budget and smart planning brings good results. In other words, they know that focus on the root leads to good fruit.
Personal wellness gives you that opportunity to focus on the root of your health. Without a strategy or a plan, there is only a mere hope and a prayer for health. If left to convenience, ease and general knowledge, most people in our society are seeing their health decline. It is getting worse by the day which means we are all paying more for health care.
Hope is not a strategy for health. The only way for you to get results is to take action. This is true in any are of life. Not only do you need to take action, but you need to take the right actions. When it comes to health and wellness there are many options to take. Unfortunately, most people know which options they should be taking, but have not found a way to make it work for them.
The fact is, any action is going to bring some results. The state of today’s healthcare environment is just what we’ve been hearing about: a crisis. This crisis is not due to insurance or other system flaws. It is due to health or lack of health. We are unhealthy and creating a larger problem by the day. A crisis is not the time to do nothing. When in crisis, shouldn’t action be taken? Any steps that help your personal wellness are the best actions you can take. Taking action is strengthening your root and that is the best way to get more fruit. If you want fruit, you have to focus on the root.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Find Your Way
When you look at your health routine, what do you see? Are you making time for yourself and living healthy? Or are you wishing you were making time for yourself and living healthy? Of course, there are many points in between these two extremes, but for many it feels like you are on one end or the other.
The reality is, most of us are somewhere in the middle. We make some time for ourselves and get some results. We may not be making as much time as we want and therefore not living quite as healthy as we want to be living, but if you are making SOME time, you are doing something right.
What are you doing right? Let’s start there. This is often the key to success. Obviously doing things right is important. However, the real value in this is not just doing something right, it is knowing what to do so that you can do it and most importantly, being able to understand why it works so you can keep doing it.
That is the difference between someone that can continue with a successful routine. It works in any area of life. When you look at a successful business person, they have a deliberate plan, a process in place that continues to give them the results they are looking for and they make time to keep that process going according to plan.
The same goes for a top-level athlete. They are talented, yes. They are able to do things that most others cannot. The reason that they are able to excel among others with similar abilities is their ability to focus on their strengths, keep practicing and perfect certain techniques. These techniques can include certain strategies that give them advantages over someone that simply “plays the game”. There is a difference between preparing to play and simply playing.
Health is nothing more than a skill-set. In fact, health is a skill-set that we all have. We can all eat healthy foods and move our bodies. We all learned how to do these things without even thinking about it. Our childhoods were filled with movement, play and other activities that kept us in great shape whether we knew it or not. The foods we ate were the foods that were in front of us. Sure, we all recall having to stomach something that wasn’t as fun, but for the most part, fruits and veggies are not magically introduced upon adulthood.
We have the skills do to the things that get us and keep us healthy. We are born with those or we learn them as part of everyday life. What we don’t have automatically is the routine to keep these things going or the plan to make them work when things get more challenging. That is why many of us are not getting the experience we want out of health.
What can you do to get the experience you want out of health? You have to find a way. There are ways to do it in every routine. I don’t care how much time you have or don’t have. I don’t care how busy you are. I don’t even care how much you dislike certain foods or exercise. You can find a way as long as you see the value for yourself.
If you want to do something, you will find a way to do it. If you want to do something, you will find YOUR way to do it. That is the key to success. It has to be your way, or it won’t work for you. Here are some steps you can take to find your way to good health:
Step 1- Think about the little things you can do to improve your health
Take a step, any step toward good health. You know what it means to be healthy and you know what you are doing or not doing in your routine. There is no excuse. Even a small step will lead to changes as long as you keep doing it.
Step 2- When you find a small step that works for you, cling to it and commit to keeping it going
No matter how small and insignificant you think something is, it will lead you in the right direction if it becomes part of your routine.
Step 3- Keep an eye on what is working…and what isn’t
The key to setting your routine in stone is making sure that it is working. Keep track of your schedule. You can do this with as much detail or effort as you see fit. Don’t over-complicate things, but if you know which days and times are requiring certain things, you can be sure to properly allocate your tasks.
This is just three steps and if you can do these you are not only off and running, but you are focusing on ways to keep going and you are positioned to make improvements along the way. It really is that simple: take a step by starting something…anything, keep it going if it works, change what you are doing if it doesn’t and keep a close eye on what is and isn’t working, so you can continue to adjust but keep the good parts moving in your routine.
Health is not about being perfect. No one is perfect and no one ever will be. Health is not about staying with some magic formula that you saw on TV or that your friend told you about. Health is about doing what works for you. Health is about finding your own way. If you want to live healthy, you have to find your routine. You have to find your way.
The reality is, most of us are somewhere in the middle. We make some time for ourselves and get some results. We may not be making as much time as we want and therefore not living quite as healthy as we want to be living, but if you are making SOME time, you are doing something right.
What are you doing right? Let’s start there. This is often the key to success. Obviously doing things right is important. However, the real value in this is not just doing something right, it is knowing what to do so that you can do it and most importantly, being able to understand why it works so you can keep doing it.
That is the difference between someone that can continue with a successful routine. It works in any area of life. When you look at a successful business person, they have a deliberate plan, a process in place that continues to give them the results they are looking for and they make time to keep that process going according to plan.
The same goes for a top-level athlete. They are talented, yes. They are able to do things that most others cannot. The reason that they are able to excel among others with similar abilities is their ability to focus on their strengths, keep practicing and perfect certain techniques. These techniques can include certain strategies that give them advantages over someone that simply “plays the game”. There is a difference between preparing to play and simply playing.
Health is nothing more than a skill-set. In fact, health is a skill-set that we all have. We can all eat healthy foods and move our bodies. We all learned how to do these things without even thinking about it. Our childhoods were filled with movement, play and other activities that kept us in great shape whether we knew it or not. The foods we ate were the foods that were in front of us. Sure, we all recall having to stomach something that wasn’t as fun, but for the most part, fruits and veggies are not magically introduced upon adulthood.
We have the skills do to the things that get us and keep us healthy. We are born with those or we learn them as part of everyday life. What we don’t have automatically is the routine to keep these things going or the plan to make them work when things get more challenging. That is why many of us are not getting the experience we want out of health.
What can you do to get the experience you want out of health? You have to find a way. There are ways to do it in every routine. I don’t care how much time you have or don’t have. I don’t care how busy you are. I don’t even care how much you dislike certain foods or exercise. You can find a way as long as you see the value for yourself.
If you want to do something, you will find a way to do it. If you want to do something, you will find YOUR way to do it. That is the key to success. It has to be your way, or it won’t work for you. Here are some steps you can take to find your way to good health:
Step 1- Think about the little things you can do to improve your health
Take a step, any step toward good health. You know what it means to be healthy and you know what you are doing or not doing in your routine. There is no excuse. Even a small step will lead to changes as long as you keep doing it.
Step 2- When you find a small step that works for you, cling to it and commit to keeping it going
No matter how small and insignificant you think something is, it will lead you in the right direction if it becomes part of your routine.
Step 3- Keep an eye on what is working…and what isn’t
The key to setting your routine in stone is making sure that it is working. Keep track of your schedule. You can do this with as much detail or effort as you see fit. Don’t over-complicate things, but if you know which days and times are requiring certain things, you can be sure to properly allocate your tasks.
This is just three steps and if you can do these you are not only off and running, but you are focusing on ways to keep going and you are positioned to make improvements along the way. It really is that simple: take a step by starting something…anything, keep it going if it works, change what you are doing if it doesn’t and keep a close eye on what is and isn’t working, so you can continue to adjust but keep the good parts moving in your routine.
Health is not about being perfect. No one is perfect and no one ever will be. Health is not about staying with some magic formula that you saw on TV or that your friend told you about. Health is about doing what works for you. Health is about finding your own way. If you want to live healthy, you have to find your routine. You have to find your way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
