Healthy Body: Fundamentals
Mindset Flip
A few final thoughts, before we move on the the specifics.
There is nothing you can ever apply your attention, energy or resources to that is more important than your health.
With it you can do anything.
Without it – your options are limited.
In 2016 I was told there was a very real possibility that I might die within months.
To my face.
By a real (excellent) doctor.
There was an enormous brain tumour on my brain stem, no possibility for surgery – and it was growing crazy fast.
It gave me a rare perspective.
I got to think like someone with a few months left to live.
Everything because crystal clear.
Decisions became easy to make.
Things I had been putting up with and wrestling with forever –
had to be addressed without delay.
Or binned off.
There were a finite number of moments which could not be wasted.
No amount of money, possessions, achievements or qualifications, would have made the slightest difference.
Luckily, it didn’t turn out like that (phew, lol) but it was one of the best things ever to happen to me.
If I could give you the gift of ‘LOOK AT THIS MRI, YOU’RE GOING TO DIE’ conversation – and then obviously the accompanying – ‘uh no, as you were… you’ve got a while yet’, one,
I would.
Because after that – it all becomes easy.
It’s much harder thinking you have forever, because it’s tempting to put the things you need to tackle off until later.
We are going to move on to Food, Exercise and Biohacking next – and if your eyes just rolled because you don’t want to face those things.
Then you definitely need to pay attention to them.
In the meantime.
Think about whether there’s an area that needs a Mindset Shift
Here are some ideas, that if you wrap your head round them – will help with anything you want to achieve.
You HAVE to sit in Discomfort
If you need to eat more healthily, or exercise, I won’t lie – you’re going to have to dig in.
You might have to eat things you wouldn’t have chosen before.
You will definitely get hot, sweaty and have achy muscles.
We are hardwired to conserve energy and eat high calorie foods.
Most of us are addicted to sugar so our brains will SCREAM its disapproval like an angry toddler when we take its (or our) biscuit away.
I can’t sugar coat this… ?
You just have to get through that bit.
When you do, and it genuinely doesn’t take that long – it gets exponentially easier.
You get through the cravings.
Your tastes will change.
Your body frees up, gets stronger moves more easily.
The aches and pains subside.
The habits get formed and it is just the new normal way you do things.
You can’t skip that first part, but you can make it much easier on yourself by making those changes gently.
We’ll get to that.
If you want to get healthy, you absolutely can.
But it might well suck hairy balls to begin with.
Be Grateful
It’s not all about me, babe…
But if you’d indulge me just one more little bit.
The other ‘somewhat less deathy’ thing the big tumour turned out to be was called Tumefactive Multiple Sclerosis.
(We did laugh that that was the good news. My consultant is hilarious.
Look it up, it’s quite terrifying. The thing they treated it with, if you’re Googling – is called Lemtrada. Arguably even more terrifying.)
They gave me a leaflet.
The leaflet listed all the things that could happen to me.
Blindness, deafness, loss of bowel and bladder function, spasticity, cognitive function… it went on.
Every day I wake up grateful that none of those things have happened.
Eyes work – check.
Cat’s meowing – so ears are fine.
Need a wee – excellent.
I remember once being frustrated by my generously meaty bottom.
I no longer am.
MY BOTTOM IS SUPERB.
Thank you bottom – I appreciate you, and your comfy luxuriousness.
And all those other moving parts.
If you have a working body – that is an amazing resource to be grateful for.
If there are bits that don’t work the way they might, be grateful for the other parts.
It’s easy to get caught up in the detail of parts that you would change.
But acknowledging aspects of your health / body that you’re grateful for will reinforce healthy choices.
It sounds fluffy and hippyish,
but thanking your body for how far it’s got you already will boost your mental health and keep you moving forward.
Persistence:
There’s a big sign up in the gym:
“When it gets tough – remember why you started”.
It works for me.
What would your reason be?
- To feel stronger and fitter?
- Run around with the grandchildren?
- Feel younger and sexier?
- Be more confident?
- Run a marathon?
- Have fewer aches and pains?
- To look awesome for the holiday?
Write it down.
Say it out loud.
When you’re having a ‘can’t be bothered’ moment – remind yourself of that initial motivation and let it light a fire under your bum.
No-one ever regrets going for the walk, the workout, the run, making a healthy food choice, having an early night or not having opened the bottle of wine.
100% of the time.
Let Sh^t go:
If you have hidden the bodies of your slain victims under your patio – you should feel guilt and regret.
Same goes for bank robberies and old lady muggings.
Previous unhealthy choices do not fall into this category.
What happened, happened – with the information and energy you had back then.
Release any guilt or regret associated with those kinds of decisions.
It doesn’t help and arguably keeps you stuck.
Focus on the present and the positive health changes you’re making now.
Pareto Principle/Choose Your Battles
Focus your energy on health goals that make the most significant impact.
The biggest bang for your buck.
What’s the main things you need to sort?
Sleep?
Food?
Exercise?
Where’s the glaringly obvious one.
Focus there.
Avoid getting side tracked by minor details or derailed by unrealistic goals.
Your Health is Your Responsibility.
The NHS is free at source in the UK (at least for now), but it is severely stretched and largely running on the goodwill of the people that work within it.
Let’s not get into that.
Doctors, nurses, specialists, pharmacists, and all the other highly trained and caring professionals do their very best to keep us well.
They are doing their part – but we have to do ours.
Many people live on a diet of unhealthy food, don’t exercise, smoke, drink to excess and don’t get enough sleep, and then expect medical treatment when things go wrong.
They can only do so much – our choices are the biggest part of the health equation.
Surround Yourself With Healthy People
If your friends are still booze-fiends and you don’t want to live like that anymore, willpower alone is going to be very difficult.
If we are the sum of the people around us (or at least influenced by them), then make life easy for yourself.
Join groups, clubs, societies, classes where people want the same thing as you.
And if it’s the family who isn’t on your healthy page, then you have work to do, for all of you.
Where you can, find a team to support your healthy lifestyle choices and inspire you to maintain your health goals.
Delayed Gratification:
Discipline is apparently only sexy if it’s wearing PVC boots…
Practice discipline in your health choices.
It’s another muscle that can absolutely be built.
Find a way to remind yourself that immediate indulgences can detract from long-term goals like fitness or health improvements if that’s something you can fall foul of.
When you take responsibility for your health decisions, and get control over your health and body – it feels incredibly empowering.
It’s worth persevering with.
Last one…
Learn from Mistakes:
We all mess stuff up.
January 1st, when the world has its collective hangover and no one is ever going to drink again is a case in point.
(to be fair, I gave up Malibu after just such a New Year’s Eve – and I have stood resolutely by my word. Boak.)
Work out what didn’t work in your healthy efforts in the past.
Use those lessons to make more informed choices moving forward.
If you hate the gym – don’t go to the gym.
Find something else.
If you restrict your diet, eat only salads for a month and then demolish a filthy kebab… then adopt a different approach.
Work out what normally trips you up – and work out an alternative route to where you want to get to.
ACTION
Answer these questions:
- What discomfort do you need to practice sitting in?
- What are you grateful for about your body?
- What is your reason to be healthier?
- What guilt/regret do you need to let go of?
- How have you messed up in the past?
- What will you do instead?