“Well, I’m Basically Healthy”(What Does That Even Mean?)
“Can you tell me how to get to Keith, Alberta?”
“Sure. But why do you want to go there?”
“Well, EVERYONE wants to go there. That’s why.”
“Ya, I know. I hear it every day. ‘I want to go to Keith, Alberta’. If it’s so popular, how come so few people know how to get there?”
If I ask 1000 people the following questions, 1000 out of 1000 will say YES to all three:
Is health the most important thing is life?
Do you want to be TRULY healthy?
Does it make sense, then, that you should know the EXACT definition of health so you can go there with a series of purposeful decisions?
I hear it every day. ‘I want to be healthy’. In fact, EVERYONE I ask says ‘I want to be healthy’.
But very few people can give a precise definition of health.
And even fewer can tell me how the things they’re doing are ‘good for my health’.
“ Health is when all of the functions of the body and mind are optimally active.”
The most concerning for me is when a person who is clearly NOT functioning optimally (ie: is taking a drug to make up for their bad diet, or their excess weight, or their out-of-balance lifestyle) says: “Well, I’m basically healthy”.
How can one be healthy if the function of a part of the body has gotten so far from optimal that they regularly need a drug in order to function somewhat normally?
The problem is three-fold. And it’s a serious problem. It’s taking our families out.
First, we have been LIED to and told that health is simply LOOKING GOOD and FEELING GOOD.
“If you’re feeling crappy, ASK YOUR DOCTOR if masking the symptom but still having an unaddressed underlying problem is right for you.”
And second, those who lied to us about the definition of health have now NORMALISED disease.
“Well, he has XYZ condition. But he’s basically healthy.”
And third, if it’s not REASONABLE and CONVENIENT, many people have trouble staying on track with truly health-promoting actions.
My advice?
Pick ONE thing and focus on making it better in the next 3 weeks. It takes 21 days to form a new habit, so if you’ve been struggling with getting enough exercise, or with eating well, or with giving yourself stress-relief/vision time, then research it, plan it, simplify it, plan it again and finally MASTER it.
Then when you’re ready, repeat with another health promoting thing,
So, if you’re not absolutely clear on ANY thing you’re doing will lead to TRULY better health (when all of the functions of the body and mind are optimally active), then WHY ARE YOU DOING IT?
That would be like trying to get to Keith, Alberta by simply getting in your car and driving around hoping you are actually there already or that you’re at least getting closer to it.
Do you really have time and money to waste on things that you’re not SURE make you healthy?
Get clear on the definition. Get clear on what things accomplish that. Get clear on WHY you want to be healthy. And then work on it, work on it, work on it.