So here I am today sitting in the café of Hexham Hospital while my sister has a minor procedure carried out. Being someone who just loves the world passing by and particularly watching people I find it fascinating looking at the people around me here right now. This is how I came up with today’s 8 questions to inspire your healthy living habits. We are in the anything about the hub of a facility where you come to when your health is poor, when illness strikes. We are surrounded by reminders of how important are health is, and the consequences of getting it wrong.
So why then am I watching people shovelling down plates of sausage and chips with heavily buttered white bread as a side dish. Others drowning cups of coffee while consuming chocolate bars. The youngsters fare no better, they’re eating chocolate muffins together with potato crisps, with cans of coco-cola. The only exercise I see is when one of the adults walks to the outside in order to light up a cigarette. To me there is no logic in this, why as a society are we not learning the importance of healthy lifestyle living.
I suppose most of us have a bad habit or two. Perhaps they see this guy in a hospital café tapping away at his laptop keyboard and think that’s a strange thing to be doing in a hospital café. They probably find it even stranger if I said, oh don’t worry, I’m a blogger. A what?
Yet sitting in this hospital, on my lap top, I find it only natural that my mind be focusing on how for some people being unhealthy is a way of life. They make a habit of it.
Why do they do this? If we know what we’re supposed to do: eat right, exercise, relax, and refrain from harmful habits, then why don’t we do it? Do we really want to end up in a place like this being rushed into the casualty department?
I could write for hours about all the healthy habits you need to adopt. I have before and I will again. But many of you already know what they are. In fact I’d be pretty certain that a few of the people I’m watching right now know what they should be doing, but they choose not to. So perhaps this is the biggest issue. Not what it is you should be doing, but what it’s going to take to get you to do them.
So are you ready to adopt healthy lifestyle habits?
Please give some thought to these questions.
1. What lifestyle habits do you engage in that contribute to an illness or health condition you have right now?
For example, do you smoke, drink far to much alcohol, participate in too little exercise, eat badly … be real, think about the things you do, and those that you don’t. Why do you think you feel lousy like you do right now?
2. If you continue on with these bad habits without making any lifestyle changes, what might your health be like in 10, 20, or 30 plus years?
Sometimes you have to frighten yourself into action. Maybe you need to visit the casualty department of a hospital and see what smoking, excess drinking, obesity can result in. If things are effecting you now, and you continue on the same path, you’re going to magnify the problem, you must see that things can only get worse.
3. If you changed your lifestyle to improve your health, how might your health be different in 10, 20, or 30 plus years, compared to how it would be if you made no changes?
I don’t care how old you are, by getting rid of your bad habits and replacing them with good ones the impact on your health and your life is going to be substantial. As a fitness club owner seeing people get in control of their diets, losing 6 to 8 stone in weight, quitting smoking, stopping drinking, and seeing how different they are and hearing the stories of what they can now do that they’d never thought possible before is sensational.
4. Do the bad habits you described above have any negative effects on people you care about or love? If so, please describe the habit and its negative effects
Let me give you an example. Children love to copy their parents. So if you are a smoker there’s a good chance so will your child be. And if you smoke around your child you do realise I’m sure they are breathing in your smoke all ready. Good habits start at home and they start when we’re young. So I hope healthy eating is something you’re already teaching your children.
5. Can you think of any positive influence or hope you could bring to the lives of people you care about if you changed bad lifestyle habits to healthful ones?
I love ‘making the difference’ and I bet so do you. How great would it be if by your example others could learn great beneficial habits. No matter how unhealthy you have been to this point, now you can strive to be a shining light, and demonstrate the advantages of healthy living. Show others what’s possible if you put your mind to it. Show them that iof you can do, they could change to. Give them belief.
6. What can’t you any longer do, that if you changed your lifestyle habits you may once again be able to do?
I’ve known people who love to go on long country walks, but were unable to do so They couldn’t even climb a staircase at home without getting out of breath. Once they changed their lifestyle habits within three months they were back to being able to go on these walk again. A year later one was running her first marathon.
7. What thing would you love to do that if you changed your lifestyle habits maybe possible?
I’ve just given the example of a lady who by stopping smoking and cutting out chocolate and cakes from her diet, and taking up exercise 4 days a week within a year completed a marathon. It was this marathon that was her goal from the start, the reason she eventually decided the time was right to make these lifestyle changes. From a completely different perspective, how about the family that afforded a summer vacation paid for from the savings simply from quitting smoking. What would be your goal?
8. Who do you love or value enough to make the sacrifice necessary to break your bad habit and if you adopted healthful lifestyle habits instead would you be in a better position to help them out in the future in some way?
You would be staggered how many young mum’s have joined gyms I’ve worked in motivated by the fact that they can’t keep up with them in the park, or just playing along with them in the garden. Once these mums took their diet and fitness seriously they were able to do everything they wanted and give their kids a good run for their money.
On a ten point scale, where 10 is highest, 0 is lowest, how healthy is your lifestyle right now?
Be honest with your calculation.
On a ten point scale, where 10 is highest, 0 is lowest, how motivated are you to begin the journey to rid yourself of bad habits and adopt healthy lifestyle habits?
So in conclusion as I’m sure Sue will be here shortly and I can get out of this hospital; real soon, healthy lifestyle habits will boost your energy, improve your mental outlook and enhances your quality of life. Regardless of your current health, you can begin making positive lifestyle changes today. You just have to make the decision that this is your time to do so, and you’re motivated to make the changes.
Please take heed because I don’t want you needing to visit your hospital with something that you have the ability to prevent yourself.
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