My question to you today is how important is a healthier lifestyle to you? So many people set a goal to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, add more energy to their day, to feel physically fit and vibrant and feel great inside and out, as well as to look good. But more importantly than all that, they need to do everything they can to enjoy good health now and in the future. The good news is, it can all be achieved by establishing a healthier lifestyle.
But why would you want to?
I would guess that you are here because you want to live healthily and know how important it therefore is to establish a healthier lifestyle. But why actually are you here, what has made you now decide to find the way of establishing a healthier lifestyle?
A simple undisputable fact is that by improving your lifestyle you will improve your chances of living longer and enjoying good health on your journey through life. Have you only just come to realise this?
Statistics show that Illnesses associated with a poor lifestyle are becoming more prominent and of course have a considerable impact on an individual’s health. Have you recently been ill?
Maybe you’ve decided to adopt a healthier lifestyle; to lose weight; to help prevent an illness; to make more of your life; to simply just start feeling better, or to help you create a better balance in your life.
I’d take a pretty safe bet, that there’s been a recent event that has now given you an extra motivation to finally make that step to implement changes in your life. It’s pushed you to take action. Whatever your reason just know a healthy lifestyle is within your reach.
It doesn’t matter, in truth what your lifestyle is like right now, or how good or bad your health may be.
I’m sure many of you will have experienced recent periods of ill health. The struggles and effects of this have acted as a wakeup call and you’re determined to shout out ‘no more illness, I want to enjoy good health’ and you know it’s essential that you succeed in this wish.
Health problems can very quickly stop you enjoying life and can lead to a spiral of negative feelings. They can affect your self-esteem as you struggle to take care of yourself and carry out your responsibilities. Health problems can stop you achieving your dreams, can cause conflict with loved ones, can prevent you working and stop you enjoying your life. I’ve now experienced this for myself.
If you haven’t experienced bad health, take heed of this warning, get your lifestyle right to protect you against the potential dangers and avoid bad health before it is too late.
When our health begins to decline, everything about life suffers. That’s why is important to take a proactive approach to your health. Sitting back, not taking control of your health, and simply accepting the status quo is a guarantee that you’ll experience even worse health problems in the future.
Dealing with a chronic illness for the past 6 years has led me to realising even more than ever before the importance of a healthier lifestyle. As a Gym owner, fitness instructor, healthy lifestyle blogger I probably took it for granted, and I certainly never realised how hard it was to recover from ill health. It reminded me it’s important not just to talk the talk, but walk the walk as well.
Following my blindness in one eye my health spiralled down and out of control. For a long while I struggled to cope. Forcing myself to once again practice what I preached, actually walking the walk turned my life completely around. Living a healthier lifestyle that included all dimensions of my being; my mind, my body, my spirit and the environment I choose to live in. By once again living this healthier lifestyle I experienced profound improvements in my physical, spiritual and mental wellbeing, and that’s exactly what I want for you.
Key to me were the compelling reasons I felt inside for doing it. It was these reasons that gave me the power to see it through and stick with it. It was them that got me out of bed at 6am to do my ‘hour of power’ even though I still felt exhausted, empty of energy, no strength. The same reasons saw me preparing and cooking meals from scratch instead of eating unhealthy ready meals as I’d been doing before. Switching my Lucozade orange drink, which I’d consume 3 or 4 bottles a day to drinking water. Each of these things I found hard but my reasons kept me going as will yours.
So what are your reasons?
Here are some examples of why you may be here:
- I often feel blue or depressed.
- I feel lethargic midmorning or mid-afternoon.
- I often experience an overall feeling of fatigue.
- I wake up frequently during the night and experience poor sleep.
- I am not accomplishing as much as I used to at work.
- I have difficulty with sexual arousal, low libido, less intense orgasm, or poor erections.
- I am prone to irritability/emotional swings/anxiety.
- I lack stamina.
- I have experienced poor health and want to feel far better.
- I want to avoid experiencing major illness.
Many of you will have even more compelling reasons than these, but you’ve got to work out exactly what they are.
For me getting myself out of the dreadful spiral of ill health was essential for me. I was determined to bring about the changes required to move from illness to wellness. I was so determined to see my grandkids grow up and be there for both my daughters’ weddings. There are so many things I wanted to enjoy in the future that I was both inspired and empowered to get myself back into shape, fit, energetic through implementing a healthier lifestyle. You need to see exactly what is empowering you.
To start, you need to think about why you want to bring about change.
Developing a health goal is critical. Are you at risk for cancer or other chronic illnesses based on family history or your own behaviour? Are you thinking of trying to start a family in the near future? Do you tend to get sick a lot or suffer from stress, asthma or other conditions?
Ask yourself some questions.
- Exactly what do I want to change?
- What are my personal, most powerful reasons for wanting this change?
- What will my life look like when I’ve made the change?
- What could get in the way of my success?
Your answers to these questions will help you focus and give you the motivation. It’s also critical to find your own reasons for change, not your spouse’s or your doctor’s. If you’re doing it because you should, not because you want to, the chances of success aren’t that great.
Change is hard. There’s got to be something in it for you otherwise you won’t do it.
For one of my clients he had major issues that finally made it a priority for him to implement a healthier lifestyle. Last year, he spent more time in the hospital with treatments and surgeries than in all other years combined (thank goodness, the problem has been forever resolved!). And his wife has been plagued with yet-undiagnosed health issues, too. On top of that, he lost some friends and family members.
For others it is smaller factors that edge away at your resistance to change. For another client it was the combination of not being able to keep up with his grandchildren, none of his suits fitting him and being diagnosed with high blood pressure, it took all these to finally make him seek out the path to a healthier lifestyle.
Maybe you want to reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and more! You want to feel better, have more energy and reduce your risk of other illnesses. Maybe it’s simply you want a better quality of life which would come about from making improvements in your health.
We all have the power within to improve, to change, and to succeed. All we need is the desire to make it happen. For you to effect change, making a change must have value to you.
The first step is to get clear on your why. Only you have the key to unlock the door of good health. If you are ILL now, change the way you are living … If you are lacking in energy, debilitated by stress, don’t fit in to your clothes, change the way you are living.
Healthy Living is not a maybe, it is a must do. If you focus on the right steps of healthy living – you will begin to experience optimal health as every positive thing you do affects each and every aspect of your life – health – physical and emotional well-being.
My advice to you is before you try to begin implementing a healthier lifestyle, it is essential you find all the powerful, compelling reasons it matters to you, if you truly want the strength and courage to see it through. If you don’t have strong reasons you’ll begin to think of all the sacrifices you’re making, like giving up chocolate, cutting back on alcohol, exercising every day, to name but a few things that many of you won’t look at with glee.
As a saying goes, once you know your why, you’ll find your how.
Good luck with your journey towards a good, long term healthier lifestyle.
Get healthy, change your lifestyle!
Interested in a more healthy lifestyle that works for you? Invest some time in yourself and work with an experienced coach and qualified fitness instructor. Together you will identify and work towards manageable health and lifestyle goals. Check out my Free 30 Minute Consulting Session.
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