Impacting Successful Outcomes by Promoting Physical Health
Physical Health is something very near and dear to my heart. My Father passed away when I was a teenager and even though his heart had deteriorated from rheumatic fever at an early age, he did not take very good care from himself. For him, smoking, drinking, not sleeping right, and not eating right took a toll on his health. I watched my Dad suffer throughout his life and in his last years he would tell me about how time catches up with everyone and that it’s very important to take care of yourself. He used to say that when you are young you think that you’re invincible but you end up paying for it when you get older. I have seen members of my family and others very close to me suffer from a variety of ailments including diabetes, cancer, obesity, alcoholism, and even drug addiction. It is my hope that this article will assist you in recognizing the importance of physical health, especially in the context of personal growth and promoting successful outcomes in life.
In seeing my father and so many others suffer from health related issues, I have become somewhat obsessed when it comes to exercise and nutrition. I haven't drank a soda in 15 years and I don’t know what consuming alcohol is like. In fact, I have zero use for alcohol. My beverage of choice is water, though I do drink milk and juice as well. For my daily meals and snacks I find enjoyment in eating fresh fruits and vegetables, leafy greens, lean meats and whole grains as well as other healthy favorites such as olive oil, almonds, Greek yogurt and dark chocolate.
The 80/20 Rule for Nutrition
A lot of people will say that eating like I do is too bland and boring. I believe in the 80/20 rule when it comes to nutrition. That is to say that 80 percent of the food you consume should be healthy and nutritious while the remaining 20 percent can be allocated for not so healthy options. If there is some sort of fitness event that I am preparing for, I will try to get as close to perfect nutrition that I can.
I have also heard others say that they want to enjoy life while they are young and want to eat what they want and have fun. I can understand that thought process, but I see things differently. I’m 30 years young but I still feel 18. I love the fact that I can run long distances, play sports, wake up feeling good, and have energy all day long. With healthy eating I feel good all the time, my productivity is strong, and my body is capable of completing my daily tasks. To me, having all these positive things are far greater than filling up on junk for a few moments of pleasure.
Don't Neglect Exercise
I think nutrition is more important than exercise, but you can’t neglect exercise neither. Having a good exercise routine in your life is essential for life long health. The greatest thing you can do for your body is to take care of it. You only get one body and when you stay active and do strength training as well as cardio in combination with a solid nutrition plan, you can stay in shape for a very long time. Many diseases, heart conditions, emotional problems, and many personal problems can be linked back to poor health, lack of physical fitness, and/or poor nutrition. This is just like the fact that many problems in your Christian life can be linked back to the lack of Bible reading. Usually issues in life can be solved by sticking to basic fundamentals.
Make an Investment in Your Health
In a time of fast food, sugar loaded desserts, sugar based drinks, and sedentary lifestyles, the need for good health and nutrition is absolutely important. We spend money on the latest technology, the newest cars, the biggest homes, and the nicest vacations, but so many people don’t invest the necessary time and effort into maintaining, let alone improving, their body. A healthy body, mind, and Spirit will take you further than any product or technology available on the market. Within all of us, there is so much available potential in just these three components alone. ALWAYS develop your mind, body, and Spirit. Taking care of them will help you achieve bigger and better things in life which leads to success.
You should never be upset with your body, it is doing the absolute best that it can with the way that you treat it. If it isn’t performing like you want it to, you have the power to change. You can develop your body to any degree and you can condition it to be a super machine that will perform under pressure. Investing in your own personal fitness can be extremely advantageous to your overall life.
Even for those that were not dealt the best of cards in life, there are still thousands of people that have overcome their circumstances because they were driven and motivated. To name a few individuals, I encourage you to read about some of the greats: Christy Brown, Terry Fox, Anthony Robles, David Goggins, and Nick Vujicic. It's people like these that show us what a driven person can accomplish. The great thing is that you can activate your own drive and use your body, mind, and Spirit to accomplish great things as well.
You are in Control of Your Health
It's important to understand the benefits that good health can bring to your life. A question you can always ask yourself is “is this choice improving my life, keeping my life the same, or making my life worse?” You can ask that question to yourself in regards to health or any other area of life. Life is full of choices and positive choices produce positive results. You can become what you want to become, but you have to work at it and you have to take it seriously. The person who says they are going to do something won’t produce the positive results in comparison to what the action oriented person can. Action makes things happen. Everything is created twice, once in the mind, then again in the action. Bring both to your life and make your positive thoughts a reality by “doing” instead of only talking.
Focus on the Spirit
Although taking care of your health it very important, it is not the most important thing in life. The body will change and it will grow old. Eventually your body will die as it is not invincible and it is not eternal. The Spirit however is eternal. Death on earth comes to us all, but eternal life immediately follows it. Choosing to take care of your body, your family, your career, your assets, and your mind are all very important, but the most important decision you will ever make in your life is choosing to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Many have said that the saddest thing in life is wasted talent. However, I disagree and in my opinion the saddest thing in life is the denial of Jesus Christ. This decision affects you forever, not just in our short time here on earth.