Health…what is this to you?
Defined muscles, with low body fat?
Trim and fit?
The ability to resist the slice of chocolate cake?
The daily walk?
Inner
Peace?
Today I went for a walk with my dog to meet a friend for
coffee (yes, I was making a healthy effort) and I had some time to think about
our ideals of a healthy person…
I don’t want to just tell you what I think…but I think it’s
beneficial and healthy ;) for us to
think about our underlying, foundational beliefs about healthiness if we are to
really care for ourselves…
It seems that there can be so many extremes and not a lot of
balance, when it comes to health…I’ll try to explain…and I could be wrong…this
is simply my perspective, this is not based upon Aussie stats…however if you’d
like to comment with some stats that’d be cool…
For example, it seems like there is either the lazy person
or the exercise addict; the thinker or the jock; the person who always thinks
they’re fat or the person who always thinks they’re not big enough…
It seems like the real healthy
person who has a balanced life of spirituality, work, rest and play is rare…
Too many of us (myself
included) are ruled by our flesh/desires and lack discipline to maintain a truly
healthy, balanced life…addiction is all too common…
4 comments:
I know that most people probably think they're healthy when in fact they're not. recently I have been thinking about it a lot. I've had many digestive issues and when I say 'I want to make changes to be healthier' my friends seriously reply with 'you're healthy'. why because most of the time I eat meat and veg for dinner. what about the lack of exercise, the lollies or don't get me started on the ridiculous amount of coke I've been consuming. I'm trying to get healthy, it means no coke cold turkey, I'm only on day 2, but the perception of healthy and the reality I think are a little muddled these days. every little step in the right direct helps.
Hi Mandy, thanks for sharing :)
I REALLY hope that you can cut your sugar/caffeine addiction down.
Good on you for not settling for what your friends say! I think that perhaps when someone who appears from the outside to 'look' healthy, admits their desire to improve their health, without knowing can be challenging their friends...
I mean if my friend, who I think is healthier than me, tells me that they need to get healthier...well that's challenging and if I tell them that they're ok as they are, that's probably because I want to feel ok about myself :)
But...I hope that you're decision will encourage your friends!
I have gone cold turkey with coffee before, each time gets easier...would enjoy hearing how you get along, all the best. Melanie.
Hey Mel,
Nowadays knowing what is healthy and what isn't can be half the battle. We are often told about a scientific study that shows a positive or negative side to a certain item. But without reasearching where the info comes from, and why it is portrayed the way it is, the true purpose of the study can be unclear. This tactic is used in advertising, to promote a certain product against another.
The other issue we face is the abundance of info we are bombarded with. It takes quite a bit of time and research for us to even start to begin to understand what the term healthy means. Don't eat, drink or smoke that is commonly heard, and do a certain amount of this type of exercise. Stay away from certain additives, and be vigilante about anything you consume.
Even though we know how important being healthy is, for both mental and physical health, we either conveniently forget or lose that burning motivation we once had. The convienence of technology allows for us to be lazy and less concerned. As a result, we have a western civilisation consisting of over 50% obesity and a myriad of other health related conditions.
Our last battle for our health, is addiction.This consists of anything we do too much of in life. Over eating, smoking, drinking and stressing. Even if socially acceptable, doesn't make it healthy.
We all have a battle for our health in our own personal ways, no one is exempt from this. We struggle in different ways, and with different ailments and issues. But in the end, it comes down to us taking care of the one temple we will ever own, our bodies......
Thanks Justin, yes you’re right, here in Australia sometimes it seems like we are bombarded with Health information…which we know is because it sells and/or people want a solution to their problem without having to put in a lot of effort (just my opinion)…and we have a myriad of people all trying to be heard, or sell their product/advice, which can make it difficult for everyday people.
However, I do think that commitment and balance are the key to real healthiness…you see (IMO) we all know what’s right because of how much better we feel when we do simple things like eating fresh, taking vitamins, connecting with God, and taking daily walks!
Sometimes it too easy just to pop a prescribed pill and/or to stay with the regular routine we are in (don’t I know this). We are so easily led by our emotions, rather than our brain! And our Aussie culture of; “she’ll be right, mate”, is NOT helpful when it comes to health/laziness! Truth be told, our lives are not a practice run! God made us complete human beings; mind, body & spirit…BALANCE, let’s aim for it, Melanie :)
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