Heath's Random Thoughts

Committing to a Healtier Longer Life

Lately, I have been thinking more about my health and energy level and how I want to someday be able to actively enjoy my retirement years with minimal health issues. The only way that I can make this a reality is to take control of my life and not always give in to the temptation to eat the junk food or over eat just because a bigger portion is in front of me or extra food is available. I grew up in a family of farmers and big strong men where eating big meals was expected if you wanted to be big and strong. That may have made sense to someone who is constantly physically active and needed a lot of calories to make it through a day but these days I spend a lot of time at a desk and even if I were farming, modern technology has taken a lot of the physical exertion out of the typical farmer's day. Yet, it's this notion of big meals and cleaning your plate that has been ingrained in me for more than 20 years and I find myself slipping into that mode from time to time. It is tough to overcome, but in all honesty, I am in control here and being aware of this habit should make it easier to recognize and overcome!

These days I get my physical activity through running, push-ups, sit-ups, etc. Unfortunately, I have been horribly inconsistent and just as I start to make progress I slip into making excuses for not going to the gym today (which often leads to several straight days) or telling myself I "deserve" a break. Seriously, what does that mean? What I deserve is to have a healthy life where I have lots of energy and I am not constantly wrestling with digestion issues! The last 2-3 weeks I have pushed hard to get to the gym or get some exercise at least 4 or 5 days each week and I feel awesome! It took time and lot of internal arguments with myself to push through the apathy and make myself do what is necessary and now I can't stand it if I don't get some exercise in each day. This is a feeling I want to hold on to going forward. That's one of the reasons I am writing this post because I am hoping that it keeps me honest and serves as a reminder of what I really want for myself. Also, feel free if you see me to ask me how the exercising is going because my friends and family can also help keep me honest! ;) Another thing that I have had to overcome is making the excuse that I am too busy to exercise. I have decided that this is not an excuse I can use anymore! There is always a lot that needs to be done in a day, but one of the highest priorities should be to take care of myself, because if I don't do that then how can I take care of anyone else? I have found that if I carve out time in the morning before work, that is more than enough to get some good activity in. Sure I have to wake up a little earlier, but as long as I am responsible and get myself to bed by 10 PM I still get 7-8 hrs of sleep. Yes, I am tired when I first get up, that will never change. But what I have found is that once I get moving I am fine and after my workout I feel 100 times better than if I just roll out of bed and go to work!

If you do any reading on nutrition or health and wellness you find that most of the literature will tell you that there are no "quick fixes" its a lifestyle change, which is a hard thing for most people to overcome. You really do have to make significant changes to not only your patterns but also the way you think about and approach things like schedules, diet, etc. I really believe that one of the major reasons we have such high health care costs in the U.S. is because people don't take care of themselves. We eat unbalanced diets, spend more time making excuses for not getting exercise and then want access to cheap health care when we get diabetes for being over weight or have heart problems because its too weak. Trust me there are other problems than this with our health care system, but like Obama has said, everyone has to do their part to fix a problem like this, including individuals! But enough of my soap box on that issue. :)

What this boils down to for me is that I want to start living a longer, healthier life. I am 33 years old and would like to have children someday. What that means is by the time they are in their teens I will most likely be pushing 50. I want to be able to be active with them even when they are in high school and beyond. I don't want be complaining about chronic pain or what have you. When I retire, I want to be able to travel and hike, and do many of the things I do today. The only way I can help make that happen is to take a serious look at how I take care of myself today and be willing to make some changes. I am not saying I am going to turn into one these over the top granola crunchers that tries to impose their lifestyle on others. I will still have a piece of cake or the occasional cookie, but there is no reason I can't make the majority of my diet healthy with a good balance of the food groups. There is no reason that I can't make at least some time to exercise. That includes when I am on vacation, where it can be easy to say, "I'm on vacation. Why should I exercise? I will do it when I get home." Again, its a lifestyle change, and its one I am going to try to make!

Labels: exercise, fitness, health, life

posted by Heath @ 11:43 AM