Getting into action with your health can sometimes feel like a giant mountain to climb.
I’ve noticed that this idea of “having to do it all, all at once” often keeps people from doing anything at all. I have even been guilty of this kind of thinking at times in my life too.
The “all or nothing” mentality worked really great for me when I was training for an Olympic Gold medal, however, in life and with my health, it’s not always the greatest mindset.
Health is a process, a long-term (as in forever) commitment, not a one-time event or moment.
There isn’t a magic pill or one specific thing to do in order to best take care of yourself.
Taking care of your health is a long-term promise we make with ourselves, for ourselves and our loved ones so that we will be around as long as possible and fully functioning for as long as we can. It’s a commitment to live life to the fullest and be your best you that you can be.
Listen, if we all lived on a beautiful island without jobs, cares or worries like families to feed, education to tend to, work to get to, then taking care of your health would be easy. However, life can often get us off our routines and healthy habits. The commitment or promise you make to your health will be the only thing that brings you back at times, but without the commitment, you have nothing except another failed attempt at a new year’s resolution or diet plan.
Resolutions tend to be like ON and OFF switches…you are either really ON IT or REALLY off it!
A commitment is something that ebbs and flows with its tenacity. There will be times you are ALL IN and times that you back down and slack off a little. The one thing that remains is your commitment.
Get into action today and make YOUR HEALTH COMMITMENT:
- Think about and write down the things that are currently holding you back from committing to your health.
- Write down all your excuses for not taking care of yourself.
- Write down all the possible things that are impacted by YOU not taking care of yourself or having a commitment to your health. (Ex: you struggle to be present with your children because you are so tired, you aren’t doing the best job possible at work b/c you lose focus around noon, your sports practices or workouts aren’t what they could be, etc.)
- Now, fill in the blanks in the following statement for any health concerns that hold you back. If I had more __________ (energy, focus, vitality, etc.), I would __________ (what would you be freed up to do more of?).
- Finally, after seeing what typically holds you back and the impact that has on your life, create a commitment statement today.
Here’s an example:
I am committed to the process of living a healthy life! There may be days I get off track AND right here and now I am officially committed to a healthy lifestyle.
Here is just one new action step I WILL take that supports my commitment that gets me back on track with my health: _________________________.
If you just commit to taking one new action step at a time then you will gain momentum with your health instead of trying to do it all at once.
Don’t forget to schedule whatever it is that you need to do. I have found that the scheduling is what makes life and commitments really happen. We talk a lot about what we want to do but if you don’t schedule the new action, it won’t get done!
Get the health you deserve in 2018!!