Where to Begin Your Journey to Good Health

Every Journey Begins with the First Step, For Many People, This First Step is the Hardest to Take

What is your attitude about good health? Your first step to good health begins with your attitude.

The idea that good health gives us freedom and energy seems like such a simple one. However, many of us in North America don’t seem to realize it. Did people who became obese have obesity as their goal in life? How about drug addicts or alcoholics, was acquiring that addiction their goal in life? If we don’t define what success is in the area of health, we can easily get into trouble. We live in a country of excesses and are constantly bombarded with messages that tempt us to get involved in unhealthy habits. Just think of these messages that we see every day:

1. Beer commercials picture healthy, beautiful young people having lots of fun. They don’t show the alcoholic living on the street because they can’t hold down a job.
2. Commercials and movies depict cigarettes as sexy, but there’s nothing sexy about kissing a smoker or dying of lung cancer.
3. Food for kids is usually advertised as tasting good and being fun. Food for dogs and cats is usually shown as being healthy and nutritious. As a result, we have a country full of healthy pets with shiny fur and a lot of children with weight and health problems.
4. Commercials can persuade people with medical problems that the solution is easy: they can just take a pill.
5. Car commercials say that a new car will make you happy and attract friends and maybe a lover. But years of payments on a depreciating vehicle add stress to life and often relationships. Car payments can start a person down the road to personal debt.

Selling unhealthy products can be very profitable, so lots of companies promote these products.

When we’re encouraged to purchase a food product, the promoter doesn’t always have our best interest at heart. Few advertise eating properly because there’s less profit in it. Food companies make more profit if we buy more food. Many foods in America contain sugar or high fructose corn syrup (even worse than sugar), which the majority of Americans are addicted to (yes, addicted!). Diet companies succeed if we fail, are they truly interested in our success?  Alcohol and cigarette companies do much better when we do worse.

We don’t see many advertisements for eating whole grains, eating healthy, or becoming a vegetarian or vegan. Attitudes in our country are so skewed that people who are overweight are normal and people with healthy habits are considered health nuts. If we want to be healthy, we must figure out how to do so for ourselves and avoid societal peer pressure and potential ostracization by many people. When we travel, it can be difficult to find healthy food choices.

But it can be done. Being healthy is certainly possible. It’s very easy in this age of information to find out how to live a healthy life by simply adopting a few good habits and sticking to them. This doesn’t mean going on a diet and doing without for the rest of our lives. It means eating what we want, but doing so in a way that keeps us healthy and well.

Maintaining a healthy weight is simple. Calories in must not exceed calories out. In other words, what we eat each day must only be equivalent to what we use up that day. Unfortunately, while the concept may be simple, putting it into practice may not be easy.

Good Health Gives Us Freedom

For example, regular exercise makes it easy to walk, get in and out of cars or planes, play with our children or grandchildren, participate in many hobbies, and many other activities. This is especially true as people age. Also, healthy eating means fewer health problems and less time spent at doctors’ offices. It is amazing how eating properly will make us feel better as well as maintain a healthy weight. It is actually easy to maintain good health if we set that as a priority.

Even though many Americans are very concerned about health care, they don’t seem to care about their health. If we spent a little more effort on good health and therefore the prevention of bad health, we would need health care less.

Try this Personal Growth Exercise:

This exercise helps you become aware of your weaknesses or addictions. Take a few minutes and write down what you might be addicted to. If you say you’re not addicted to anything, ask yourself these questions:

• Could I go one month without eating sugar?
• Could I go one month without drinking alcohol?
• Could I go one month without smoking?
• Could I go one month without taking non-prescribed drugs?
• Could I go one month without watching television?
• Could I go one month without…..(fill in the blank)?

Now describe how much this addiction affects your life.

• Does it cause you health issues?
• Does it affect your studies or your job?
• Does it affect your relationships?
• Does it affect your attitude?

If you’re honest with yourself when answering these questions, the answers might surprise you.

This is an excerpt from my book Attitude Determines Destiny. In it you will learn how to get the most out of life by changing your attitude and making personal changes…changes that can lead you down a life-long path of personal growth.

As a motivational speaker, I conduct seminars and workshops based upon the ideas in my book. I will entertain and inspire your audiences, and I can customize my topics to fit your needs and desires.

Contact me for your next event