Health

Years ago, I believed that moving toward and maintaining a more physically healthy lifestyle meant I had to make MAJOR life changes ALL AT ONCE. My to do list looked something like this: 

Throw out out all the sweet treats!

Never eat fried foods again! 

Write down everything you eat forever and ever AMEN!

Do 30 Day Shred every day for 90 days!

Run 5 miles every day!

This list is a bit intense–with a touch of hyperbole–and unrealistic. At least for me. But I think you get the idea. (Or maybe some of you actually follow this list? If so, you have lost your everloving mind and we can no longer be friends.)

We all know that caring for our bodies is important. I’m not debating that but I think we need to be careful about our approach. In our efforts to make changes, we may establish strict rules for ourselves only to burn out later and feel like a total failure. For too long, I set ridiculous, nearly impossible goals to achieve with my physical health. In my foolish eagerness, I created a system that could not be sustained and only left me feeling defeated. 

While I cannot think of one specific idea/conversation/guru that led me to rethink my view on physical health, I am grateful for the slow shift toward a more realistic perspective. I’ve learned that, like any worthwhile endeavor, taking care of our bodies involves a series of small decisions made over time. A better list might look like this:

Go to bed 15 minutes earlier than usual.

Abstain from sweets for a month. 

Walk for 30 minutes/day for 4 days/week.

These choices remind me that despite any barriers to our health, (from genetics to expensive gym memberships) we do have some agency and we can use it to fit our current stage of life–even within our limitations. 

As a white, able-bodied woman with a supportive spouse and the financial means to purchase running shoes and low-cost healthy food, I am aware that even on our family’s tight budget, I possess a certain level of privilege. I also believe each of us can make one small change today in order to improve our overall physical health.

To encourage you, I’m making two managable (inexpensive) changes to my physical health, starting September 10th through December 10th:

No sugar in my coffee. 

Run/workout/yoga 5x/week. (Adding 1 day to my current regiment.)  

What is one sustainable change you can make for the next month, in order to take better care of your physical health? Would love to hear!