Many of us know that health is all encompassing and interrelated. It used to just be about getting some exercise and eating well. Now we know that in addition, sleep, stress, having time alone, quieting your mind and a host of other things have a deep impact on your health.
Not taking care of your health as a priority has many flow on affects. It will affect your mood, energy, resilience and general outlook on life. I know that when I am not eating food that my body thrives on, I start to have no energy, I snap at the kids and Eliot and my overall view of the world is pretty bleak. It’s the same with lack of exercise, lack of sleep, drinking too much alcohol, working too much, some to a greater or lesser effect.
I am the type of person that when I get an idea in my head about something I want to change, I want to go big, change everything at once and have it done yesterday. Such as when I have decided to do all the different fitness and diets plans over the years, Weight Watchers, 12WBT and F45 to name a few. I lost a reasonable amount of weight and increased my fitness whilst on those programs but that kind of focus wasn’t sustainable. Now life is a bit different, I am hoping smaller changes will be much more effective and lasting.
The types of smaller changes are things like, not eating ice cream after the kids go to bed every night or eating bagels for breakfast every morning and the easiest way to do that is to not have them in the house! I removed the temptation when I am feeling stronger willed so that when I’m low energy or rushed, it is just not an option. I also set smaller goals exercise-wise, one class, one run and one ride a week. That’s a lot less than I am used to and I know will increase it when the time is right but now is not that time.
A key element to my mental health is doing just this, taking the time and space to write. I had these grand plans to write every morning that I am not exercising. It’s just not realistic for me at the moment. The kids wake up early or work starts early meaning the time just doesn’t pan out. So I have reverted to once a week and taken the pressure off about actually publishing. I also acknowledged that I do write almost everyday, in my Happiness journal. It may only be 3 sentences but it allows me to get my thoughts out and reflect on my day for the 5 minutes it takes before I turn my light out at night.
Being in good health is a value we need to hold as a top priority. There are so many elements to making up good health that it can be overwhelming. Finding perfect balance is near on impossible and I don’t think we should be striving for balance but finding the mix that helps you to main your proportions is key.