100 not out (!)

 

The choice is yours. 

 

While it may sometimes not feel like it, the only person in charge of your life is you. And this is despite what other people may like to think (!). 

 

The decisions you make. Or don’t make. Regardless of the reasons for them. 

 

And your health is no different. 

 

Sadly, all too often, people don’t stop to think about the consequences of the choices they’re making. Whether it be now this minute, next week, next year or much further ahead. With so much of modern life being focussed on having it all NOW, it’s often seems impossible for people to step back and take a more objective look at what they’re doing. 

 

Or joining the dots between a number of different issues which, on first glance, appear to be unrelated but share a common underlying cause. And this isn’t helped by stories of people who smoked / drank to excess / ate all the wrong things / made all the wrong choices and still enjoyed good health all their lives. 

 

In many ways our body’s innate adaptability and healing ability can be a curse, rather than a blessing. It lulls us into a false sense of security as we take for granted its ability to mitigate the disastrous choices we make. Often by the time the consequences become apparent the damage has already been done. 

 

So often we hear something along the lines of a client having smoked / drunk to excess / eaten all the wrong things / done something else for years and not being able to understand why it’s suddenly led to a health problem(s). In truth, the warning signs had often been there for years, they just hadn’t noticed them. 

 

Added to this is the assumption that modern medicine has an instant fix for any health problem, whether it be “a little pill”, procedure or operation. But, again, look a little closer and the price of the “instant fix” may be much higher than it initially appeared. It may be from the solution itself – the medication, procedure or surgery – or from the cascade of other health problems it initiates. 

 

An example of this we’ll never forget was a client’s husband who had been told that his cholesterol was high – it was – and he needed to go on statins and other medication for life to address them. Rather than using it as a wake up call to make changes to his diet and sedentary lifestyle, his response was exactly the opposite. He saw medication as an easy way to fix the problem without having to make any changes to his lifestyle. He didn’t like exercise and didn’t want to give up eating pies and sausage rolls! It never occurred to him that these choices – both from the medication itself and lifestyle – had longer term health consequences too. 

 

This is the reason it’s so important to take a step back to look at all the things you do, whether you made a conscious decision to do them or not. Take a look at your habits and routines, then make a conscious decision as to whether you actually want to continue doing them. Just because you’ve always done them – or your Mum / a friend / the newspaper said they were a good thing – doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the best thing for you. 

 

And this is also why taking the time to do your own research is so important too. You are the only one who truly knows your body. So find out the facts for yourself before making up your own mind on what’s best for you; rather than blindly taking it on faith that someone else knows better. Of course take advice but do your own research too, listen to your body and then make an informed decision. And that includes what we say too! 

 

On first glance this responsibility can feel overpowering. And this is why we always offer a different perspective on things you may never have thought about before. 

 

It’s also why we emphasise making small changes to your diet and lifestyle. And then, as they become an automatic part of your life, adding to them. It’s the simplest way to make changes, provides a myriad of health benefits quite quickly and helps build your confidence that change doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated. 

 

After all you only have one body – and nowhere else to live – so doesn’t it make sense to look after it? 

 

While we’ve focussed on the physical aspects of health, exactly the same logic applies to your mindset. The way you think, perceive the world around you and then react to it. Negative emotions and ways of thinking cause just as many health problems, although this isn’t always obvious. And just because it’s seen quite “normal” to be negative and less than happy, it doesn’t mean it’s a good thing to do. 

 

After all life is a precious gift to be enjoyed... 

 

As always, the choice is yours.