Have you really ever asked yourself what being healthy means?  Finding a balance between personal and professional lives can be exhausting, especially if you are trying to live up to the expectations of others and the messages being sent across social media about the term ‘health’.  The message of trying to maintain a particular weight, being thin, eating the right foods, fitting in exercise, getting enough sleep, keeping our stress levels in check, and being mindful, is a lot to fit into a day with so many other responsibilities. Who has time to do all of this and take care of their families along with a career?  

The key to getting healthy and maintaining it is finding out what works best for you.  In some respect, it’s about finding your own balance.  It’s about letting go of trying to stay balanced every day and recognizing that sometimes ‘life happens’ when you least expect it.  Some days are going to be great while others not so much.  Learning to let go of the rules and accept that you have ownership over your body and long-term health.  

So how do we get healthy when there is so much information on what to do and not do when it comes to our health?  I don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all approach’, meaning that you need to find what works best for you.  This is how I’ve come to terms with my health and trying to fit it all in.  Use these tips to help you find your way.

 What Do You Want?

You really need to get real with your goals and objectives.  If you want a ripped body, then you need to set time aside most days to workout, and eat the right foods.  If you want more time to be alone and be mindful, you might have to give up something else in your day to allow time to do this. If you don’t have time you either have to find it or re-evaluate your goals and make them more realistic. 

Getting healthy is not a goal.  You have to dig deeper and find out what it is you truly want.  We all want different things and have different needs that drive us.  You should be asking yourself questions like, ‘What is my motivation to get healthier’? ‘How much time will I have in my day to workout, meditate, prepare and cook meals’? and ‘What do I want to get out of a healthier lifestyle’?  These are all questions you should be asking yourself even before you meet with a professional.

Message – Know your why and the motivation behind you wanting to change your health.  This will help you find your purpose.

Put Yourself First

I know this sounds selfish but it’s not.  It’s actually selful.  When we put ourselves first when it comes to our health, we are much happier.  When we reach this level of happiness and feel good, we can then truly help others with their goals.  Nobody wants to be around people who are miserable and unhappy.  Do you want that for yourself?  People want to be around those who inspire them and bring out the best in them.  So how do you do this for others?  First of all, you do it for yourself first.

Once you complete the first step of figuring out what you want, you can then build up your time to getting healthier.  If five minutes a day works for you, start with that.  If you want to start with 1 hour, then do that.  If your goal is to just spend time on your own while being mindful and staying active, then go for a walk outdoors in a nature.  This will allow you to keep your body active, relax your mind which will in turn help you de-stress.  If your goal is to eat healthier then start by cooking more meals at home and preparing healthy snacks that you can take with you on the go.  Not only will these help you keep your weight in check, but keep your body healthy and energized.

Once you start making little shifts in your day that are healthier choices, you start to feel better and that feeling makes you want to do more for yourself. 

Message:  Love yourself and take care of yourself. If you don’t, who will? The first step is knowing no one is perfect. And therefore, neither are you.

Recognize Failure as Helpful

We can all agree that at some point we have slipped off the ‘wagon’ when it has come to our health.  Maybe your career has taken over, or you are busy with your children’s lives, or you are a care-taker of your parents, whatever the reason, we neglect our bodies at some point.  We start eating the wrong foods, we stop exercising, we allow stress to take over our lives, and our health becomes less important.  You recognize that your life is completely out of control and you know that your health is suffering but you feel guilty for putting yourself first instead of others. The important thing is that you know you need to change your habits and more importantly forgive yourself for not taking care of yourself. 

We learn the most about ourselves through our failures.  Why?  Failure teaches you about the resilience required to maintain the drive towards your goals.   It’s how you respond to those barriers placed in your way that take you away from your goal of achieving success.  Once you get comfortable with the concept of failure and realize the teachings that come from them, you realize you are one step further towards success.  Success is great when you achieve a goal but if it weren’t for those failures, there were no lessons to be learned.

Message:  Our failures lead to our successes.

Each Day is a New Beginning

So, you had a bad day.  You didn’t feel like going to the gym or you went on that potato chip binge and you feel even worse now for doing it.  You know that one of the greatest gifts we have is?  It’s that tomorrow is a new day.  A new day to start over and make things better.  An opportunity to get off that couch and go for a walk, to improve your eating habits, to be more mindful, to find a support system who will encourage you and be there for you when things get tough.

It's also important to allow permission to forgive yourself. You are human and make mistakes. This is an important aspect to well-being. When you do this, you accept responsibility for your behaviour, you most past it, and you realize that ruminating over past decisions can deplete your of energy. Tell yourself that you will do better in the future.

Message: With each new day, comes new obstacles but it also comes with an opportunity to work through those obstacles so you can be the best version of yourself.