Prevention or Cure?
No matter why you are exercising there are two categories that you probably fall in – Prevention or Cure.
Cures
Cures are a little more simple and a little more easy to understand. Cures are clear. E.g. I suffer from “x” and I want to be “y”. I exercise in the appropriate way and this the result is measurable and objective.
Prevention
Prevention is a bit more tricky. One of the problems with prevention is that it just isn’t that sexy. You will never know all of the diseases or conditions you may have prevented because of your exercise habit by virtue of them never occurring. Maybe it would be high blood pressure, or cholesterol, or diabetes. Maybe it is a fall or a fracture. Maybe it’s something a little less obvious like the virus you may not have contracted because of your stronger immune system or it’s your better ability to cope with stress and improve your mental wellbeing.
The good news is you will never have to know.
The bad news is you will never know.
Why is that bad news? Because it is easy to forget all of the preventative reasons that we are exercising beyond the curative ones. It is therefore very important to check in with yourself every now and then and remind yourself of a few things prior your exercise program.
Check in with yourself
These questions may help:
- What was I at risk of prior to my exercise program?
- What is my family history?
- How healthy are my friends and peers compared to me?
- How healthy are my brothers and sisters compared to me?
- How did I feel before I started training regularly?
- How often did I used to get colds/viruses and how often do they occur now?
There are many more ways to check in on this if you get creative with your self-reflection.
So let me leave you with one final thought: if there was a fire in your home, who is the hero? The fireman who put out the fire or the person who changed the batteries in the smoke alarm? It’s very easy for the fireman to be the hero but in hindsight which one deserved more of your time/attention/investment?
Jarrat Wood