5 Differences Between Healthy and Unhealthy People
1. Healthy people “control the controllables”:
Fortunately I don’t hear too many people complaining that they are “big-boned” anymore (yes, as Calvin Harris said it was acceptable in the ’80s). But for every old excuse there is now a new one. Unhealthy people now look to their genes, their parents, their life circumstances etc, etc, yawn, yawn, snore…. Certainly, these things affect our lives but some factors are within our control and others are not. What healthy people do is focus on all the factors they can control. They monitor their sleep, choose healthy meals, exercise regularly and choose to walk/ride to work. In regards to the ‘uncontrollables’ it is my opinion that there is nothing better than knowing that you might have a predisposition for a particularly injury, illness or perhaps that you may store a little extra weight on the stomach, not the hips or vice versa. How empowering it can be to know that you just need to put a little extra focus on that area to prevent it occurring!
2. Healthy People are the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of their own health.
Healthy people are CEOs of their bodies. Unhealthy people are employees and middle management at best. Unhealthy people let their body call the shots (waiting for that chest pain wake-up call or one bad trip to the doctor when you find out your blood pressure has reach 160mmHg for the Systolic phase) or make some decisions but don’t take charge and set their own mission statement or vision. Ask yourself what you would write down if you had to develop the mission statement, vision and code of conduct for your own body. You might be unemployed, casual, permanent or the busiest person in Australia but EVERYONE should be the CEO of their own health. Healthy people have a vision, they implement the vision and re-adjust it when the strategic direction needs changing. Every piece of information that helps them find that direction is treated like gold.
3. Healthy People plan to prevent illness.
Healthy people don’t wait to get sick or injured. They put plans in place to do everything they can to PREVENT it. If they are unfortunate enough to fall ill (we all catch colds) they take good care of themselves using the same principles. The question is “what can I do to best help my recovery?” not “why does this always happen to me?” or an attitude indicative of “I’m sick anyway I might as well eat some chocolate/ice cream/lard!”
4. Healthy People plan their day around exercise, healthy meals and adequate sleep.
A healthy lifestyle cannot be achieved if your health is low on the priority list. Healthy people know that if their exercise, meals and sleep are well planned then the rest falls into place because there is endless evidence that healthy people perform better at work, foster stronger relationships with their partners and can even earn a higher income in the long term! This is not to mention the hundreds and thousands of potential dollars saved on medical bills and time off work.
5. Healthy people eat to fuel their body.
Everyone I know that has ever asked me advice on how to lose weight is stuck in a mindset of asking “what do I need to cut out to lose weight?”. This is NOT a healthy attitude. Healthy people are constantly focussed on what they can put IN their bodies to have it perform at it’s best. Not what they can leave out. They look for foods that make them feel good and improve their mood (berries and anyone?), provide energy (carbohydrates, OMG a personal trainer just recommended carbs! Get used to it – I love them!) and satisfy them (protein, FIBRE, good fats and WATER). If you do this you won’t have to worry about leaving things out. You’ll be too satisfied by all the good food you have put in!