Originally posted on Facebook HERE
On a scale on one to ten, where would you list mental and physical health?… I’d say for me, keeping myself physically and mentally healthy as much as possible is a slam dunk “ten”. Right?… I mean — there might not be anything more important than that. But then, when I drill down a bit — if someone was watching over me recording my actions — what I eat, when I eat, how much I eat, how much sleep I get, how often I work out, etc… would it be clear to them the importance of mental and physical wellness in my life? I think not. At best they’d rate me a seven I think. I get about 5–6 hour sleep per night on average. I eat too much, I eat too late, I eat a lot of junk that probably wouldn’t show up as “cares about his health” on a fitness chart. A lot of carbs, salt and sugar. I have at least four hours of scheduled workouts in every week. That’s not bad — two hours of weight lifting — an hour of running (two 30 minute 2+ mile runs every week), and at least one hour of yoga. But to me, that doesn’t say “health and fitness is a ten for this guy”. I also schedule acupuncture every week and massages every other week, as well as monthly chiropractic visits. All of that is part of the routine. So… life sometimes becomes a battle within ourselves, at least for me. What are we comfortable with? I recently saw a photo of myself back when I was playing with Road Trip taken at least 16+ years ago, and my first thought was “wow — I look like crap there”. That photo makes it look like I was heavier than I am now. I know I wasn’t working out regularly (except for playing the shows, which certainly was and is a workout)… and even though I don’t think I’m currently quite living up to my idea that health and fitness are a “ten” for me, I can see that I’m paying much more attention to it than I was at that time. And maybe that comes with age, too. Because, when we’re young we think we’re invincible. I still remember my “normal” order at McDonald’s back when I ate meat. Two quarter pounders with cheese, large fries, seven ketchup packets. Sometimes I’d get a chocolate shake to go with that — or a Diet Coke. My God, man — how am I still alive? Oh, to have that metabolism again. I wrote last week about loving my life of pandemonium. Funny thing is, I also love just being by myself with nothing to do, too. Because I have so much going on, I allow myself to be ok with where I’m at with my health routines. It’s hard to find time to do more, right? But, is it? I could find the time if I really wanted to, I’ve done it before. I’ve gone through long streaks where I worked out every day. For hundreds of days in a row. But that’s always a trade-off, right? Where are you pulling that time from? The times I really got focused and determined were always preceded by disgust. I looked at myself, where I was at physically and/or mentally (usually both), and I was disgusted. That disgust was my motivation for change. And once I got a streak going, well — it became routine. It became “who I was”. I was a runner. I was a yogi. I was a meditator. Today, ask yourself — how important is my mental and physical well being? Where am I at with that? What are my actions showing me as my “real” score there? Are you happy with the results? If not, you have to consider taking action — now. It never gets easier. And if you’re disgusted with yourself, as I have found myself several times before — don’t beat yourself up for your failure. Use it as motivation for change. The lowest lows we have in life set us up for the highest highs we’ll ever know. We just need to recognize them and make the decision to change. I wish you well today, and always, as you do everything you can to live your best life. We get one shot here. Make it the best one possible.
