Blind-sided Series part 2
If you haven’t read part 1 on being blind-sided check out I Should Have Seen It Coming
5-second version
The specific principles that help us to not be blind-sided by health issues are proper nutrition, exercise and sleep. Easy stuff that in the end proves whether we are willing to love others over choosing to live selfishly.
5-minute version
Life is for those with the energy to live it. Without your health it can be very difficult to grow the effectiveness of every other area of life. The problem is that most of us tend to live in the moment. We know that there are people who live their lives- going to constant doctor appointments, in chronic pain, being exhausted and weak, but we think these things won’t happen to us. In 2017 the percentage of overweight adults was 65%. Obesity is a contributing factor to the diseases that kill like heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, etc. People who get these diseases may feel like they have been blindsided. Loss of health can happen randomly but if you follow the statistics, the odds can swing heavily in your favor with a a few changes in your habits. For instance, if you choose to smoke your risk of these diseases increases- coronary heart disease 2 to 4 times, Stroke 2 to 4 times, men developing lung cancer 25 times, COPD (a lung disease) 12 to 13 times, diabetes 30-40% higher. If you smoke and get one of these diseases can you really say you were blindsided? Let’s make choices to live in such a way so that the odds of remaining healthy are in our favor. I’m not a doctor and I not giving out medical advice. Here is a list of things that I believe enough to actually do in order to achieve my goal of being lean, fit and flexible. I do these things because I believe they can help me to avoid or minimize health issues.
- Exercise for an hour a day at an elevated heart rate. I walk, use a Peloton bike, and climb stairs for cardio benefits and use a kettle bell for strength building.
- Proper eating. I have found two sources that have risen as cream and I use them to determine how I eat. The Longevity Diet by Dr Walter Longo and Eat to Beat Disease by Dr William Li.
- Long term fasting. Dr Longo discusses the benefits in his book. I follow the protocol which yielded results in his medical studies. Fast for five days in a month, three months in a row. I then fast for five days twice a year. Using his method, I have found a 5-day fast to be relatively easy.
- Sufficient sleep- for me this is 6.5 hours a day
- Vitamins- I take a vitamin D supplement, a Krill oil capsule, along with a multi-vitamin.
- Regular dental and general doctor check-ups.
Living a life full of love takes mental and physical energy. You are capable of living this type of life. The effects of poor choices can make you incapable of doing so much that being fit would allow for. What are your answers to these questions-
The things I need to BEGIN DOING to avoid being blindsided by health issues are:
The things I need to STOP DOING which can lead to being blindsided by health issues are:
In two months I will weigh ______ , I will begin sleeping _____ hours a night, My exercise program will consist of
______________________________________________________________________________
These are the things I will do this week to begin living a healthy life: These are easy principles to understand but we know they are not easy to implement. Living a healthy life will take up your time and our culture is set to undermine us. You have to want this. Living an unhealthy life is not a decision made without having an effect on others. Your health is a resource. The purpose of every resource is to love others with it and receive love through it. The opposite of love is selfishness. The truth is many people display their selfishness through the way in which they take care of their health. I know this personally. I deal with food addiction. Your bag of BBQ potato chips is not safe to be left alone with me and there is a long list of other foods to go along with those chips. If I indulge myself and am low on energy, unable to jump in and help, die an early death, or worse suffer a debilitating disease…..If I do this, I am not showing love to those I care for. This is a must win battle. Rise up and fight this battle.
Part 3 is coming soon. Which area of life would you like to be about?
Is saying thank you a little thing? Click to find out.