Healthstyle Blog Why Don’t We Take Better Care of Ourselves? – Health Style Blog

Why Don’t We Take Better Care of Ourselves?

Seriously. Our decks are pressure washed, we rotate our tires, and our oil is changed every 3000 mile. We also get our hair trimmed every six weeks. Our stuff is better taken care of than ourselvesWhat makes it so hard to get up and go for a stroll? Go to the gym or? Hire a professional health care provider?Why don’t we take better care of ourselves more?In many ways, this is not our fault.Our brains are wired in this way. The brain is always focused on efficiency and predictability. We automatically fall back on the behavior patterns that we’ve created, like being stuck behind a computer for eight hours every day. The more you practice these patterns (40-50 hours per week multiplied by how many years) the harder it is to change them. The deeper these patterns get, the harder it is to break them.A simple law of Physics states that a body in rest will remain at rest until it is moved by an external force. The brain will only use energy when it’s necessary. A force outside of us could be anything: a dog that chases you down the street or a wedding, family reunion, vacation or bad news. Unconsciously or consciously, we will take action based on what is perceived to be necessary for our survival.There’s still more to it, I believe.We tell stories constantly, mostly to ourselves. Are they true? Often, the stories we hear about improving our fitness and health aren’t true. These stories are frightening and, like the danger they suggest, often take the shape of a simple question. Ask anyway. If I improve my health, will all of my friends lose me? Does my success deserve me? What will others think about me? What happens if my partner improves his health, but I don’t? What will happen to our relationship if I improve my health but not my partner? You’ll notice me if I alter my appearance. What will I feel like? Will I enjoy it? Who are my new admirers and what kind of person is this? What made them ignore me? The biggest question: what if I fail? What if you fail?This kind of assistance is unique, and not just because it’s scary. Fitness is not a product or service. It’s up to you. It is important to know what you want and how to obtain it. Or, perhaps just to know that improvements are possible. It is possible for our health to decline slowly, and invisibly. It takes 12-15 years for most chronic diseases (heart, high blood pressure, diabetes type 2, etc.) to manifest at the doctors’ office. It’s not until you’re too late that the “outside force” can get you moving.It is much harder to succeed if you’ve tried in the past to be fitter and healthier, only to slip back into your old habits. This happens even when it wasn’t the fault of the person who failed (which it’s not usually the case-It actually occurs quite often). It takes an average of seven attempts to achieve success.This does not mean we cannot change. Just because it is harder than you think doesn’t mean we can’t change. We take for granted our health, fitness and strength when we are young because we don’t notice our bad choices for many years. We will have to act sooner or later if we want to age gracefully and not just decay. This is the best time to start if you are ready to take on health and wellness. Get off medication, become stronger. It’s important to realize that this is a lifelong commitment. Train your brain to learn new patterns. It’s difficult at first but gets easier. For motivation, I remind myself of an old one-liner I once heard: “Let’s not die whilst I am alive.”

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