Is Consistency the Key to Health?
As the new year progresses and you work toward your health goals, one thing that will help you just about more then anything else is being consistent in your effort. Seems obvious, doesn’t it? But we have a ranking system in our heads of how we perceive the importance of everything we’re doing, and sometimes health habits don’t rank very high.
For example, measuring food. When we get in a hurry, we may not take the time to weigh or measure our portions. We may eyeball it. I don’t see a problem with extra vegetables, but when it comes to high-fat or calorie-dense foods such as salad dressings or nuts or even pasta, it’s important, especially in the beginning. Accept that you’re not good at estimating yet and for a while, you must measure every time.
The same is true for stretching. If we get busy, we may not always take the few minutes to stretch our legs before walking, or our shoulders to improve posture. We know how good it feels when we do it but when we’re rushed, we may skip it. The older we get, the more important stretching becomes.
Do you ever go to bed without brushing your teeth? Do you skip your meds because you’re in a rush? I’ll bet 99% of us always brush and always take our meds. Spend some time thinking about why that is and how you can make your hit-or-miss health habits into never-miss habits.
We could apply this to any action connected to improving our health. There will be times when we have to make that decision and go with that ranking system in our head. Just get back to it later in the day or as soon as you can. Your health is the result of what you consistently do to get healthy. It all depends on: What are you prepared to do today?
