How Can perspective impact health
Health & fitness is riddled with "get fit quick" schemes. Cleanses & challenges all proclaiming to be the answer to the question you ask yourself around your health.
How do I improve my health?
Do I do high intensity training?
Do I lift weights?
Do I need to fast?
Should I join a run club?
What's keto?
The question list goes on and on and on. So today, let's simplify the process and focus on the impact of perspective in health goals. Now simplifying the process does not equate to the process being simple or necessarily easy but it does allow it to be clearer.
When you think about your health, the further you can zoom out the better when it comes to your start line. The longer the time horizon to outcome is generally the more sustainable it is to set up a process. Now, I know what you are thinking, what if I have a short-term goal that really matters? That's completely fine and can be accounted for but the context of this discussion is health not necessarily fitness or physique. While they are all interlinked there are differences between each domain which we will explore at a later date.
So, in the pure context of health, how long should my time horizon be for improving my health? Well, honestly, that answer is forever. The quality of our health is the primary predictor for the quality of life we can potentially lead; it makes it undoubtedly our most prized possession.
Why do we zoom out so far? Because every human needs a purpose and clear direction to be able to take consistent, accurate, sustainable steps forward and accumulate the momentum needed for consistent progress. There is also the benefit that health wise it allows you to look at change as a less time pressure-based process. Often when we feel under time pressure decision making favours short term outcomes, not long-term sustainability.
How can I zoom out and get a direction to move forward from? Start by asking yourself a few questions.
In (insert time here, if you really want to go all the way back from retirement) this specific set time frame what state do I want my health to be in?
How do I want to feel every day?
What tasks do I want to be able to complete each day?
How do I want my physical health to look and feel?
How do I want my mental health to look and feel?
How do I want my emotional health to look and feel?
The answer to these questions lies in the direction and type of healthcare plan you would then work towards. The process then becomes take these answers and work your way backwards from today. How do you go about finding out your true starting point? Well, that's where we come in. By undergoing a complete health and wellness screen you are able to most accurately establish where you are today vs where you want to be. The distance between these two points now comes down to effective, accurate action over time.
The goal for change is small, incremental changes within your tolerable capacity that does not significantly enhance pressure in other areas of life. Add a degree of change, action and let it form into a new habit, once the habit is formed then add the next layer of change. Proceed until the volume of change x time that has passed = desired outcome. The tolerable capacity for change will differ from person to person and circumstance to circumstance. If change is viewed as incremental steps over years not days, it can become a much more palatable scenario for most people as they juggle day to day responsibilities of life, family, friends and careers.
If you need help zooming out, book a free session with us. We would be happy to talk it out and get you on the right path!
