Find Your Reason Why

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What Is Your Reason Why?

If you could change one thing about your current physical or mental health in the next 7 days, what would it be?  Perhaps you’d like to lose a few kilos, or lower your blood pressure or maybe you’d like to de-stress a little, or even smoke a little less or even give up.

Perhaps you’d like to get a good night’s sleep for a change or simply get through a typical day without having to survive from one life crisis to the next without either a sugary hit or a caffeine kick?

If this sounds like you then you’re definitely not alone.  In fact, I used to be just like you.  I was a little overweight, stressed from life’s typical hassles.  My blood pressure was through the roof to the extent I was medicated at an early age and I used to survive on sugary hits and caffeine kicks to get me through the day.  But then I made 2 life changes.  Those changes are not that big a deal, but my reason why is.

If I could show you those 2 simple changes I made to improve my health and well being and my reason why, would you make some changes to your life?

Before I tell you what I did, you need to understand my WHY.  At the age of 21, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, something my cardiologist put down to genetics.  (He was right to a certain extent but wrong in how to deal with it)  By 30, I was on medication and told that I would be stuck on medication for the rest of my life.  Not happy with this I set off on a journey of self discovery.  What I learned will stun, even shock you but that’s for another day.

Fast forward 20 years and I have normal blood pressure, I’m medication free, I sleep like a baby, I wake up fully energised every single day without an alarm clock, I am muscular, fit and strong with body fat levels hovering around the 12-15% mark.

What did I do?  I cut out all forms of processed sugar, added back all the saturated fat the doctors told me to remove, went back to lifting heavy weights, (the doctors told me to stop that as well and take up running to lose weight, which resulted in 2 knee operations from worn out cartilages) But again, what I did isn’t important, what is, is my WHY!

As I write this I am 2 years shy of my 50’th birthday.  Seven years ago I made a huge realisation.  My youngest daughter was born and I suddenly discovered that I would be 75 at her wedding, meaning,  if I didn’t change something I wouldn’t survive to see her get married, or if I was, I wouldn’t be healthy enough to walk her down the aisle.

It was at that moment that I found my reason why and it’s so strong it wills me to make healthy food choices.  It drives me to train when others my age are out drinking.  It drives me to go to bed at a reasonable hour instead of working late staring at an LED screen.  It drives me to lie on the floor and stretch when I’m stressed from a hard day at work.  Every single day I’m reminded of my WHY which, when the going gets tough, I am able to keep doing what it is I do to live a long and healthy life.

Only an idiot keeps doing the same thing, expecting a different outcome.  Find your reason why and then make some changes.