Blocks: The Ever Elusive Health Goal: Pt 1
So you want to be healthy, hey?
When you think of the word HEALTH you probably conjure up images of green juices, aerobic exercise, and “eating clean”. The reality of health is that it encompasses so many different variables that it is overwhelming for people to know what it ACTUALLY looks like for them. Learning to listen to yourself, your body, and the surrounding context is essential to overcoming health blocks.
Health is an incredibly robust topic and I am not going to go into extreme detail, but I think it’s important that we establish the following:
-”health” as it is sold to us does not make a person more or less worthy of respect
-health is comprised of mental, physical, and spiritual well being
-”health” as we know it is less accessible to marginalized populations based on a variety of factors stemming from systemic oppression (less pay, food deserts, etc.)
-YOU CANNOT TELL SOMEONE’S HEALTH BY LOOKING AT THEM
We have been fed this ridiculous idea that health has a certain “look” about it and it certainly isn’t the case. First of all, health for me will look different than health for you and this is why it’s important to go on your OWN journey to health and whatever you “look” like during the process is just a side effect. Not everyone loses weight to be healthy, not everyone gains weight to be healthy, not everyone gets thicker hair, or shinier skin, or sparklier eyes or whatever other image you think will create HEALTH. So the next few steps are a few steps will maybe challenge your thinking a little bit, but I think it’s necessary.
Set Your Health Destination
Just like with our monetary blocks, we need to recognize where we are “going” in terms of our health. Again, this is going to be very specific to you. When it came to figuring out how I defined success in terms of my health this is what it looked like:
I will know that I am healthy when I can go for a walk for 1 hour almost every day with minimal pain. I will know I am healthy when I can move my body in a way that brings me joy as opposed to in a way that harms it. Mentally, I will be able to remove myself from the “outcome” of health as determined by measurements (weight, inches lost, etc.). I will also be in communication with my SELF to recognize my mental state and take necessary steps to adjust my work obligations to protect it. Health to me looks like sleeping 7 hours a night, exercising in a way that feels good in the mornings, drinking water so often that my pee is clear, and making food choices that are in line with my body’s intuitive desires.
I recommend sorting your Health into different categories: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, MENTAL HEALTH, FOOD INTAKE, BEVERAGE INTAKE, SLEEPING, and STRESS REDUCTION and coming up with 3-5 ways that you know you will be successful in that arena. Combine them altogether and voila! A Health Destination Awaits!
Acknowledge What’s Getting In The Way
Every year at New Year’s we get SO many different variations of messages telling us to get off the couch and get our shit together and it goes great for the first 3 months, but while our gym membership is recurring every month our motivation has dwindled. Part of the problem with health is that it has been sold to us as the end all to be all with shame as the main motivating factor. When shame is used as a motivating tool it starts off quite strong, but then the spiral happens which fills us with even more shame. When I worked for a weightloss company, they literally said we relied on 80% of people to fail for our revenues (WTF - also I put in my 2 weeks when I heard that). When it comes to mental health, profits have become more important than people. When you have this guilt tied up in “I could be using this hour to work instead of resting” so you ignore your body’s needs, you end up severing the connection between yourself and your body AND causing mental AND physical paint to occur. Up until 2 months ago, I was doing literally 0 movement for my body and eventually I realized no one was going to do it for me and I had to take control. I had to acknowledge why I WASN’T doing it and the fear and shame that surrounded it. Remember, we tend to avoid pain rather than receive pleasure. So I knew my NOT doing these things were probably rooted in something like: shame, humiliation, frustration, etc. So here are the questions that I asked to get myself to figure it out:
What AREN’T you doing, but know you should?
I am not moving my body daily, weekly or at all really.
Have you ever moved your body before?
Yes. I used to be an athlete and body builder. I also used to like feeling strong and doing martial arts.
What made you stop moving your body?
I had different priorities once I started my business. It was easier for me to say yes to the business than it was to say yes to me. Over the course of 5 years, my business succeeded but I deteriorated.
What would happen if you made yourself a priority instead of your business?
My business might fail (humiliation). People might be mad that I am saying no and setting boundaries (fear of being unloved). I might not be relevant anymore (fear of loss of status).
Okay. That’s the possible negative side effects. What could happen positively?
I will get better at setting boundaries in general. I would be able to focus more on the clients in front of me because I would have more energy. I would be able to role model true empowerment in the form of self care, setting boundaries, and doing what you need to TO show up as a heart-centric empathic business owner. I could cultivate a culture of giving to the self so you can give to others.
Great! So what other fears surround you moving your body?
I feel shame that moving my body is so hard now. I used to be so incredibly strong, fast, and powerful. I was able to fight for at least 20 minutes before needing a break, now I need a break after 1 minute and I feel like a failure. My body is different than it used to, but I guess I am comparing it to what it was.
What was the context that surrounded that old body? Were you healthy then?
On the outside I looked “healthy” like they say you should. I had lost a lot of weight and was working out about 6 hours a day. I was eating the same thing every day, but to be honest I actually hated my body more then than I do now. I could never get small enough - to the point that I actually took diet pills. So while my body was capable of being strong, fast, and powerful it came at the expense of my mental health as I developed orthorexia. Also, working out was my main priority, so my relationships diminished, I couldn’t focus on work without being stressed….I guess it wasn’t as healthy as my mind makes me think it is.
Okay, so knowing what you know about your understanding of “health” then compared to now, how can you define health for yourself now?
(see my Health Destination)
Great! So we want to start walking in the morning. Why walking and what will get you motivated to go?
I think walking is great because I don’t attach walking to any weight loss goals, so I won’t go down that road again, but it’s still moving my body more than I have to date. I always say that I wish I had more time to listen to podcasts, so I can multi-task and listen to Gary Vaynerchuk’s podcast while walking so I am learning AND moving at the same time! AND I will call it my Meeting with Gary V, so I will put it in the calendar to make it a recurring appointment.
