Embracing Your Health
It’s simple but not easy to be healthy.
Eat. Sleep. Move.
These are the three pillars of health so why is it so damn hard to live a healthy lifestyle?
My opinion? Priorities, but even that isn’t simple. You could have two different people who both want to be healthy but their situations vary in their ability to support healthy habits.
Person number one works 3 jobs to keep afloat and caters to two children who each need help with homework or activities. This person will struggle to physically find time in the day to exercise or cook (or even afford) a healthy meal. They likely don’t get adequate sleep and rely on quick and easy processed foods.
Person number two works 9:00 am - 5:00 pm in an office that has a gym in the basement. They could go to the gym before or after work but lack motivation or have other commitments. Maybe they are staying late and working on a promotion. They may have more time at a glance to fit in good food and exercise but something always gets in the way.
The bottom line is that if you don’t make time for your health, the time will be made for you.
I found this out the hard way.
I worked… a lot. I also had some flexibility in my work in the corporate world. It was in my ability to eat better and exercise more but I was driven and determined to climb that ladder. I was in my thirties and was seemingly healthy, I certainly didn’t expect a heart attack to stop me in my tracks. My body sent a very clear message that I needed to take care of myself… or else.
All of this is easier said than done, even when you have had a scare like I did. We often neglect the long-term consequences of our actions if we can tolerate them in the near term and that is a mistake. The alternative is to prioritize healthy practices and then add your work into your schedule.
This recommendation flies in the face of how our current work environment operates. Most people have set work hours on set days of the week. Occasionally, they take a vacation day to run some errands or attend appointments. It doesn’t matter that your kids get off the bus at 4:00 pm or that you lose steam at 3:00 pm, we are told that we fit work into the box and life in the time outside the box.
DI’s switch that narrative.
We build our schedule around our lives and our needs and not the needs of an employer. We look at our individual circumstances and our own best work practices. For some of us, that is “traditional” work hours and days and for others, it is early morning, late at night, broken up into small pieces or even long stretches.
There are as many preferences as there are DIs.
Maybe fitting in a workout isn’t ideal first thing in the morning but you would benefit from an afternoon boost.
Maybe starting your work day a bit early will have you finish in time to cook a nutritious supper.
Maybe a walk at exactly 10:00 am is just what you need.
When you embrace the DI life, you are embracing the life that YOU want, not the life someone else wants for you.
