"Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being,
and not merely the absence of disease or illness" - World Health Organization, c.1948
If you’re a science-geek (…like me), or a math-nerd (…NOT like me, but you know who you are!) you’re familiar with the fact that functions are the result of an equation. Functions, by way of equations, operate based on an ‘input’ value or action, and yield an ‘output’ value or result.
When it comes to biology, all life (animal, plant, and protist) thrives, procreates, evolves based on a systematic organization of functions.
Specifically for our species - Homo sapiens - where we fall on the very broad spectrum of a healthy lifestyle is a direct result of many systems all built on functions. With that in mind, for your body, you have much more control over these systems than you think. You have more control over the INPUT, resulting in the OUTPUT.
Welcome SOON-TO-BE-HEALTHY humans!
Those of you who know me and/or who’ve read my personal blog will be familiar with this story.
In May of 2012, I made a significant change in my life. I decided to change my approach to health and fitness even though I had been an avid endurance athlete for over twenty years. The need for this change manifested itself during, and when I finished a 5k swim race in nearly last place. It’s not the placing that bothered me (…easy back-of-the-packers!), I was comfortable being a mid- or back-of-the-packer for most of my life. It was all about how I felt. I can sum it up like this: I felt - mentally and physically - like a bag of horse shit!
At the time, I was so mad at myself. I had a background in human anatomy and physiology; I was an athlete competing in events of all distances; I had coached lot’s of athletes to success; I had tons of resources at my disposal. So, what happened? (For more down and dirty details on this story, check out my personal blog).
Let’s cut to the chase!
My personal health equation was out of balance. Simply speaking, the output I was asking my body to produce through that 5K swim was not supported by the input I was providing to my body in the form of nutrition, physical training, and mental work. This had been growing for a while - for nearly a year, the sum of my actions, habits, and behaviors were gaining momentum an eventually produced a result that got my attention.
I was at my tipping point. (....You’re welcome, Malcolm Gladwell!)
What conclusion did I come to after some reflection of the situation at hand?
This:
It is the consistent and evolving balance of recognizing the need for change, identifying and putting to work effective activities to support that change, and giving yourself a break while you work for change that will build a more balanced healthy life.
So what about that function?
Consistency [Change + Doing Work + Taking Breaks] = Healthy Living
Let's put it to work. Here’s how we start:
Recognizing the Need to Change
This is the spark! The fire starts here. While the need to change is typically easily seen on the surface, it’s the self-identification of why the need has evolved - the root of the issue - that will ultimately lead us to long-term change. I know some of you feel that this type of analysis is overrated, especially when it comes to health, fitness, and overall wellness. This self-assessment needs to be done if we want to completely eradicate and ultimately learn to live with the cycle of the behaviors, habits, and actions (input) that gave us the negative result (output).
Reasons for change can vary.
Change does not have to take place due to a negative result, or event. Sometimes we just need to change because we are creatures of variety, and change keeps us engaged in certain activities.
While many of us change reactively, proactive change can spur growth. As we move through larger intentions we plateau or ’hit the ceiling’. Changes to routines, changing acute variables to certain activities, and adjusting the way we approach common challenges can help us navigate and realize more effective process towards our goal. We can become more powerful!
What do we need to change?
Now let’s not overwhelm ourselves. I’m sure you, like me, could identify many aspects of your life that you would want to change. Who doesn’t want to be perfect! I think that’s the great thing about life - the journey through our imperfections.
To start, and as you evolve, you must develop priorities. What’s important to you? Do you have clarity on your values? Having this clarity will help you understand your priorities. I suggest you move through this exercise first for yourself. There are a few ways you could do this. I help people think through their priorities around health and fitness all the time. I’d suggest you take a look on-line for some practices around this or engage a coach or trainer to help you out. It will be well worth it!
So, now go ahead take some time to really think about the changes you’d like to make and evaluate why. I mean really dig and and think through the commonalities around the behavior, habits, and actions that give you the result you want to 'fix'. I think you’ll be surprised and what you find out about yourself.
Identifying Effective Activities
"Ugh!" I know that’s what you’re saying to yourself. STOP!
Without work, nothing will change. I know you know that. It’s not really that hard. If you start small, you’ll get there.
Let's back up...
You just spent some time thinking through the changes you need to make, and what behaviors, habits, and actions got you there. Hopefully you landed on a few to consider (....1-3 is a very manageable number). Now we need to think about how we can get after it and put a plan in place.
Think of a stairway. There’s a reason why steps are set as close together as they are - oh, and they're called STEPS! Whether those steps are six inches apart or twelve inches apart, once those steps are ascended they’ll get you to the same location. But I’d ask you this - would you rather take the six inch steps, or the twelve inch steps? Yeah, our ego wants us to be strong and take the bigger challenge but let’s save some energy for longer, more worth-while endeavors.
OK, I hope you get where I’m coming from - small steps to great things. Now you have to figure out what those steps look like. Specifically to health and fitness, this is where the waters get real muddy.
The first action I suggest you take is to reach out to someone you know who has had success in the area you want to change. Find out what they did. But be careful to not just adopt their plan or actions to be your own. Use this interaction as a 'discovery' conversation for you to understand their journey. Take some mental notes from the conversation, and think about how they may apply to your journey.
When it comes to engaging others, social media is a great way to 'meet' a wide diversity of people who have found success, and/or who have similar goals and on the same journey. But use this medium wisely. It's real easy to get derailed and lose focus on what's right for you.
I have another suggestion - and this will be an investment that can have invaluable returns. Hire a coach, trainer, or other professional in the topic to provide some guidance. This is a partnership that should be soley focused on you and your goals.
Time to open up, and face THE TRUTH.
If you decided hiring a coach is for you, be prepared to open up completely about yourself to someone else. A coach can only help you based on what they know about you. Let yourself learn and be flexible to allowing someone else to provide very valuable action steps.
Experience is important - not just your own, but that of your coach. There are a TON of certifications out there. Those certifications are all textbook- and content-driven, which is valuable. But nothing is more valuable than having a coach who has been where you are. A coach that has been on the same road you will travel. Experience cannot be taught in a classroom, on-line, or in a science lab.
Maybe a coach is not for you. Sure, you can absolutely do it on your own. Just give yourself more time and flexibility to understand the resources available. The internet is everyone’s go-to for this stuff; and it should be. There’s a ton of information out there. Just be careful. Like I put forth in my last blog post, there are many ways to get what you need. Just be sure you’re taking the road that works best for you.
I want to mention something here. We need to think about the economy of our actions. Is the activity we chose really going to get us to the end we want? And, are the steps of those activities easily executed given your way of life? If not, why waste your time. If so, go for it and make the best of your journey.
Taking Breaks
Lately, this has really been my thing. After nearly thirty years of experience in running, I've reduced my training, yet I can still perform at the level that gives me the reward I seek through running. I've adopted the same mindset to other areas of my health and fitness - like nutrition, recovery, race scheduling, etc. I have let go of the obsessive behaviors around health and fitness, yet still get results.
Let go of the obsessive behavior!
You absolutely MUST give yourself a break from whatever routines, activities, and actions you chose to take towards a certain goal. If you don’t do this, you’ll find yourself trapped by your own obsessive behavior that can and will undermine any intention you have to make sustainable progress toward you longer term goals.
These breaks look different for everyone based on your intentions. Strategy here is key.
Here's an example: Say I’m taking some time to put together a 10-week fitness/training plan (…which is the most common period of time) for someone, I do two things first: one - draft the final week of the plan (output), and, two - build in the ‘recovery’ weeks (part of the input). These 'recovery' weeks are the weeks where the athlete will exercise at a much lower intensity, frequency, or both for one week. This CHANGE allows the body to physiologically re-build and mentally re-charge preparing both for the re-build of intensity and frequency in the successive weeks. Typically these recovery weeks are built in every three or four weeks depending on the fitness program. This is called periodization.
Periodization also applies to blocks of time we are moving through where we are not just changing our body physiologically, but also mentally. Without these ‘breaks’ or recovery weeks per se, we are not allowing ourselves to re-group, re-charge, and RELAX.
What does the break look like? That depends - on your goals, your plan, and your lifestyle. There are many ways for you to leverage this recovery time effectively. So just like the activities you decide upon will be different, so will your downtime. Talk to you coach/trainer about this, and I’m sure they’ll give you some great options to consider.
Consistency
This is where the rubber meets the road!
Now take those three values of the Healthy Lifestyle Equation I just laid out for you: Recognizing the need to change, identifying effective activities, and taking breaks as the main input of the equation. There is one factor that we need to consider and be aware of when we think about our strategy that builds out this equation, and that is consistency.
Consistency is the root of all habits and behaviors - postive and negative.
Our bodies and our minds are both formed and cultivated around cycles repeating over and over again. We are heaping lumps of cycles. Some of those cycles are FUNCTIONAL entirely on their own, meaning they just happen as a function of nature with little influence from outside variables. Many cycles are just the opposite and are heavily influenced by our actions, and the consistency of those actions. I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty of what cycles do what, and how. If I did, this would be a science book! Check with your coach/trainer to get an understanding of what cycles you need to be aware of based on your needs. Everyone's different!
What I do want to call attention to is the value around consistency of our actions - our healthy-living actions. This consistency will dictate our path, and ultimately our results as we measure them throughout our journey.
When we are consistent with actions around identifying and accepting change, acknowledging and acting on the work at hand, and planning for and taking regular breaks from a more growth-oriented focus, we will find the positive results we need to live a healthy life. We will influence - positively - those functions in the body that will give us the change we're looking for.
I know what you’re thinking: "How do I become consistent?" I get that question a lot! And if I was naive enough to think there was one answer for everyone, I’d package it up like a vitamin, get everyone to give me $10 a month and ask for subscribers. Boom! But anything that simple is just not going to work for most people. Think about this question differently.
I’d ask this of you: "What’s KEEPING you from being consistent?"
This question should make you think about your daily actions and habits. Grab a notebook or jump on your PC and jot down the actions. Maybe start with 5 or 10 minutes each evening before you go to bed. Recap your day: what went well, what was hard, what was a failure. Do that for 7-days, then look back and assess. With thorough, focused thought the obstacles will become clear. Then you can begin to consider alternative, or more proactive actions that can help eliminate or minimize those obstacles.
Though this exercise, remember —> SMALL STEPS! Do not try to completely change your entire routine in one day, or even one week. Give yourself time, but just be CONSISTENT.
Also, think about alternatives. This means when you identify an action that produced a negative result or a clear obstacle, think about your options. Try a ‘replacement’ mindset rather than a ‘removal’ mindset. Choices can be a gift. Give yourself more of them!
Here's our Heathly Lifestyle Equation:
Consistency [Change + Doing Work + Taking Breaks] = Healthy Living
Through well-intended, informed, consistent actions you’ll build habits leading to effective behaviors supporting your goals to live a healthy, more fulfilling life.
Be well!
Tom
and not merely the absence of disease or illness" - World Health Organization, c.1948
If you’re a science-geek (…like me), or a math-nerd (…NOT like me, but you know who you are!) you’re familiar with the fact that functions are the result of an equation. Functions, by way of equations, operate based on an ‘input’ value or action, and yield an ‘output’ value or result.
When it comes to biology, all life (animal, plant, and protist) thrives, procreates, evolves based on a systematic organization of functions.
Specifically for our species - Homo sapiens - where we fall on the very broad spectrum of a healthy lifestyle is a direct result of many systems all built on functions. With that in mind, for your body, you have much more control over these systems than you think. You have more control over the INPUT, resulting in the OUTPUT.
Welcome SOON-TO-BE-HEALTHY humans!
Those of you who know me and/or who’ve read my personal blog will be familiar with this story.
In May of 2012, I made a significant change in my life. I decided to change my approach to health and fitness even though I had been an avid endurance athlete for over twenty years. The need for this change manifested itself during, and when I finished a 5k swim race in nearly last place. It’s not the placing that bothered me (…easy back-of-the-packers!), I was comfortable being a mid- or back-of-the-packer for most of my life. It was all about how I felt. I can sum it up like this: I felt - mentally and physically - like a bag of horse shit!
At the time, I was so mad at myself. I had a background in human anatomy and physiology; I was an athlete competing in events of all distances; I had coached lot’s of athletes to success; I had tons of resources at my disposal. So, what happened? (For more down and dirty details on this story, check out my personal blog).
Let’s cut to the chase!
My personal health equation was out of balance. Simply speaking, the output I was asking my body to produce through that 5K swim was not supported by the input I was providing to my body in the form of nutrition, physical training, and mental work. This had been growing for a while - for nearly a year, the sum of my actions, habits, and behaviors were gaining momentum an eventually produced a result that got my attention.
I was at my tipping point. (....You’re welcome, Malcolm Gladwell!)
What conclusion did I come to after some reflection of the situation at hand?
This:
It is the consistent and evolving balance of recognizing the need for change, identifying and putting to work effective activities to support that change, and giving yourself a break while you work for change that will build a more balanced healthy life.
So what about that function?
Consistency [Change + Doing Work + Taking Breaks] = Healthy Living
Let's put it to work. Here’s how we start:
Recognizing the Need to Change
This is the spark! The fire starts here. While the need to change is typically easily seen on the surface, it’s the self-identification of why the need has evolved - the root of the issue - that will ultimately lead us to long-term change. I know some of you feel that this type of analysis is overrated, especially when it comes to health, fitness, and overall wellness. This self-assessment needs to be done if we want to completely eradicate and ultimately learn to live with the cycle of the behaviors, habits, and actions (input) that gave us the negative result (output).
Reasons for change can vary.
Change does not have to take place due to a negative result, or event. Sometimes we just need to change because we are creatures of variety, and change keeps us engaged in certain activities.
While many of us change reactively, proactive change can spur growth. As we move through larger intentions we plateau or ’hit the ceiling’. Changes to routines, changing acute variables to certain activities, and adjusting the way we approach common challenges can help us navigate and realize more effective process towards our goal. We can become more powerful!
What do we need to change?
Now let’s not overwhelm ourselves. I’m sure you, like me, could identify many aspects of your life that you would want to change. Who doesn’t want to be perfect! I think that’s the great thing about life - the journey through our imperfections.
To start, and as you evolve, you must develop priorities. What’s important to you? Do you have clarity on your values? Having this clarity will help you understand your priorities. I suggest you move through this exercise first for yourself. There are a few ways you could do this. I help people think through their priorities around health and fitness all the time. I’d suggest you take a look on-line for some practices around this or engage a coach or trainer to help you out. It will be well worth it!
So, now go ahead take some time to really think about the changes you’d like to make and evaluate why. I mean really dig and and think through the commonalities around the behavior, habits, and actions that give you the result you want to 'fix'. I think you’ll be surprised and what you find out about yourself.
Identifying Effective Activities
"Ugh!" I know that’s what you’re saying to yourself. STOP!
Without work, nothing will change. I know you know that. It’s not really that hard. If you start small, you’ll get there.
Let's back up...
You just spent some time thinking through the changes you need to make, and what behaviors, habits, and actions got you there. Hopefully you landed on a few to consider (....1-3 is a very manageable number). Now we need to think about how we can get after it and put a plan in place.
Think of a stairway. There’s a reason why steps are set as close together as they are - oh, and they're called STEPS! Whether those steps are six inches apart or twelve inches apart, once those steps are ascended they’ll get you to the same location. But I’d ask you this - would you rather take the six inch steps, or the twelve inch steps? Yeah, our ego wants us to be strong and take the bigger challenge but let’s save some energy for longer, more worth-while endeavors.
OK, I hope you get where I’m coming from - small steps to great things. Now you have to figure out what those steps look like. Specifically to health and fitness, this is where the waters get real muddy.
The first action I suggest you take is to reach out to someone you know who has had success in the area you want to change. Find out what they did. But be careful to not just adopt their plan or actions to be your own. Use this interaction as a 'discovery' conversation for you to understand their journey. Take some mental notes from the conversation, and think about how they may apply to your journey.
When it comes to engaging others, social media is a great way to 'meet' a wide diversity of people who have found success, and/or who have similar goals and on the same journey. But use this medium wisely. It's real easy to get derailed and lose focus on what's right for you.
I have another suggestion - and this will be an investment that can have invaluable returns. Hire a coach, trainer, or other professional in the topic to provide some guidance. This is a partnership that should be soley focused on you and your goals.
Time to open up, and face THE TRUTH.
If you decided hiring a coach is for you, be prepared to open up completely about yourself to someone else. A coach can only help you based on what they know about you. Let yourself learn and be flexible to allowing someone else to provide very valuable action steps.
Experience is important - not just your own, but that of your coach. There are a TON of certifications out there. Those certifications are all textbook- and content-driven, which is valuable. But nothing is more valuable than having a coach who has been where you are. A coach that has been on the same road you will travel. Experience cannot be taught in a classroom, on-line, or in a science lab.
Maybe a coach is not for you. Sure, you can absolutely do it on your own. Just give yourself more time and flexibility to understand the resources available. The internet is everyone’s go-to for this stuff; and it should be. There’s a ton of information out there. Just be careful. Like I put forth in my last blog post, there are many ways to get what you need. Just be sure you’re taking the road that works best for you.
I want to mention something here. We need to think about the economy of our actions. Is the activity we chose really going to get us to the end we want? And, are the steps of those activities easily executed given your way of life? If not, why waste your time. If so, go for it and make the best of your journey.
Taking Breaks
Lately, this has really been my thing. After nearly thirty years of experience in running, I've reduced my training, yet I can still perform at the level that gives me the reward I seek through running. I've adopted the same mindset to other areas of my health and fitness - like nutrition, recovery, race scheduling, etc. I have let go of the obsessive behaviors around health and fitness, yet still get results.
Let go of the obsessive behavior!
You absolutely MUST give yourself a break from whatever routines, activities, and actions you chose to take towards a certain goal. If you don’t do this, you’ll find yourself trapped by your own obsessive behavior that can and will undermine any intention you have to make sustainable progress toward you longer term goals.
These breaks look different for everyone based on your intentions. Strategy here is key.
Here's an example: Say I’m taking some time to put together a 10-week fitness/training plan (…which is the most common period of time) for someone, I do two things first: one - draft the final week of the plan (output), and, two - build in the ‘recovery’ weeks (part of the input). These 'recovery' weeks are the weeks where the athlete will exercise at a much lower intensity, frequency, or both for one week. This CHANGE allows the body to physiologically re-build and mentally re-charge preparing both for the re-build of intensity and frequency in the successive weeks. Typically these recovery weeks are built in every three or four weeks depending on the fitness program. This is called periodization.
Periodization also applies to blocks of time we are moving through where we are not just changing our body physiologically, but also mentally. Without these ‘breaks’ or recovery weeks per se, we are not allowing ourselves to re-group, re-charge, and RELAX.
What does the break look like? That depends - on your goals, your plan, and your lifestyle. There are many ways for you to leverage this recovery time effectively. So just like the activities you decide upon will be different, so will your downtime. Talk to you coach/trainer about this, and I’m sure they’ll give you some great options to consider.
Consistency
This is where the rubber meets the road!
Now take those three values of the Healthy Lifestyle Equation I just laid out for you: Recognizing the need to change, identifying effective activities, and taking breaks as the main input of the equation. There is one factor that we need to consider and be aware of when we think about our strategy that builds out this equation, and that is consistency.
Consistency is the root of all habits and behaviors - postive and negative.
Our bodies and our minds are both formed and cultivated around cycles repeating over and over again. We are heaping lumps of cycles. Some of those cycles are FUNCTIONAL entirely on their own, meaning they just happen as a function of nature with little influence from outside variables. Many cycles are just the opposite and are heavily influenced by our actions, and the consistency of those actions. I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty of what cycles do what, and how. If I did, this would be a science book! Check with your coach/trainer to get an understanding of what cycles you need to be aware of based on your needs. Everyone's different!
What I do want to call attention to is the value around consistency of our actions - our healthy-living actions. This consistency will dictate our path, and ultimately our results as we measure them throughout our journey.
When we are consistent with actions around identifying and accepting change, acknowledging and acting on the work at hand, and planning for and taking regular breaks from a more growth-oriented focus, we will find the positive results we need to live a healthy life. We will influence - positively - those functions in the body that will give us the change we're looking for.
I know what you’re thinking: "How do I become consistent?" I get that question a lot! And if I was naive enough to think there was one answer for everyone, I’d package it up like a vitamin, get everyone to give me $10 a month and ask for subscribers. Boom! But anything that simple is just not going to work for most people. Think about this question differently.
I’d ask this of you: "What’s KEEPING you from being consistent?"
This question should make you think about your daily actions and habits. Grab a notebook or jump on your PC and jot down the actions. Maybe start with 5 or 10 minutes each evening before you go to bed. Recap your day: what went well, what was hard, what was a failure. Do that for 7-days, then look back and assess. With thorough, focused thought the obstacles will become clear. Then you can begin to consider alternative, or more proactive actions that can help eliminate or minimize those obstacles.
Though this exercise, remember —> SMALL STEPS! Do not try to completely change your entire routine in one day, or even one week. Give yourself time, but just be CONSISTENT.
Also, think about alternatives. This means when you identify an action that produced a negative result or a clear obstacle, think about your options. Try a ‘replacement’ mindset rather than a ‘removal’ mindset. Choices can be a gift. Give yourself more of them!
Here's our Heathly Lifestyle Equation:
Consistency [Change + Doing Work + Taking Breaks] = Healthy Living
Through well-intended, informed, consistent actions you’ll build habits leading to effective behaviors supporting your goals to live a healthy, more fulfilling life.
Be well!
Tom
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