Phuket Health: Being strong and balanced

PHUKET: THE last article I wrote was about how to achieve goals and persist with New Year’s resolutions (click here for story).

Every year, without fail, the resolution at the very top of most people’s list has to do with improving personal well-being, energy and health. This means being strong and healthy is inherently valuable to most of us. For the record, being happier and more mentally positive comes a close second on the wish list.

So with this in mind, it is highly likely that you want to be strong, healthy and happy. I mean who wouldn’t?

You probably also agree that having more energy and improved vitality would be a good thing. Right?

Yet why (if it is so valuable to us) do we struggle with improving our very own bodies and minds? I’ve got news for you. How you live today, the daily choices you make today and the choices you will make every day, all add up. More news: being healthy encompasses being happy. A lot of people overlook this point and misunderstand that healthy people are not necessarily ‘fit’ people. Fitness alone is not synonymous with being truly strong and healthy. Crazy world. I know.

So, how do we go about creating more strength and health so we can generate the energy required to live in today’s hectic world?

Start small
You gotta crawl before you can walk. The transition from crawling to walking is difficult. You once stumbled, fell, sat, rolled over, crawled some more and eventually made it to walking. You didn’t stop putting one foot in front of the other, even though that learning foundation was the hardest part. The hardest part took time and effort, yet was required to create a solid foundation to proceed.

Start with small steps and build your foundation slowly, step by step.

Act consistently
You can’t just sit and crawl all your life – you would get left behind. You must consistently perform the actions to go from a crawl to a walk.

Only with consistent action can your health and lifestyle improve. You have to save and invest consistently to become debt free right? Invest in consistent health actions to become healthier and happier.

Get support
You don’t just crawl and then walk – you grab things for support, to help you along the way. Pro athletes have support don’t they? They don’t just turn up on game day after training on their own. Top executives have support too right?

Most of them wouldn’t just rock up to an annual AGM and wing it. A friend, a coach, a trainer, an investment adviser, councilor etc, they will all support you and help build momentum.

Create momentum
Once you have taken one step it is easier to take the next right? It is easier to walk a little bit more once you start moving forwards. Science tells us that a body in motion remains in motion and a body at rest will remain at rest.

Humans (that means you) are made to move, and used to enjoy moving as a baby! Get moving, get back into motion and create some momentum so it is easier to keep going. Look around at strong and happy people and ask yourself, ‘what do they do?’ Guess what? They move. Movement is good. You know that. Start moving, keep moving and create momentum.

Get to your spot
You know, the spot where you feel good and know you will move once you get there. Could be the health club, might be a beach, perhaps it’s your bike.

Whatever, just get to your spot. That is the hardest part. Getting there. Sometimes we end up at the pub! Often the hardest part about moving more is actually getting to ‘your spot’. Once there it becomes easier.

Hayden Rhodes is the Functional Diagnostic Nutritionist at the Royal Phuket Marina Health Club (click here for map). Follow Hayden on Facebook/RhodesToHealth.

— Hayden Rhodes