Written by Amy P. Mercovich, D.C.
There are many healthy P words… produce, protein, physical activity, posture… yet my favorite P word is PERSISTENCE.
There are many times in life when we get excited about something new. Maybe you saw a show that inspired you to lift weights or run a 10K. Maybe you read an inspiring book and it made you want to meditate everyday. Maybe it’s approaching New Year’s Day and you want to change everything!
The truth is that our health comes not from what we do for a day or a week or a month, it comes from what you do most of the time forever. Persistence.
Want to be an exerciser? Persistence of walking or swimming or doing pushups and abs counts more than the big, crazy, exciting events.
Gardening everyday means more than a once-a-week 5 mile run. Hitting 7500 steps most days is better for your longevity than the once a week trip to the gym. Trying to do a pull up everyday in your basement for 30 seconds is better than the two weeks you used your gym membership and lifted weights. Persistence.
You are defined by what you actually do, not what you hope to do. So, my question for you is: what do you do that is healthy most of the time or on most of your days?
If you find you don’t have many healthy things you do everyday and you WANT to do more healthy things, what could you do that is daily and fairly easy and sets the bar low?
For most people, walking is the daily activity that we can most easily increase.
As for strength of bones, could you do one minute of jump roping each day?
For your posture, could you use your home traction device (if that is needed and in your care plan) in the morning when you hit the snooze button?
For your upper back strength and posture, could you do 20 upper back/shoulder blade squeezes before you take your first sip of coffee or tea in the morning?
Could you do a stretch break right when you set your toothbrush down twice each day?
Could you meditate for 5 minutes while the coffee is brewing or you are waiting for the school bus or right after you eat lunch?
Could you simply add more ready-to-eat fruits and veggies to your grocery list so they are in the house? And, no one wants to let food and money go to waste, so eat them!
Daily. Fairly Easy. Set the bar low. PERSISTENCE.