Why it Takes a Village to be Healthy

Being Healthy Can Be Hard

Especially on the days I want to throw in the towel and not give a sh*t about what goes into my mouth. Sometimes I am so tired from raising children, tending to the household needs, working, keeping the yard up to par, writing posts and doing everything else on my list thatthe last thing I want to do is make myself a nice piece of organic chicken with some fancy delicious salad that takes 20 minutes to slice and dice everything . All I really want is to grab that piece of toast with some peanut butter or the granola bar and be done with it. Can you relate?

Who has the time to be healthy?

I believe this is one of the number one reasons why people tend to gain weight and lose their health. Being healthy takes work and when life offers you convenience it is extremely difficult not to take it! Everything comes in convenient fast packaging; ready made fries, chicken fingers, pre-made lasagna, pre-cooked bacon, kraft dinner and fast food. All of these things can be quickly whipped together with minimal amounts of effort and BAM! the kids are fed and you can finally relax on the couch or tend to the million other things on your list that need to get done before bed……. Sigh!

Give me back my village!

Lets take a moment now to rewind a few hundred to even a few 1000 years ago, where your days were spent tending the land, raising your children and cooking. Your neighbor was a stones throw away and children were truly being raised by a village. Women stayed together - sisters, grandmas, great grandmas and friends all giving a helping hand. There were no distractions of tv, cell phones, or Facebook. Kids had no extra curricular activities they played outside from morning till night using nature as their playground. You ate what you raised and life was simple. With this lifestyle came very little to no obesity, cancer or heart disease. Kids were healthy and strong, there was no childhood obesity, no autism, add and adhd.

Don’t jump - Create a community!

Now before you stop reading and go jump off a cliff because I am being such a Debbie downer let me tell you how you can address this problem.

I can counsel people all day in what they need to eat and what supplements they need to take but the biggest thing you can do is start encorporating lessons from our past into your everyday life.

Success in numbers

I know you have heard me say this before but “success in numbers” is crucial. So go out and find your community. This could be as simple as getting to know your neighbors or joining a fitness group, Yoga class, Mom group, reading club or I recently heard about a naturist clubwhich is a group of people that hang out naked! That wouldn't be my first choice (maybe my last one) - but you get my point!Connect with others, build a community and lean on this community for support.

Remind me, What are my priorities again?

If you are running around from job, to kids, to home,exhausted, feeling like you don’t have time to lead a healthy life thensomething has to change! Its not uncommon for me to suggest to my clients reduce their working hours. At first they are nervous about the financial hit but eventually find they spend less money because they are happier! No need for the short term high of consumerism when you are happy and healthy. If that's too scary an option, consider what else you can change to make life easier. Smaller home? Lower maintenance yard…. maybe a new husband? How about cutting down on your kids extra curricular acivities? Instead spend that time with them and reap the benefits of feeling connected within your own family unit, something many of us are lacking in.

There is always room for change and improvement in life and often it's finding the courage to make these changes.Ask yourself what can I change in my life? What are your priorities now and what would you like them to be instead?

Reconnect with what will make you happy

If getting that promotion at your new job and working longer hours for more pay is your priority, then go for it. If deep down inside you really just want to heal those health issues, have your energy back and love your body again then it's time to makethat your priority!

Instead of looking at weight loss as something that's going to take more work, more time and more effort out of your day, decide what you can change in your life so eating healthy becomes an enjoyment instead!

Making more money, having more toys and a bigger home may bring superficial, temporary happiness - but having a healthy body and feeling energized and vibrant will bring you real happiness and in turn that will help propel you to make better choices for you and your family!

I made important changes too...

Just recently I changed my work schedule around and made more room for hot yoga. I make a point now of only working specific times of the day so I can spend more time doing things that I enjoy, like cooking. I also hired a housekeeper and started asking for help with my kids and leaning on family and friends for support. Now it's your turn what have you done or what would you like to do to make being healthy easier for you to obtain? Leave me a comment and let me know.