A Healthy Connection

This is something I wrote a few months ago. It's about the connection physical health has on mental health and overall success. In the past, I haven't been very interested in subjects like this. However, I've turned into a personal development junkie within the last couple of years.

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A Healthy Connection

Recently I made a connection that is proving to be very helpful in my life. It’s actually something we all have probably heard, at one time or another in our lives. The more I ponder this connection, the more profound and apparent it becomes. That connection is simply this:

Physical-health effects mental-heath. (and vice versa)

Our physical-health effects several key factors that affects our mental-health and our overall happiness. And, once we start improving ourselves keeping this in mind, we gain momentum and we open ourselves up to new possibilities in improving our lives. It’s a snowball effect.

These are the primary areas I believe are improved when we improve our physical well-being:

• Energy - Increased energy gives us that extra boost we need to keep the ball rolling. Energy aids us in rolling out of bed in the morning, doing our work, and it also has the reciprocal benefit of giving us energy to exercise and improve our physical state even more. It also increases our ability to think, learn, solve problems, to go the extra mile, and to not procrastinate.
• Self-Esteem - Improving our physical-health also improves how we feel about our body. Feeling more attractive, strong, and active boosts the way we see the world, and the way the world sees us. Having improved self-esteem may encourage us to put ourselves “out there”, to step outside of our comfort zone and expend our boundaries.
• Motivation - This is where things come together. Without motivation to improve our life this is all meaningless. However, sometimes we just have to force ourselves to start, especially when we’re not feeling motivated. Motivation effects every aspect of our lives. The good thing is, once we start, once the ball starts rolling, our motivation will increase, and that will motivate you to keep improving. Keep on keeping on.

So, here are a few of the primary factors I think effect our physical-health:

• What We Eat - Duh! It’s very hard to pass up a candy bar or soda, especially when you’re having a difficult day. The key here is that when you see that candy bar or soda, your mind immediately focuses on the short-term pleasure you will enjoy while you consume it, not on the feeling you will have after you have ate the sugar-filled treat. The best way to combat this, in my opinion, is when you are faced with these cravings, instead think about the benefits you will reap from not consuming whatever it may be, and to think about how you would feel after you consume it. Another thing I’ve found is to drink lots of water. I’ve come to really love a cold glass of water. Drinking water isn’t only healthy because of the water itself, but it helps to drink water whenever you may feel hunger out of boredom. It will fill your stomach and the boredom hunger will shortly go away. It’s also important not to eat before going to sleep. If your body is still digesting food when you go to sleep, it will continue to do so. This takes away from the time your body should be rebooting and resting.

• Sleep - This one is pretty simple and straight forward. Make sure you get enough sleep. This directly effects energy as mentioned above. If you feel tired, your body is telling you to go to bed. Don’t flip on the television or surf the net, just go to bed. You’ll feel better if you do. Also, as I mentioned directly above, do eat before going to sleep. If your body is still digesting food when you go to sleep, it will continue to do so. This takes away from the time your body should be rebooting and resting.
• Exercise - Again, this one is really simple. Spending 30 minutes a day can really make an impact on your energy and improve how you feel on a daily basis. Exercising does not have to be as painful as you may think. Start out by taking a walk before or after walk of an evening. Not only will it help you get in shape, but the fresh air and time to clear your mind will also leave you feeling refreshed and ready to go.

Getting started can be really hard, especially if you’re not motivated. But here’s the secret, once you actually start, it continually gets easier! The best thing to do is build a routine, and follow it strictly. If you take a walk before work on Monday, you need to continue to do so at the same time for the rest of the week. This also applies to your eating and sleeping habits.

I wish you the best of luck in improving your life. I feel that if you keep these few concepts in mind, and act accordingly, you will see that it’s not so difficult to make wonderful, long lasting changes in your life.