Cornerstones To Better Health

How would you rate your own overall health on a scale of 1-10 right now (10 being top marks, 1 being lowest)?

I can tell you personally after coaching with more than a thousand people the average is between 4-6. The lower of those scores being the folks with aches, pains, weight or other issues, running through to the higher grades that gave answers such as; 'I used to be really fit, but then I just got a bit lazy', or 'I know I should do something about this (pain/flab/headache, etc) but I never get around to it.

The big 'W' weight.
Above all, being overweight and unfit are the two biggest culprits that can then open the door to so many other conditions and illnesses. According to a report by the Royal College of Physicians, the Faculty of Public Health, and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health over half the UK population are either overweight or obese (with a body mass index of more than 30), which breaks down to 70% of men and 63% of women.

Currently, one in 5 adults and one in 20 children under the age of 16 are obese, and if current trends continue it is estimated that at least one third of adults & children will be obese by 2020 - and these figures are more or less similar in other developed or developing countries around the world. I'm not writing this simply to shock you, but to impress upon you the absolute importance of maintaining your body in as good a shape as possible.

People come to me in coaching to help them create a great business plan, to move forward in some area of their life, to stoke up their motivation in a project. Yet, the one most solid basis for any of that is to be as healthy as possible. In creating a healthy life plan, to be in optimum health, is the one sure-fire way of achieving that success. Most experts believe there are 4 basic areas to achieving a better quality of health.

* Belief systems.
* Food & eating habits.
* Exercise.
* Support.

Belief Systems.
Simply, what goes on in your head creates who you are and what you do with your life. That's wonderful if all is well. If however, something is not as you want, whether it is health, career, finance, etc, one of the first areas to look at should be belief, because what you believe you generally create.

Food & eating habits.
You already know this! There has now been so much information on nutrition, diets, slimming, weight loss, optimum health and the like published that unless you've been living on Pluto the last few decades you must have been aware of at least some of it. What those articles don't tackle however, is what might be right for you. We are all different; we all enjoy, and dislike different things. Therefore, taking an individual approach, one that works for you, is key to achieving success.

Exercise.
Exercise should be tailored to your own body, age and lifestyle. It's like saying 'everyone likes ice cream' sure, some people do, though even with those, some would prefer chocolate, vanilla or strawberry.

Exercise can be so much more than going to the gym. If you have a fabulous gym near you that fires your imagination, then that's great. However, if not, then ask yourself 'what would be a fun way for me to raise my energy with?' A couple of my friends bought inline roller skates and spend Sunday's rolling around the park. Another rents a bike and takes a day trip to the country.

What would it be for you, because if you do find the fun in exercise it's the one area that'll affect all others?

Support.
This doesn't mean someone doing all the work for you. It doesn't mean that if you don't have the support of your partner or best friend it can't be done, and it certainly doesn't mean that if you can't afford a personal trainer or nutritionist, better health & fitness are impossible.

What it DOES mean is that you can begin today to support yourself better and more systematically. Do whatever you need to do to take ownership of your own well-being and begin the journey to achieving better, more vibrant health for you.