A few days ago I was cutting up a butternut squash to bake and I couldn't help but think that it would be much less work to just take the short drive to Wendy's and get some fries. Then this morning the last thing I wanted to do was to do my workout. I struggled through every set thinking of how good my bed would feel. My oh my, a healthy lifestyle can be a lot of work! And there are times I really don't want to put in the effort. I know I'm not alone in feeling that having a healthy chiropractic lifestyle is a lot of work and there are days when it would be easy just to say forget it.
It's on those days when I have to remind myself of why I choose a healthy lifestyle, and it is totally my choice. The benefits of eating well, exercising, getting rest, managing stress, and keeping my spine adjusted are tremendous. When I do these good things I have more energy, I'm happier, my immune system is strong, and I'm able to handle the challenges life throws at me. I also know deep within myself that by living healthy now, I have a much greater chance of enjoying good health as I age. One goal I have for myself is to be able to live vibrantly until I die.
Then I also look at the cost of not living a healthy lifestyle. I would surely gain weight and become sluggish. Along with that comes loss of muscle tone and strength. I would be more susceptible to acute infections and chronic disease processes such as diabetes, arthritis and cardiovascular problems. An unhealthy lifestyle now would jeopardize the health I hope to have in the future.
The only benefit to leading an unhealthy lifestyle is that it is easy. No effort is required. To go downhill all you have to do is coast. But once you reach the bottom getting back up is an awful lot of work, if it can be accomplished at all. Hitting the bottom from a health standpoint is not a good place to be. It means the body is no longer able to maintain or repair itself and there is widespread failure of body systems. There is no longer any enjoyment of life. That's not a place any of us look forward to being in; I certainly don't!
The best assurance I have of enjoying a healthy future is to put in effort and sacrifice today. What I do, or don't do, today will have a tremendous impact on my tomorrow, my next year, and my next decade. Like everything I do in life, where my health is concerned I need to focus on my long term goals and work toward them. Though it may be easier to go for the fries and skip my exercises, I'm going to continue to prepare my veggies and get up to workout. I resolve to persevere with a healthy chiropractic lifestyle this year and end 2014 healthier than when it started. How about you - expend the effort or take the easy route?
