Good Physical Health Pays Dividends
Most successful people are not overweight, on purpose. They know health issues will slow them down. However, knowing and doing are two distinct steps.
So, do you have healthy habits? Do you eat food that is good for you, on purpose? Do you try to exercise regularly, on purpose?
If you do not consciously learn about healthy habits, including forms of exercise, you may find yourself spending time and money on health issues instead of following your dream vocation or being able to go on dream vacations, later in your life.
Do the disciplines, the on-purpose habits, and you will experience beneficial dividends as you age.
Plan For Physical Demands
When you are stronger and more flexible, you need to be regular about exercise. That effort will be a benefit to you when you reach middle age. I am not sure when that is. Many folks are feeling healthy in their 40’s.
When you consider career paths, think about the physical demands of potential jobs. Construction, manufacturing, delivery or driving, and many other jobs are physically demanding. The length of that career will depend on your good health.
Sitting at a desk is not physical work. Right?
Let’s observe. What if you must travel 30% to 50% of the time, to other work sites? Then, there will be bags to carry, extra steps to carry those bags, etc.
Physical strength and endurance will help you perform any job better. And it will help your attitude. Unhealthy people always seem to be grumpy!
Transition Time
As you age, physical work gets less appealing, and aches and pains are more frequent. So make sure you read and study along the way to prepare for a transition in your work opportunities.
Related to your employment, you may want to consider some changes to less demanding work. That may appear as a supervisor, a product specialist, in research, in sales, etc. I am not sure how to help the farmer who must keep working, except to hire help!
The good news is that once you have purposely built strength and endurance you can rebound faster from times of inactivity or recovery from injuries.
You Are What You Eat
Does that scare you? After all, some things our body really needs, and some things just taste good!
So, a good subject to study is what your body needs to stay healthy. Then, you can better evaluate if those things that taste good will be harmful and, if so, how much can your body tolerate before doing harm.
Like a lot of things, this subject can be taken to extremes. That is up to you. As for me, I like a little ice cream, on occasion!
You Are What You Think
Since I am writing a blog about your mindset, I should include the concept of controlling your thoughts as well as your activities.
I want you to focus on beneficial activities and consistency that will bring you benefits.
Your daily mindset, based on your goals for the future, will help you develop good habits and disciplines that will help you see the prize you can win by paying the price of effort.
Live Long and Be Prosperous
What will you do to help yourself live long? Will you exercise? Will you take supplements? Will you study how to eat healthy?
My observation over my working years was that too many people ignore their health and then wonder why they have a heart attack or diabetes or high blood pressure at a fairly young age.
When I was much younger, I did yardwork for a family that constantly talked about where they would travel when they retired. Their diet was full of processed food, and they never exercised. By the time they retired, neither of them was healthy enough to travel. Will your plans for retirement get pushed aside due to lack of good health practices?
Make your own observations. And, as you see examples of others having health issues, be aware that they are affecting their retirement in two ways. First, they are less able to work and add to their retirement funds, with the added loss of compounded earnings. Second, they are building a future need for medication and possible operations on failing organs, which will increase their cost of living and cut into their quality of life!
Your chances of living longer and having the will to work harder and smarter to help you become prosperous are much greater if you work to stay healthy.
You Can Do Well
I want better things for you. Simply walking 30 minutes per day, four days per week will be a real benefit to your good health. That alone will put you ahead of the biggest crowd of folks who would rather stay home and watch TV.
Then, you can observe others around you who fail to take care of themselves and start to have more health problems than you do. Apply yourself and you can do well!
Pay attention to what has worked for others in the past. As Jim Rhone noted, “An apple a day. What if that is true?” (Keep the doctor away!)