Today is the day!
The big premiere of my new Television Series called ‘Living Well’ happens tonight at 8:30pm EST on Rogers Cable 13 in St. Thomas, Ontario. Check out the media release for more details.
If you aren’t in my local area, I will be putting some updates here on the blog and in my newsletter.
As I have mentioned in a previous post, the show focuses on Health and Wellness and offers great information for people who are interested in changing current behaviours or habits in order to have a better quality of life and a better level of health and wellness.
Each week I will interview health care providers and other experts to give you great information on topics ranging from nutrition and exercise, to managing stress as well as learning about various complementary and alternative health options.
Today’s episode focuses on taking responsibility for, and control of, your health and wellness. It also gives some tips on how to set goals for your health and wellness which will help you in making better choices on the path to better health.
Many of us put our most important asset, our health, into the hands of health care providers, insurance companies, government and even family and friends.
When it comes down to it, no matter how amazing your health care provider is, no matter how supportive your family is, no matter how fantastic your insurance coverage or government support is…
Noone…not one other single person, has more invested in your level of health and wellness than you. YOU! Your health and wellness is your responsibility.
Many of us don’t even consider or think about our level of health and wellness until there is a malfunction; until something goes wrong.
I like to think about health as a giant ATM machine.
Many of us spend years making constant withdrawals from this health machine. We eat poorly, we don’t exercise or move our bodies, we don’t get enough sleep, we exist constantly in a low level state of stress.
We all need to start making deposits back into our health so that we can function happily with a great quality of life for many years to come before our ATM machine runs out and we get a breakdown or a malfunction.
When we start thinking about health and wellness this way, it becomes obvious that so many people put it on the back burner worrying more about schedules for family, work and the busy-ness of hectic lives.
Imagine if you put yourself and your health first instead of last.
All of those life commitments that take over would then actually be more enjoyable and easier to manage. It’s the bizarre Catch-22 that many (maybe even most ) people struggle with.
One of the best ways to take control of your health and wellness is to make goals for it as you would for your finances or for your career.
It seems a bit strange to think about goal setting for health and wellness, but when you go through the process, you start to realize that those goals, once completed, have far reaching effects that spillover into every area of your life.
Here’s how you get started:
Take out a pen and paper.
Write down your current state of health and wellness and then write down where you would like it to be in 6 months, a year, 5 years.
Then start to imagine in sharp, focused detail what your life is like when you get to those goals. How do you be feel? What does your body look like? How do people react to you? Do you have the same job? What do you do or participate in now that you have achieved these health goals?
Don’t let your current circumstances stop you from imagining the best outcome possible for your goals.
Now… here is the fuel for your goals and what you want your life to look like once you have completed them.
Why do you want to complete these goals? Once you find your why, you will have the reason and purpose for actually getting it done.
Make sure that your ‘why’ is significant enough that it actually means something. For example, instead of saying ‘I want to lose 20 pounds because my doctor told me I should”, it is much more powerful to say I” want to lose 20 pounds so that I can set a good example for my children as they grow up so they can learn good patterns and behaviours for their own health and wellness”
So to sum up:
Write down your health goals
What will your life look like when you complete them?
What is your ‘why’? Your purpose for pursuing the goals in the first place?
Remember, your health and wellness are your biggest assest that fuel your energy, focus and quality of life for everything you do. Take responsibility for your health by taking control of the decisions you make today to make some deposits into your health instead of waiting until there is a problem.
Imagine if you put yourself first instead of last?
You’re worth it.
Peggy
Dr. Peggy Malone is a Chiropractor and an Athlete who helps other athletes to overcome injury and get back to their sport. She also inspires patients from all walks of life to take control of their health to be as happy and as healthy as they can be.
A former varsity Basketball and Rugby player, she has since entered the world of endurance athletics where she has completed 2 Ironman Triathlons, 3 Marathons, several Half Marathons and many other Triathlons, Road Races and Off-Road Adventure races of varying distances.
Her own athletic endeavors and injuries have given her valuable insight into working with athletes in her practice for both the care of injuries as well as for the improvement of athletic performance.
Break a leg, Peggy (in the theatrical sense). All the best for your TV series.
Thanks so much for your best wishes Les 🙂
Congratulations Dr. Peggy on your new show, "Living Well". Like many of your patients I never paid much attention to my health either, until I lost it. It was at the point of almost no return I found nutrition and a way to learn as I regained my health. Looking back I would encourage anyone not wanting to die to pay attention to your timely advice and take control of your health. If you don't no one else will.
Thanks Carla! I’m so glad that you found a path of health and wellness that brought you out of sickness. It’s great that you are now encouraging others to be as healthy as they can be before something goes wrong.
Congratulations on your TV show 'Living Well' Dr Peggy. As a board certified physician also trained as a life coach I echo your commitment to optimizing the health and wellness of patients and clients. I see firsthand the effects that 'constant withdrawals from that ATM machine' eventually lead to and attempt to mirror for my patients and clients what a healthy lifestyle can look like. Best wishes in all your endeavors and much Love to you!!
Thank you so much for your comment Dr. Eno!! I love hearing from other health care professionals who are sharing a similar message 🙂
Love your analogy between people's health and an ATM, Peggy. Money and health are right up there at the top of what people bemoan when they don't have it. Interesting, they never take money for granted, but they do take their health for granted … until it starts slipping away, that is. Great article. And congrats on the TV show!