When was the last time you saw a sexy, elegant, fun advertisement convincing you to eat whole foods, sleep 8 hours, move throughout your day, have healthy relationships and drink plenty of water? My guess would be never. Now, for just 1 day, start focusing on how many advertisements you see through social media, tv, billboards, etc. that are convincing you that their latest product/program is absolutely critical for improving your health. Just on social media, endless people are convincing you that their program, their method, their product is going to change your health and life. No shame, we all get sucked into believing it.
No matter your financial status, stage of life, health condition, health goals- we are here to adamantly insist on simplicity for your health foundation. Simplicity in your five health essentials (whole foods, sleep, movement, water, relationships) – AND simplicity in the continuous practice of those essentials. Often, the word ‘basic’ or ‘simple’ can get a bad connotation. This is exactly how the advertisements and influencers market to you- glamorous= health. (The only simplicity we’ve ever seen in an advertisement is a fix-all supplement- also not the answer.) We have seen it proven with every single patient, as well as in our own lives: the simpler your health foundation, the more you are able to maintain it in the long run, no matter what happens in life.
In the current world we live in, it’s incredibly easy to feel like we don’t have time for cooking whole foods, skimping on sleep, feel like there isn’t time for movement, and don’t make time for the people that matter most. However, we firmly believe that these are THE absolute essentials and where the focus should be placed before looking for further answers. Before you buy any health program, new health gadget, “cure-all” supplement, please focus on the five essentials for a month: whole foods, sleep, movement, water and consistent evaluation of your relationships. If those essentials are not in a healthy place, there is no product that is going to cure you.
Within the four essentials, there also can be so much sexy advertising convincing you that you need to buy the newest and greatest program. While sometimes people truly do need the help with one of these areas, you are way more capable than you know in mastering these essentials. Examples:
- Food: There are endless food deliver programs convincing you that you need to spend hundreds of dollars each week on your healthy dinner delivery. With a tiny bit of effort and organization, a healthy crockpot meal can be put together in minutes in the morning and more delicious, nutrient dense, and rewarding than any meal delivery.
- Movement: There are endless gyms, yoga studios, pilates studios and trainers that will convince you that you need the $300 monthly membership to look and feel good. In order to maximize valuable morning time, I actually just stopped my $200 hot yoga membership and instead use a $10 workout app. I now train facing the sun rise outside. Turns out, this routine is 1000% more enjoyable than a dark yoga room and is giving better physical results. Bonus: I have gain back self-power and save $190 a month.. Even more important: everyone adding just small amounts of movement throughout the day.
- Sleep? Endless supplements, sleep trackers, face masks etc. The real magic pill? Turning your screens of an hour before bed and do something relaxing and nurturing. Does it take more self discipline? Of course, but it keeps it simple, sustainable, saves money and enables your personal power. But again, crock pot cooking, self-motivated training and turning your phone off early will never be marketed to you in a glamorous way.
- Relationships- Happy relationships show in about every single advertisement and are use to sell you a product. Real evaluation of your relationships could be THE most important aspect effecting your health but THE hardest thing to truly evaluate. It’s a well known fact that the five people with whom you spend the most time effect your health habits the most. A close look at who you spend your time with – and then being brave enough to make needed adjustments- will effect your health way more than any product or program.
- Water- Drink pure water. The simplest, most environmental way for any type of household is to buy 3-4 reusable five gallon jugs on Amazon and refill each week at Whole Foods. Use an automatic dispenser from Amazon. Easy, simple, sustainable, environmentally friendly.
If you focus on these five areas for a month but truly can’t make progress and still do not feel well: yes, by all means do research to find a program that will help you.
If you can be honest with yourself that these five essentials haven’t -and can’t be- your priority, then of course we completely respect that as well. Life can be a wild ride, throwing a lot of different challenges and curves that you could never imagine. I do believe every single person is capable of achieving life-long health, however I also believe that it’s not always the right chapter to start. If you’re in one of those chapters, then I’d also encourage you to make peace with that. If you make peace with that, then you won’t be tempted to buy the new health gadget, the new health lab subscription, the expensive gym membership. Pause, focus on whatever storm you’re facing, then when it settles, take a month to focus on the essentials and reevaluate the type of help that you need.
While I’m thrilled that the world is waking up to the importance of health and incredible products/programs are being developed, I have also become very protective of people and what actually moves health forward. I am a firm believer that health and personal finance have a VERY strong connection and when one is out of balance, the other will be too. We might live in a chaotic world right now, but that makes it even more important to really know the essentials and what will make you healthy. Without the five essentials, desperately buying random products and programs is only going to create financial chaos, making health even more difficult to attain. The four essentials takes some adjusting, focus, and organization- and I am positive you are capable of improving them. You will start to understand that health is simpler than all the advertising says and you will realize the power is in you- and always has been.
