Day 31 of 31-Day Series “Your Last Health Resolution”
Your physical health isn’t the most important thing in your life. As much passion as I have for fitness and wellness, they won’t serve you well as your number one priority. But if they don’t have any significant focus in your life, your other priorities eventually won’t matter much.
When we began our series together a month ago, I shared a story about my best friend Chad. I met Chad soon after college when we served in the same Christian non-profit. We shared similar passions for changing lives and making a dent in the problems of the world.
Our friendship deepened through shared experiences at conferences and events. We spent a summer together attending post-graduate classes in Colorado. Our mutual admiration and respect grew. Eventually we started praying together once a week via phone.
I normally don’t extend trust easily. But Chad had a way of drawing me out. He did that with a lot people. He helped me think more about my deepest priorities. He never used that language. But in his own way, he led me to my own conclusions. As a result, I became more intentional about a lot of things. One of those was my health.
Chad always had strong discipline. I used to give him a hard time about using some kind of weird oil blends on his skin. Or eating some pureed mix of super foods, like a spinach, tomato, salmon and almond blend (although he swears he never ate that). Despite my razzing, I respected his ability to research, learn, and apply his knowledge to his life. Besides myself, I don’t know of anyone else who researches as thoroughly as Chad. And that fact probably saved his life.
When he began experiencing health issues the doctors couldn’t explain, he did his own investigation. And when he discovered he had Lyme (and the doctors confirmed it), he again searched for the best treatment protocols. At this time, he’s likely the world’s foremost expert in one particular method of treatment. His research saved his life. The Lyme he had contracted was so far along with so many co-infections a normal person would have succumb to the devastating effects.
In a normal day, Chad spends the majority of his time treating his disease. He mixes his own tinctures. He follows his own rigid protocol. He does so to heal his body in the hopes of completely restoring his health. He and his wife would like to have kids before their window closes. I pray and believe it will happen.
Why do I share this story? I’m trying to convince you to invest the effort to change. Invest it. It’s not easy. An investment is going to cost you something – time, money, energy. But like all good investments, you’ll reap a dividend.
Chad invests to reclaim his former lifestyle and have children. Many of my clients invest to change their health trajectory. They want to lose weight or build a lifestyle of fitness to increase quality of life and reduce risk for disease. Some invest because their bodies now demand it. They can no longer function without assistance. You don’t want to invest under compulsion.
So take a step. You don’t need to run a marathon tomorrow. Just take a step. Read through my series again and set a goal. Reach out to someone for help. If you’re in the Twin Cities area, give me a call or send an email. But to see positive change happen, you need to do something differently. Make a list now of things you’d like to change. Then start with one. You’ll thank yourself later. And those who love you will too.
Final word: Thank you for joining with me in this series. Those of you who have commented and encouraged me helped me stick with it. You know who you are. I can’t do it alone. We all need help. I certainly wouldn’t have posted everyday without your help. Thank you.
I’m developing my PRIMEpathway model into a book. I hope to release it in January. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, sign up for my newsletter below. It doesn’t come often, but I make sure it contains valuable information.
This series has meant a lot to me. I am so fortunate to have you as my trainer. I get the benefit of your passion for health and fitness first-hand. What a blessing! But as the series progressed, I also got to watch you grow as you articulated each step of the way. The greatest lessons I’ve learned from you don’t have to do with the gym or the kitchen. You’ve taught me to trust again, and that it’s okay to be vulnerable, and even sometimes frightened. Life is often messy. But when I’m weak, I’ve learned I can count on you. And it brings me even greater joy to also be there for you. You’re not just my trainer, Joe, your my training partner, my life coach, and my friend.
Thank you, Joe.
You’re a rock star Mike. You’re words mean so much to me. And your results have truly been inspiring. It’s a privilege to call you my friend.
I finally made the time to read all 31 days of the blog from start to finish. I got a lot of good information from your writing. With your support and guidance I am looking forward to the hard work it will take to get my strength and balance back now that I’ve started my recovery. Thank you Joe.