Don't pursue health, define it
Why "being healthy" isn't enough.
The groundwork for all happiness is health.
Leigh Hunt
Health is a foundational worthwhile pursuit.
Without our health everything else is impossible or unenjoyable. However, the results from our pursuit of health will differ drastically depending how we define it.
Pursuing health on its own is not enough. We need to define what our version of healthy looks like to see meaningful results.
Saying we want to be healthier is like saying we want to be smarter without choosing a subject to study.
When we choose to pursue becoming healthier we should know exactly what that means to us and why we want to achieve that specific version of health.
What you put in is what you get out
We all want to be healthy and fit but we’ll never get any closer to that objective if we don’t define what that means.
Declaring we’re going to improve our fitness gives us a quick dopamine hit. Going to the gym, taking supplements, trying a new sport, and buying some new fitness gadget all make us feel like we’re making progress toward becoming healthier.
These random acts of “health and wellness” do nothing to provide the specific training stimulus we need to make meaningful progress. Something is better than nothing, especially if we’re starting from zero, but specificity is important.
Having a clear destination gives us a full understanding of the inputs required to get our desired output. If we decide we just want to be “healthier”, we might lift weights, eat salad, and use non-toxic sunscreen, all of which are good things, but none of which will drive any specific outcomes.
Instead, if we decide to run a marathon, we know exactly what kind of training and diet we need and when we follow through with our plan, we can measure meaningful progress.
This specificity also provides measurable benchmarks to ensure we’re progressing toward the goal(s) we set for ourselves.
A rising tide lifts all boats
When it comes to our health, we’re much better off going an inch wide and a mile deep instead of a mile wide and an inch deep.
Progressing in one pursuit and one area or one focus will do more to lift the tide of our wellness than a random collection of mismatched feel-good training and habits that aren’t designed to accomplish anything specific other than trick us into feeling like we’re doing something useful.
Health and wellness is a non-negotiable pursuit in all of our lives, but pursuing it without purpose is a recipe for stagnation.
We should define what health means to us, understand what it takes to achieve it, and religiously measure our progress to ensure we’re making meaningful progress in this foundational pursuit.
Prompts
What are you doing to be healthier right now?
Do you have a clearly defined version of what health means to you?
What is the one thing you can focus on to become a healthier version of yourself?
Deep Dive
The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papsan
A wonderfully powerful question to move your entire life forward by focusing on one thing.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you next Sunday.
Kevin
I think the trick is to create goals with objective measurements.
Examples of goals: get body weight under 175...walk two miles every day...or even walk two miles in 25 minutes. (As opposed to "walk every day," or "go to the gym three times a week.")
Go to the gym: great, great, but what are you doing when you get to the gym?
Goals which are measured hold you accountable. If not, they aren't goals as much as they are just behaviors. Usually positive behaviors, but not necessarily focused on any result.
With measured goals you can absolutely track progress, and if you are not progressing, you can change it up.