INTRODUCTION
Health is way more important than you think it is!
And you might not realize how precious and fragile your life is.
That’s okay! For now.
I hope it won’t be the case by the end of this article.
This unusual story has a lot to teach you. Read through!
HEALTH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN… A MILLIONAIRE’S STORY.
LIFE IS A PRECIOUS BUT SOMETIMES FRAGILE GIFT!
Each morning, before the sun comes out, this man, a very successful millionaire, wakes up at 6 am. As always, his day starts with checking his phone to prepare for the tasks ahead. But this time, something was different! No matter how hard he intended to reach for his phone, his hand won’t budge. His entire arm refused to move.
And when he decided to stand up, he realized his legs were equally not responding. I let you imagine the sheer fear and confusion he must have felt. But thankfully, he could still control his voice to call for help.
The doctors soon discovered that a blood clot formed during the night had cut off oxygen supplies to some brain areas, causing damage and leaving him partially paralyzed.
Although the businessman could not wait to ask if there was any treatment for this disease, the doctor’s response was devastating:
“I’m sorry to inform you that the damage is irreversible!”
Just like that, this man’s whole world turned upside down!
WITHOUT HEALTH, YOUR REALITY CHANGES!
Days later, some friends visited him and helped him return home. The once-proud businessman couldn’t help but stare at his gleaming, bright red Ferrari SF90 Spider, parked flawlessly in the driveway. You know, the car type that forces you to snap a picture of it. But now, all he could do was wonder if he’d ever feel the thrill of its raw power again. Then, pushed through the front door, he immediately confronted his former life: a collection of gold-encrusted Rolexes carefully laid in the center of his living room. He dreamed about wearing only one once again. But in his state, even that simple pleasure seemed hopelessly out of reach. Desperate, he turned his attention to his phone. Packed with missed calls, skipped appointments, and failed transactions, how is he now supposed to manage his businesses half-paralyzed?
He indeed struggled and decided to sell everything. As he sat alone, away from his busy life, commitments, and businesses, he confronted the painful truth that had been staring him in the face:
- His Ferrari, no matter how expensive, won’t make him walk again.
- His watch, no matter how much gold it holds, won’t allow him to travel back in time and restore his health.
- His house, no matter how luxurious, won’t allow him to live the life he wants.
- No matter how much money filled his bank accounts, no money could buy back his functional body.
At that moment, he realized that all the fame, fortune, and possessions he had so eagerly pursued meant nothing compared to the simple gift of health. Money, status, material possessions – none could give him back control over his life.
He had sacrificed his well-being in the relentless pursuit of wealth, only to have it all come crashing down on him.
With grief and regret, the man made the selfless decision to donate his remaining fortune to charity. And then, in a final, tragic act, he took his own life.
WHY HEALTH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WEALTH?
Now, as tragic as this story may be, it holds treasures of wisdom!
We are all guilty of taking our functional bodies and health for granted, especially when we are young. In the prime of our lives, we go for things without any restrictions and never truly appreciate the value of health. It is a cruel irony of human nature that we only truly understand the value of our health when we lose part of it. But by then, it is often too late to intervene and reclaim what we have lost.
HEALTH IS WHAT ALLOWS YOU TO PURSUE WEALTH
Life itself is a magnificent chance, a precious opportunity granted to us. And our minds and bodies are the vehicles that carry us through our journey and make everything possible. Just as a car requires proper maintenance and care to function at its best, our bodies demand diligence and attention. Yet, all too often, we become so consumed by the relentless pursuit of our dreams that we neglect the only vessel we have to chase those dreams. And when this vessel breaks, our dreams break with it. And broken dreams leave us powerless. In the face of health challenges, all the material possessions, wealth, and fame we once valued will suddenly appear worthless.
WEALTH WITHOUT HEALTH LOSES ITS VALUE
How good are the finest cars, exclusive watches, and successful businesses if we can’t enjoy them? Is it even worth it to get caught up in pursuing wealth, fame, and luxury and neglecting the one thing that makes it all possible?
As this story holds that powerful message, we must never forget how precious health is and how quickly we can lose it. Pursuing wealth, status, and luxury at the expense of our physical well-being is, without a doubt, the single greatest mistake any of us could ever make.
WHAT IS HEALTH?
Now that you realize how and why health is so important, you are probably wondering:
- How to get healthy?
- And where to start?
I will give you a simple answer, but first, let’s define health. After all the years of studying, reading, analyzing, coaching, and trying everything myself, I came to this conclusion:
Health = Mind x Sleep x Nutrition x Fitness x Recovery.
In other words, the five most important variables that define health are your mindset, sleep quality, nutrition, fitness level, and ability to recover quickly. These variables are interconnected, directly influence each other, and add up synergistically to create your health.
By the way, there are so many misconceptions about how these variables define health. Discover some of them in this article:
Health is not… 6 health concepts you must know.
THE INTERPLAY OF KEY HEALTH VARIABLES
Let’s think about how these variables interact to affect our health:
- Building healthy routines around sleep, nutrition, fitness, and recovery is not sustainable without the correct mindset.
- Poor sleep quality affects many physiological processes: mood, metabolism, cognitive functions, etc. With a suboptimal physiology, optimizing all the other variables is increasingly difficult.
- With a deficient diet, you will lack the nutrients and minerals your body needs to function at high gear.
- Without a good fitness level, you will lack the energy to do things, won’t feel good in your body, and will, to a certain extent, live a restricted life.
- Without adequate recovery, you might experience chronic stress, negative thoughts, trouble sleeping, anxiety, binge eating, and so on. Which again compromises all the other variables!
So, to be truly healthy, we need to optimize all these variables together and build our daily lives around them.
HOW TO GET HEALTHY?
Now that we know all that, how to get healthy?
And what is the best order of intervention?
Although, in this article, we won’t dive deep into every variable and what strategies you could use to optimize them, we will break down the big picture and the best way to get healthy.
MINDSET SHIFT
The first step is to shift your mindset towards health becoming a priority in your life. A mindset shift is changing your beliefs, thought patterns, and the emotions you express daily about getting healthy. This new mindset creates a fresh perspective to approach health positively and act long-term.
OPTIMIZE SLEEP
After a mindset shift, sleep is the easiest and most cost-effective variable to tackle. With better sleep, you will have more energy, better focus, and higher motivation to take charge of the remaining variables. Therefore, you are more likely to maintain consistent exercise routines, make healthier food choices, and manage stress effectively. (Here are some tips on enhancing sleep)
EAT NUTRIENT-DENSE FOODS
This brings us to the third step: eating nutrient-dense foods. The idea is to consume essential macro and micro-nutrients in the correct ratios. Doing that will fuel you with the energy and building blocks your body needs to exercise and get in shape, which brings us to the next step.
MOVE
The fourth step is to get in shape progressively and sustainably. You can start by simply being more active during the day, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking during breaks. Then, include small bursts of exercise routines, like short jogs or bodyweight exercises, gradually increasing intensity and duration. Finally, build structured workout routines you regularly follow to ensure consistency and long-term fitness.
RECOVERY
Finally, the fifth step is to be mindful of your recovery. The goal here is to implement recovery routines, such as stretching, hydration, and relaxation techniques, to ensure you tackle each day fully energized. By prioritizing recovery, you can reduce the risk of injury, enhance your performance, and maximize the benefits of your healthy lifestyle.
CONCLUSION
Remember that success is meaningless without a functional and healthy body to enjoy it. Appreciate the simplest things you have, take care of yourself, and do not take things for granted. Neglecting your mind and body may cause you to lose essential functions. Let health be your ultimate tool to navigate and express yourself to the fullest, freely, and without restrictions.
With good health, you can show up every day at your best, be present, and spend quality time with your family and friends. Health enables you to tackle your days with high motivation, confidence, and happiness. It all starts with optimizing the foundations. Reassess your priorities, educate yourself, take small, achievable actions every day in the right direction, and with time, everything will compound into a quality, fulfilling life.
