Last week we spoke about the SMART approach to dealing with change. We also mentioned that fear is not a long-term motivator. This week we will look at some of the common excuses we give ourselves, or others, that block our progress to a healthier life. Here is a good resource:
- I don’t have time!
We all live hectic lives. Some people seem to be busier than others. But you know what. We all have just 24 hours in our days, and some people seem to do more than others. It is all about what we prioritise in life. If you feel you don’t have time for 10 or 20 minutes brisk walk, do you have an hour to sit and watch TV, or read a book, or chat to a friend? ALSO READ : Turning the Tide – Fear is not a long-term motivator for change The big question of course is, “Can you afford not to spend some time exercising, or preparing healthy food, or getting enough sleep at night?” Not adopting these habits can shorten your life or at minimum reduce your efficiency at getting done what you need to do.
- I feel so tired!
One of the most common complaints of people who do not care for their health is a feeling of fatigue and lethargy. Yes there are some diseases that present as fatigue – conditions like heart failure, thyroid deficiency, severe anaemia, kidney or liver failure. If you feel your fatigue may be due to one of these conditions, then you need to be checked out by your doctor. Starting slowly may be necessary to build up your strength. It takes very little effort to start moving more – even if you spend 5-10 minutes extra each day walking around your house (but not to the fridge), or around your garden, or up and down the stairs if you live in a block of flats, or up and down the Mall. It won’t be long before you are feeling better.
- The weather is bad!
It may not be fun going for a walk in the pouring rain, although strangely enough some people actually swim in water for pleasure. If you want to go for a walk when it is raining all you need is warm clothes and an umbrella. You could even go barefoot if you are worried about shoes. Only kidding! The point is there are options – working out in the bedroom, or up and down the passage, or at work. Be imaginative, and you can find alternatives.
- The gym is expensive, and I am too embarrassed to expose myself there!
The outlay in a gym membership may be an incentive to keep going to get the benefit of your investment, and a personal trainer may be helpful to keep you motivated. But you can do very much without a gym membership. A couple of good exercise buddies can provide excellent encouragement to keep you resolute. A workout in your garden may give you a variety of exercises, as well as give you fresh air and sunshine to boot. If you grow a vegetable garden, you can also access the benefits of fresh, tasty organic produce. (It is always a challenge competing with diseases, insects, monkeys and the dog – but there are ways and means).
- Healthy food is expensive!
It all depends if you are wanting to go fancy or not. It is possible to have very tasty yet inexpensive dishes. It may take some trial and error to work out foods and recipes that you enjoy. That is the exciting part – trying out new ideas in food preparation. You don’t have to be an instant expert. There are many resources available on the internet. Here is one that gives vegetarian alternatives – not necessarily whole-food plant-based but a good starting point or this one from BBC. Here is another excellent site. To balance the cost of some of the less common pricey ingredients you may want to add for flavour and variety, remember that improving your health through lifestyle intervention will ultimately cut your healthcare costs dramatically. You may spend a few Rand extra in the short term, but the long term savings will be enormous. A good way for you to deal with your negativity is to write down your perceived reasons for avoiding change and then think imaginatively of options to address them. You might want to discuss them with a friend or mentor. Next week we will address some more common excuses. Hopefully you have progressed from the pre-contemplation, through the contemplation stage, on to the preparation or action stage of change. Feel free to contact me if you need some help in implementing these changes. Phone 039 6821414 to make an appointment. Have a great week after the good rains to inspire newness of life. Dave Glass
Dr David Glass graduated from UCT in 1975. He spent the next 12 years working at a mission hospital in Lesotho, where much of his work involved health education and interventions to improve health, aside from the normal busy clinical work of an under-resourced mission hospital. He returned to UCT in 1990 to specialise in obstetrics/gynaecology and then moved to the South Coast where he had the privilege of, amongst other things, ushering 7000 babies into the world. He no longer delivers babies but is still very clinically active in gynaecology. An old passion, preventive health care, has now replaced the obstetrics side of his work. He is eager to share insights he has gathered over the years on how to prevent and reverse so many of the modern scourges of lifestyle – obesity, diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, common cancers, etc. He is a family man, with a supportive wife, and two grown children, and four beautiful grandchildren. His hobbies include walking, cycling, vegetable gardening, bird-watching, travelling and writing. He is active in community health outreach and deeply involved in church activities. He enjoys teaching and sharing information. HAVE YOUR SAY Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
