Health.

I started recognizing health as an important value just over 10 years ago. I had just joined a new gym in hopes I would ‘stick to it’ this time. We were thinking of starting a family soon so I knew being physically fit was going to be of importance. I had always loved sports and loved the way I felt after a workout, so I had joined gyms here and there over the years and played on a few different teams. But it was off and on at best. This time though, it was different.

I was given a book to read with my membership when I joined - Living the Good Life by David Patchell-Evans. With little expectations, I decided to give it a go. And what the author said, although so simple, changed the way I looked at my health forever. He wondered why we spend the time we do taking care of certain things, but we don’t take the same care in our health. For example, cars. We change the oil, we take it in, we fuss if there is a scratch, we rotate the tires, replace parts, etc. etc. Although this didn’t quite apply to me at the time or now lol I got the point. What he was emphasizing was we spend so much time taking care and giving attention to other ‘things’, but not our health. When without our health, there is nothing. Without our health, there is no car, there is no, phone, there is no job, there is no life. Our health is our most prized possession. It comes first. You can’t have the rest without it. I heard that message loud and clear.

Over the years I have had times where I am very consistent in my routines, and times when I’m not. Motivated. Not motivated. It’s up and down. It’s hard. But at the moment I feel stronger in my value of health than I have ever been. It’s not to say that there aren’t still times where I don’t move or eat well. Sometimes for long periods. But I always come back to this belief - that health is my most important value. And because of this, I trust that if I slip, I trust that it won’t be a slide. And that I will always get back to it. It’s not just something that I do anymore, it’s who I am.

Because I want to live. I want to live long. And I want to feel good. And there is nothing more important than that.