There are certain words that I really, really like. I occasionally post those on my Friday’s Findings at drbizjak.com. One word that I have been thinking about more recently is awe. I love this word!
One definition of awe is a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder. It is so easy to lose our sense of awe these days. Life goes by, and we forget how amazing life is around us. We take so much for granted. We overlook our amazing natural world and what we are truly capable of.
Think about how easy it is for us to get from one place to another. You can drive at 65mph in a vehicle that is heated. Or you can get on a plane and fly across the country in just a few hours… at 35,000 feet… going 550mph. We just do these things without thinking about how incredible they really are. And we forget what it took for our ancestors, just one hundred years ago, to get from one place to another.
Nothing creates that sense of awe for me quite like the human body. With 50-70 trillion cells, 80,000 miles of blood vessels, and the ability to take food in and turn it into working muscles, blood, and bone, is astonishing. The fact that a sperm and an egg can come together to create a cell that then turns into two, then four, then eight, sixteen, thirty-two, and on and on. Then those cells differentiate to become liver cells, heart cells, and every other specialized cell in the body. And those cells come together to form organs, which work with other organs to create systems, and these systems allow us to breath, digest food, lift, bend and twist, and to grow and to heal. Think about that for one minute. All that is happening within your body right now as you read this… without you even having to think about it. That is AWE!
As we head into 2021, I encourage you to stop, look, think, and appreciate the amazing body you have been given. No matter what your thoughts, beliefs, or understanding is about the current pandemic, no one will argue that the single biggest factor surrounding how well you do, or how hard you get hit, is the quality of your health at the time that you get it. Knowing this, it makes sense that you would make extra efforts to help that body of yours work as best it can.
We need to be in awe when we think about the body’s ability to defend itself against bacteria and viruses. It does so every single day. And once your body defends itself against these pathogens, it creates an immune defense that protects you against that virus in the future. What an amazing system! But, like all systems, it requires the necessary tools and ingredients. You need whole real foods, regular movement or exercise, ample rest, and good stress management. If you give the body what it needs, and get rid of what is bad for it, it does the rest.
Maximizing your body’s ability to perform its awe-inspiring functions needs to be your number one goal for 2021. You can be in awe of science, doctors, and researchers, but that awe cannot be greater than the awe you have for your innate ability to function, grow, heal, and defend yourself against outside invaders. Your body is amazing! Your ability to be well is so powerful! And helping your body be healthier is not that hard!
And remember… when you build your body, make yourself stronger, and improve your overall health, you increase your protection against this virus… as well as all the others that are coming (and there will be more, stronger ones coming). So, be in absolute awe of your body… and commit to making it stronger and healthier in 2021!