We are inundated with quick fixes, magic bullets, and simple solutions when it comes to improving our health. Supplements, protocols, wearables, and other health-related products are everywhere, promising to give you the answer you are looking for. Big promises are being made and solutions offered through testing of saliva, DNA, blood, hair and stool. It all sounds so promising, gets us excited, and is always wrapped in a new, shiny package, but what are we getting?
Winston Churchill had a quote, it’s one of my all-time favorites, “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” Despite the scientific breakthroughs, the latest discoveries, and all we know about human physiology, we keep getting sicker and sicker. We spend more than any other developed nation, yet rank last when it comes to health outcomes.
I liken it to driving a car to a specific destination. You get in a car and start driving. You want to get where you’re going as fast as possible. So, you drive faster and faster. You invest in better fuel, get the highest performing tires, and even trade in your vehicle for one that is more aerodynamic, performs better, and has a much higher top speed. You drive for many hours and drive as fast as possible. You’re doing everything right. But you just aren’t reaching your destination.
You’re get frustrated, you’re exhausted, and you really want to give up. Then you figure it out. You’re driving in the wrong direction. Oops! No matter how much time you committed, how much money you invested, or how much energy you expended, you just realized you could never get where you wanted to go if you were headed in the wrong direction.
There are fundamentals when it comes to human health. These can be considered non-negotiables. They are human requirements. They are the foundation of human health. And they are pretty simple. They can be summed up in five words… eat, move, think, sleep, and interact. That’s right… the food we eat, how much we move, how we manage stress, the quality of our sleep, and the way we interact in all of our relationships are what have the greatest impact on our overall health. That is it. You must start here.
It isn’t fancy, super science-y, or sexy, but it’s what matters most. You must get the fundamentals in order first. What good is a collagen super food powder if your daily meals don’t consist of whole, real foods? How can that turbo bootcamp workout once a week get you in peak shape if you sit at a desk for eight hours five days a week? And even if you are eating a perfect diet and getting enough movement each day, can you be fully well if you’re staying up late, getting too few hours of sleep, or having poor quality sleep?
You cannot eat your way out of a sedentary lifestyle. You can’t exercise away bad sleep patterns. And no amount of good food, regular exercise, or deep relationships will offset ongoing high stress. You must address all of them!
Some will say the heart is the most important organ in the body because it pumps vital blood to every cell in the body. You’ll catch me saying that the nervous system is the most important system in the body because it controls every organ, tissue, and cell in the body. The truth is, ALL organs in the body are essentially equally important because without all of them you die. Remove the heart, you die. Take out your kidneys, you’re done. Collapse both lungs, life is over. They all work together.
So, what is the most important health initiative? The most important health initiative is the one you’ve been neglecting, but they are all essential for optimal wellness. Humans require whole, real foods, daily movement, ample, high-quality sleep, deep, meaningful relationships, and can only tolerate so much stress. There is no pill that will substitute good sleep. There will never be a procedure that takes all your stress away. And there will never be a breakthrough that eliminates the need for the fundamentals.
So, this next year… stop looking for the quick fixes, avoid the fads, don’t get sucked into the latest trend, and be very weary of the latest breakthrough. Being healthy requires hard work. Getting and maintaining a fit, strong body requires effort. And getting the results you want demands discipline. What you’ve been doing isn’t working. It may be because you’ve been driving in the wrong direction. Stop the car… turn around… and now go.
