10 Common Misconceptions About Health

If you are experiencing frustration on your health journey, maybe some of these excuses are tripping you up! Take some time to examine these limiting beliefs so that you can put them behind you and move forward toward your goals.

You could…

1. Overcomplicate it. Actually, there are no secrets to good health. Fuel your body with real, nutritious foods, prioritize good sleep, move your body every day, drink water, and manage your stress. Is there work? Yes. Is it manageable? Also yes. 

2. Assume it won’t happen to you. If you are under forty, you may be thinking none of this applies to you. Depending on your metabolism, your health habits may not catch up with you until you are older, but catch up they will. Take action now to care for your body, because it’s the only one you get! It has to last for all the years of your life, and as the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

3. Say you don’t understand. It is easy to say you don’t understand and not to look closely at the habits that make up your life. What’s one thing you are willing to stop doing? What is one thing you are willing to start? 

4. Say it’s too hard. Is it hard to start new habits? Yes. But it is much harder to be sick.

5. Say you only live once! True! But that one life is lived in one body, and that body has to last for years and years and years. Don’t throw away your good health for momentary pleasures. Instead, choose long-term joy.

6. Think medicine will keep you healthy. While it is true that modern medicine can deal with many issues, there are limits to what it can do. A more sensible approach is to take action to support the health of your body, and leave modern medicine for emergencies. 

7. Do nothing. If you don’t start somewhere, you won’t start at all. Choose one thing to focus on, and make it happen. Then do the next thing. 

8. Do well only when you feel like it. Is it possible to do all the things, all the time? Nope! It’s better to accept that there will be times you fail to make the right choice. It doesn’t have to derail your whole life. Aim to make great choices 80-90% of the time, and give yourself some grace. But don’t let your feelings in the moment dictate your choices. Let the healthy habits you put in place dictate your choices, and the exceptions will truly just be exceptions. 

9. Think exercise is only for athletes and weight-lifters. Exercise is one of the number one things you can do to preserve cognitive function throughout your entire life. Move your body for your brain, for your heart, and for your lungs. You don’t have to be running marathons or spending hours at the gym. Get your blood moving every day with things you love—walking, body weight exercises, swimming, dancing, biking, yoga. Mix it up so you do some things for strength, some for flexibility, some for endurance, and some for the pure joy of moving. 

10. Quit when it gets hard. We all have days when we don’t even want to get out of bed. When challenges arise, remind yourself that a few minutes of discomfort are worth a lifetime of good health. Even when it’s hard, making a healthy breakfast, getting up early to journal and meditate, getting on the shoes and getting out for that walk, or skipping the candy bar in the gas station will always put you ahead. 

Instead of any of that, you could write down one thing you are willing to stop doing and one thing you are willing to start doing, and then do it!  If you can’t think of one thing to do to improve your health, then just cut the amount of sugar you consume in a day. This one thing can be your starting point. If you’re looking for more focused support, TruBalance offices are all equipped for virtual appointments.