The Forgotten Path to Health and Happiness

June 5th, 2009

Lean, Happy and HealthyAre you overweight, tired, anxious, depressed or irritable? Do you have allergies, digestive issues, or aches and pains? If you’re like most people, then the answer is probably yes. Instead of focusing on what causes these problems, most people turn to quick fix remedies that may temporary relieve symptoms, but allow the problem to persist and potentially develop into disease.

Many of us are eating unhealthy diets, are consistently exposing ourselves to excessive stress, and are disregarding the need for rest. This leads to the physical and mental symptoms of poor health that burden so many people on a regular basis and is also why we have such a high prevalence of diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and autoimmune disease. Instead of acting on this obvious correlation between lifestyle and poor health, we’ve accepted the consequences as a normal part of aging and continue to compromise our health and our lives with unhealthy habits.

What’s the Root Cause of Your Problems?

Most people who are overweight, tired, anxious, depressed, irritable, in pain or are suffering from any other common health complaint are always in search of a quick fix and are short changing themselves as a result. Through years of focusing on temporary relief only, their problems are likely to worsen and require more invasive and dangerous forms of management.

Caffeine and other stimulants are an excellent example of this shortsighted mentality. While they may increase your energy and make you more alert, they do absolutely nothing to address the cause of your fatigue. Furthermore, regular use of stimulants makes the problem worse by forcing your body to handle demands that it doesn’t have the capacity for. If you did have the capacity, you’d have plenty of energy and wouldn’t need an artificial energy boost.

Using diet pills, extreme calorie restriction or excessive exercise to lose weight is another good example. While these methods may bring results, they’ll likely cause health problems in the process. Is it worth it to lose weight if it makes you tired, moody and more susceptible to disease?

Addressing issues such as obesity, fatigue and depression through an approach that emphasizes excellent health is much more effective, and most importantly, is conducive to a long and healthy life.

Why We Have So Many Problems Today

The frightening incidence of obesity, mood disorders, chronic fatigue and life threatening diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and autoimmune disease is not nearly as mysterious as you may think. Based on the fact that many of these problems barely even existed just a century ago, the dramatic changes we’ve made to our lifestyles since then have had a tremendously negative impact on our health.

In comparison to how we lived just 100 years ago, we’re eating much more processed food, dealing with much more stress, getting much less sleep, and are exposing ourselves to hundreds, if not thousands, of dangerous chemicals that didn’t even exist back then. Because modern society encourages and promotes these bad habits, many of us have never experienced the vibrancy and satisfaction of optimal health and are left with the unpleasant symptoms of poor health instead.

The people who understand the errors of our modern ways and are motivated to do something about it are rewarded with a much better quality of life. They’re not overweight, tired or moody and are much more likely to be active, mentally sharp and full of energy in their old age. In contrast, their peers will likely be living with the discomfort and limitation of disease.

A Simple Solution

The resilience of the human body is nothing short of amazing, especially considering the amount of consistent abuse it can withstand. However, there’s no question that consistent abuse will compromise the quality of your life and is very likely to eventually lead to serious problems.

Part of what makes the human body so resilient is it’s ability to repair and recover, but the more we abuse it, the less capable it is of carrying out these functions. In contrast, a healthy lifestyle promotes optimal repair and recovery, and in turn, promotes optimal function in general. This means more energy, better moods, less pain, fewer allergies and less chance of illness and disease. In other words, if you treat your body with the tremendous respect that it deserves, you’ll be rewarded with the potential for your life to be a much more satisfying and fulfilling experience.

Regardless of what your specific goals are, any attempt to improve your quality of your life through better physical or mental well being should always start with a healthy lifestyle. To learn more about how you can implement a healthy lifestyle and resolve many of the problems discussed in this article, I highly recommend that you sign up for my free e-course: 7 Simple Steps to a Leaner, Happier and Healthier You!

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays.

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