I know many of us may have heard that phrase before but our current crisis has really brought the reality of the value of health to the forefront. For me, I always said I valued my health but I did not have the correct habits in consistent practice to match my values. I did not exercise enough or consistently. I ate what I wanted. I did not make sure I was taking the right vitamins. I did not get enough massages, facials, or beauty treatments. I did not get enough rest. I was not taking care of my mental health and was very passive in my spiritual health. I did not have healthy relationships nor even knew what that meant. But like most things, one small catalyst can lead to big changes.
As an entrepreneur, I became very aware that as I was building an economic stream, I needed to build all the additional benefits that I would have if I was working for someone else. That included retirement, health care, and any other benefits that I deemed necessary. So in 2016, I decided to get a life insurance policy and a ROTH IRA. Small steps but the beginning of a health check that I didn’t know I needed. When I was being examined for my life insurance policy the nurse told me my weight and I was floored. I immediately thought, “Oh no her scale must be broken! That cannot be my weight. Yeah, I put on a couple of pounds but how did it go so far?” I could not believe that I let my health get so far away from me. I immediately started to figure out what I can do to make some changes. I am not a fan of diets because they are not sustainable, so I started to figure out what I need to do to change my eating, to help my weight, and I started walking. I started being intentional about my sleeping and resting habits because that leads to unwanted gut growth. And I started to examine other areas in my life that were leading to stress and weight gain.
I would love to report that after that I lost 50 pounds and you can too if you follow my plan… but that is not what this story is about. What I am telling you is that I got started. I started being intentional about my vitamins. I started to walk (inconsistently but hey). I started to eat more salad and make that my main go-to for lunch. I started looking at my portion size (hello Texas portions). I started to realized that my post-graduate school habits would not lead me to the life that I wanted. I was going to have to be intentional and consistent. I also started to examine my personal relationships and create distance or utterly remove anyone that was causing unnecessary stress because stress kills. And it has been a journey.
I kept sporadically exercising and testing different things but there’s nothing like a global health crisis to put things in perspective. One of the biggest factors of the Pandemic death rate in America was underlying conditions, especially amongst people of color. These underlying conditions included weight, asthma, heart conditions, high blood pressure, etc. All things that many people know someone with or have themselves especially in the South where “thickness” is celebrated. But now that very issue you were tolerating or even worse ignoring may be the catalyst to take you out prematurely. It has gotten really scary to be unhealthy. So I got serious about my health, and all aspects of it. Physical, Emotional, Mental, Spiritual, and Financial.
I started walking multiple times a week. Like many who were home, I started being more intentional about my meals. I started shopping differently, prepping differently, and cooking differently. I started examining my habits and routines and completely overhauled my schedule. And I kept doing it - consistently. Because now I was starting the consequences of not doing these things in the face. Being overweight was not an option. Touching high blood pressure was not an option. Not having a healthy schedule for success was not an option. I choose my health and ultimately wealth and I cannot wait to get my return!