Every person on the planet has to pay attention to their health – at some point in their lives. And it doesn’t just end with being attentive to and accepting your current state of health. Everyone eventually has to pay for their health with their time and their money – as well as their mental and emotional energy.
 

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20
If you are dedicated to a healthy lifestyle, then I’m sure you’ve received criticism in some form or another, maybe just in jest, for being a “health nut” or a “gym rat” or even “one of those healthy people” (like we’re some kind of alien from another planet, lol).

When I get comments like that from people who don’t seem to care too much about their health, I think to myself in 20 years this person will be wishing they had paid more attention to their health. Sure, it is easy to enjoy the here and now, the temporary fulfillment of instant gratifications and quick fixes by not being too concerned with exercise and fitness, eating healthy and limiting overindulgence such as desserts and alcohol.

But at what cost?

I see so many people on a regular basis who are in their 30s, 40s, 50s and older, who have never regularly exercised or eaten healthy in their life because that just “wasn’t their thing.” But at a recent check-up, their doctor told them they needed to start exercising and eating healthy or else their health would continue to decline.

Shocker.

Seriously, when they tell their story to me it seems like news they never thought they would hear. You can only ignore your health for so long throughout your life before the years of avoiding gyms or exercise of any kind and eating whatever you please will inevitably catch up to you.
 

WHICH END DO YOU WANT TO BE ON?
It doesn’t matter if you are a devoted fitness enthusiast, or if you have a hard time with exercising and eating healthy. At some point in everyone’s life, health will be an issue they will have to face. And it will cost money, time and attention. You just have to decide if you want to pay for it on the “front” end (preventative maintenance) or the “back end” (declining health earlier in life than necessary).

This article may not apply specifically to you, because by being a member of NicoleWilkins.com, you most likely appreciate the value of living a healthy lifestyle and what it does for your overall quality of life now and for years to come. But I guarantee that everyone reading this knows someone – a family member (or several family members), friends, co-workers, etc. – who doesn’t want to think about changing their habits in exchange for healthier ones so they can live healthier and happier, and improve their overall quality of life.

 
NOT A PRETTY PICTURE
These are the common excuses I hear for prolonging healthy habit changes:

1. Being healthy is expensive.
Short term It is expensive to eat healthy food. It is expensive to join a gym, to hire a trainer, to buy workout clothes, supplements. etc.
Long term It is expensive to go to the doctor several times a month or maybe even several times per week. It is expensive to pay for treatments for preventable illnesses and diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diverticulitis, sleep apnea, heart disease and other sometimes preventable health issues. Medical prescriptions are expensive.

2. Being healthy takes too much time that I don’t have.
Short term It is too time-consuming to go to the gym, or even to exercise at home. Meal planning and prepping takes too much time.
Long term: Going to the doctor several times per month or even several times per week is time-consuming. Having to maintain and treat preventable illnesses and diseases due to poor lifestyle choices is time-consuming: medical treatments, poor energy levels causing unproductivity, etc. Not feeling well and being sick with health-related illnesses and disease is time-consuming.

3. I have too many other people to care for and tend to.
Short term I can’t be selfish and pay attention to myself (health), I have too many other people who depend on me that I need to take care of.
Long term Guess who’s going to be taking care of you when your health starts to decline? Not only will you not be able to care for your loved ones, but your loved ones will have to take care of you. It is not selfish to take care of yourself so that you can be able to take care of others.

 
THE BOTTOM LINE
Do you want to spend extra money now on a gym membership or home exercise equipment, healthy food and supplements? Or do you want to spend more money later in life on medical bills, healthy food (no way around that one, sorry!) and medical prescriptions?

Do you want to spend extra time now during the week to exercise, plan out and prepare healthy, nourishing meals and spend a few extra minutes a day food journaling? Or do you want to spend more time later in life in and out of doctors’ offices and hospitals?

Do you want to incorporate life-long healthy habits now by exercising and eating healthy most or all of the time so that you can have more energy and mobility to take care of those you love? Or do you want to neglect your health now and end up with declining energy levels and limited mobility, having no choice but to rely on those you love to take care of you?

I am by no means suggesting that living a healthy lifestyle will make you 100% immune to age-related or hereditary degeneration and diseases. But these things can be kept at bay and may never become an issue just by making small, healthy choices and developing healthy habits throughout your life.

You can be devoted to being healthy throughout your life now, or you can spend the latter part of your life being a “slave to your health” struggling to regain it as much as possible, or at the very least trying to prevent your health from further decline. We all have to face it, we just need to choose how we want to face it: on the front end of life or on the tail end of life.

 

 

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ABOUT NAOMI RABON
Naomi-lighterBIOOne of the trainers on Nicole’s elite NW Fitness Training Team, Naomi is a certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is a NPC Figure competitor who has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 12 years.

Go here to find out more about training with the NW Fitness Training Team!