“Health isn’t everything, but without health, everything else is nothing.” – Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher.

Why health is important?

It is always important to start with why. Starting with why keeps us going forward when we’re tired or don’t feel like doing anything. It motivates us and pushes us forward.

My why behind taking care of my health is to feel better every day, have freedom from health issues, and have more energy. The best part is it doesn’t take much time to take care of your health but the benefits are extraordinary. Becoming healthy is a lifelong journey. We can use the power of compounding to become healthy. Small healthy choices over a long period of time can have a significant impact on your health.

What to do to take care of your health?

After reading a few books on health, I’ve observed that there is a common pattern. To have good health, we need to focus on the fundamentals. It is easy to obsess over the tiny details but focusing on the fundamentals is key. The fundamentals are: sleeping well, eating healthily, and exercising regularly.

The beautiful thing about these activities is that they aren’t mutually exclusive. If you take care of one activity, it will have an impact on the others. For example, when I started working out, unknowingly, I have begun to make healthy food choices. Since I was feeling tired due to the workout, my sleep also improved.

How to find time to take care of your health?

When it comes to time, there is a common excuse to not start anything – “I don’t have time.”  We think to achieve something big in life, we need to put in herculean efforts and invest a lot of time but it isn’t true the majority of the time. Small activities done consistently over a long period of time can have a significant impact.

The biggest hack when it comes to making the most out of the time we have is to use the “80/20 principle“. According to the 80/20 principle, twenty percent of your activities will produce eighty percent of the results. The above activities for health will not take much time to implement but they will have a significant impact on the quality of your life. Focus on the activities that absolutely matter.

For sleep, instead of mindlessly scrolling through the phone before bed, read a book instead. It doesn’t have to be for an hour, ten minutes is fine. 

For eating, we have to eat something anyway, so why not eat healthy food? I know it’s easier said than done but start making small healthy choices instead of doing a complete changeover. Slowly cut sugar and avoid processed food. Start reading nutrition labels. Prepare food in advance.

For exercise, exercise doesn’t have to be at the gym for one hour every day. It can be at your home for 10 mins 3 times per week. Once I implemented this mindset shift, I started looking for opportunities to exercise throughout the day like walking for 5 mins, doing 5 pushups in the morning, bodyweight squats while food is heating in the microwave, etc.

How I implemented health habits

There are a few things that I have started implementing to improve my health. These do not consume a lot of time but are worth considering. I’m not saying this is what you should do but these are the things that worked out for me. These are the things I started implementing for a better health

To sleep well:

  • sleep at regular times
  • use blackout curtains
  • shower before bedtime
  • read before bed

To eat healthily:

  • Eat more real food

That’s it for a beginner. Don’t become too fancy when it comes to food. The majority of the advice when it comes to food boils down to cutting sugar and avoiding processed food.

To exercise regularly:

  • walk for 10 mins
  • join group classes (CrossFit)
  • Do squats while your food is being heated in a microwave
  • Do one push-up before starting a movie on Netflix

It’s fine even if the workout is for 10 mins. Consistency is more important than intensity. It’s okay if you workout at home but try to be consistent. Instead of thinking all or nothing, think in terms of all or something. Do something every day to be active.

Conclusion

There is much confusion about health. I strongly believe in fundamentals. When it comes to health, the fundamentals are: sleeping well, eating healthily, and exercising regularly. You can use the power of compounding to become healthy. Consistency is more important than intensity. Make small healthy choices. Understand that it is a lifelong journey. Compounding will take care of the rest!