Is being healthy a choice? 
Do you take ownership of your health?
We are our own boss. We make decisions every day that impact our life, well-being, longevity and wellness. Right?
So as we get older each day, isn’t it our CHOICE if we decide to take OWNERSHIP for our own health?
- We have a choice to go to bed each night.
- We have a choice to get out of bed each and every morning.
- We have a choice to make our bed first thing in the morning to be the first thing we accomplish that day.
We have to make CHOICES everyday.
As we age, mobility, strength and agility seems to be a challenge – or rather an “area of opportunity” as I tell my clients. We always here that if we don’t use it… we lose it. I do believe that is true, as I have been personal training and coaching clients for over 25 years. My clients that have “grown up” with me are able to get up off the floor, work in the yard, play with their grand kids, play golf, go fishing and enjoy active vacations. They made a choice years ago to take ownership of their health.
What if an individual, a family member, a friend, a spouse doesn’t make the choice to take ownership of their health? We have to watch them lose mobility, lose strength, lose stability and lose height as they begin to round over instead of walk tall and proud.
If taking ownership of our health is a choice. Is our attitude a choice?
We have a choice to get up out of bed each morning and start the day… but also a choice to stand up on which foot? Do we start the day with a positive or negative attitude?
After working in the fitness industry since I was in college (already over 25 years somehow), I have experienced working with many different personalities as well as observing different people’s behaviors and habits. We all have the same choices… whether you choose to eat a high sugar processed breakfast in the morning at Starbucks or two hardboiled eggs with an herbal tea is your decision. As my personal training and coaches client age gracefully, I notice the difference in their mobility and strength compared to the average person who doesn’t take ownership for their health. I see people lose the ability to walk all day on a vacation and lose the ability to get up off the floor or out of their car without assistance. Everyday I see people sit too long and lose the ability to move- as we wake up out of bed then move to the sofa or chai
r to watch the morning news then to eat breakfast …gradually moving to a car seat to go to work or run errands then we sit for lunch then ….you get the point. We sit too much and don’t move enough. What happens if we don’t do our 10,000 steps per day or move every hour? If you don’t use it… you lose it. Movement is a choice.
Perhaps we take our health for granted and even think we can get away with it… but when the day comes that you have “fallen and can’t get up” then I would hope we take our health more seriously and take ownership. If you can’t walk all day on a vacation trip or to Disneyland because of your feet, knees, hips or back hurting well then is that because you haven’t “trained” your body to move every hour? If we sit so much during the day at a desk or on the sofa or in the car – it accumulates and we increases muscles imbalance. Excessive sitting and lack of mobility movement training results in loss of posture alignment, core muscles, overall muscle strength, flexibility, tightness and joint support which then leads to injuries as to the hips, knees and feet. Everything is connected in your body – as well as in life! Movement is a choice.
What are you doing to take ownership of your health?
On my weekly (out every Tuesday!) podcast called “The WHOLE Athlete” and in my new book called “The WHOLESTIC Method Manual & Workbook”, I talk about eight elements that are needed to be in balance in order to burn fat, optimize health and improve performance in LIFE and SPORTS. 
The eight elements of The WHOLESTIC Method are all CHOICES we have to make each day and include:
- Nutrition
- Exercise
- Sleep
- Stress
- Movement
- Digestion/Gut Health
- Hydration
- Happiness
These eight elements are CHOICES we make to be healthy as well as to slow the aging process down in life. The term “BIO-HACKS” are tricks or habits you can implement into your daily lifestyle routine to help slow the aging process down and improve quality of life. If you don’t have concern for your body, mind and spirt (as the gut-brain is connected), then you will have difficulties aging and lose the ability to do the things you love as you reach retirement age. We should be out playing, laughing and exploring life as we age… not being using a walker or wheel chair to get around a city tour or an amusement park. We are what we eat- so make sure you are working on each of the eight elements to transform the WHOLE you from the inside out and you will age gracefully!
Please don’t lose the ability to live life to the fullest but not being able to walk, squat, lunge, rotate, push and pull. Exercise is essential part of your weekly habits as well as movement throughout the day. When you stop eating whole nutrient dense foods, exercising, sleeping 8 hours per night, managing your stress each day, moving each hour, digesting your food correctly, drinking clean water throughout the day, being grateful each day for your life as well as the people in your life… then you are at risk for increased health problems.
We can somewhat control how we age if we add pay attention and care about the eight elements of The WHOLESTIC Method as we grow up.
Don’t you want to age gracefully and still be able to play like a child?
Join me in avoiding the belief that “I can’t do ____ because I am getting older”. Fill in the blank. Let’s switching the mindset of growing old to aging gracefully by living as a WHOLE Athlete with The WHOLESTIC Method.
Learn more in my upcoming manual and workbook on Amazon (link here) and transform the WHOLE you from the inside out today. Start slowing down the aging process NOW …don’t wait until it is too late! You can choose to own and invest in your health. Hire a personal trainer once a week for 30 minutes, go walk outside each day for 30 minutes, get up from the floor without holding on to anything- and most of all continue being able to put your shoes and clothes on by yourself without assistance!
Live life to the fullest…and don’t wait. Take action now on making lifelong healthy habits to own your health! Take control of your life and make it the best as you only get one shot.
Debbie Potts
