How Old Do You Feel?
Let's start this week's newsletter with a simple question.
What matters more to you? How old your birth certificate says you are or how old do you feel physically?
Earlier this week, we saw two new patient's on the same day. Both of them presented with lower back pain. They had a lot in common but there were some very significant and noticeable differences. While one woman was about 10 years older, she certainly did not appear to be. She made a concerted effort to take care of herself over the past 20 years. She was active, made healthy food choices, and managed her stress levels well. The other woman had not been able to prioritize her self-care to that level. Between working 50-60 hours per week, commuting for about 10 hours per week, caring for her family and an ill mother she had been unable to dedicate any time to taking care of herself. She told me "I am just worn out..." and I could see in her face that she was running on fumes.
Two weeks ago I picked up Outlive, by Peter Attia. About halfway through the book and my eyes are even more open to the importance of the small day-to-day decisions that we make, and the impact that they will have on our lives over time.
Choosing to take the stairs one day will not make a huge impact on your life. Choosing to get at least 7 hours of sleep for one week, will not either. Choosing to eat healthy meals for 30 days will not make a huge difference.
BUT making the conscious decision to choose the healthier option when these opportunities present themselves over time (I'm not suggesting that you need to ALWAYS make the healthy choice, just most of the time...) will gradually create a significant impact on your life span, but more importantly on your health span.
The beauty of this is that you get to decide.
Which path will you choose the path that leads to long-term gratification or the path of instant gratification?
The choice is yours, EVERY DAY.
Make the best choice
