The first time I heard the phrase, “Pay Yourself First!” was from my Mother, well over forty years ago. At that time it was in the context of personal finances.
I have seen my health, and the health of many other Baby-Boomers, go in the tank as we wrestled with priorities of careers, marriage or marriages/divorces, mortgages, raising kids, etc. How did this happen? It happened because we paid everyone else first, not in cash, but in the currency of our time.
Have you ever noticed when you board an airplane, when the flight attendant shows everyone how to use the oxygen mask, how they insist that parents place their own mask on first. This is so they remain conscious to take care of those entrusted to them. The same logic applies to your health.
Building a career and a big stock portfolio is nice, but when your wife is widowed at forty and your kids have no dad, it really won’t matter for much. Regardless of who you are, how busy you are, how important you may be, you must make it a priority to be healthy.
Trust me, you do not want to wait until you are in your late fifties, or sixties, to decide it is time to take care of yourself. There are several reasons for this and some are more obvious than others. First, it is very slow and painful bringing an old and decayed body back to life. Second, there may be damage done, from which you cannot recover. This can be arthritis, diabetes, heart damage, etc.
If the only people reading this post are my Paleo-eating, CrossFit community, than this essay is simply singing to the choir. However, if you are one of my readers who is fascinated by reading about my experiences, it may be time for you to reassess your lifestyle. You cannot get healthy through vicariousness.
Be honest with yourself. Are you too sedentary? Is your belly doughy? Are your muscles atrophied through neglect? Are you using your age as an excuse for your ailments? Are you blindly entrusting your well-being to your doctor? I encourage you to do some homework to optimize your lifestyle. Get a right mindset regarding food & nutrition, stress management, strength and exercise. It is not too late to Pay Yourself First. Make it a priority today.
Get Defiant! Get Well!
I agree with Chuck! I waited till I was in my mid 40’s to loose a ton of weight and I started Crossfit just over a year ago! I have never felt better! I wish I had CrossFit when I was in my teens and 20’s! I might never have gained so much weight let alone done so much damage to my joints! Get up and get moving everyone. Trust me when I say it is so much easier when you are younger,,,but still enjoyable in your 50’s!!! I treasure each and every wor out, yes we all “Bitch” but it still feels GREAT!!!!! Great people make it easy each day!
Deb, thanks for your comments. As much as I love CrossFit and eating Paleo, I do not think it would have mattered to me 20 years ago. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. People have had the ability to be fit and healthy long before CrossFit, BUT, as a society and a culture, we have grown soft with convenience foods, and electronic media for entertainment. So we sit and we grow horizontally. I thank God I came to my senses, and people like you inspire me to keep on doing it.
Well written Chuck! I waited until my early 30’s to take control of my health and while I wish I had done it a lot sooner, I’m thankful I am doing it now. I will be passing this article along to some family members and friends that I think should read it too. Thank you for keeping us all inspired Chuck!!
Kim, we can’t look back because we can’t change the past. But we can take charge in the present, to ensure quality health in the future. Keep up the great work! I look forward to hearing about your next big adventure.