Healthy-ish: Just do your best!

by Julie Isphording

The quest for perfection is exhausting and unrelenting, especially when it comes to our health. Everywhere we turn, there is a new diet, a new exercise class, a new to-do or NOT to-do list, a new food group and more… as we strive to be perfectly healthy. 

Enough is enough!

The bar is so high that being a little “off” when it comes to our health — that sliver of carrot cake, that late night at the ballgame, the skipped yoga class, that lazy day — is somehow synonymous with being unhealthy, inadequate and somehow flawed. Oh, and the guilt is worse!

Healthy-ish is such a kinder, gentler and more realistic philosophy. Just doing our healthy best — not more, not less — is a reasonable everyday goal. 

Afterall, our lives never follow a perfectly healthy straight line. We take detours. We sometimes stall. But we can always move forward and grow healthier; and we should in the midst of chocolate, French fries, a late night out, lounge chairs and comfy couches. We have to break the “rules” every once in a while, just not all at the same time. 

The courage and strength to strive for our healthy best is good enough. We define it. We do it. We make it all work — just right! And that’s a good rule for wholesome health.

Perhaps, our healthy imperfections are what make us happy and healthy-ish.  

What things do you have to give up to live a more joyful life?

• Give up an unhealthy lifestyle.

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”  —  Jim Rohn

If you want to live a good life, it starts here with three healthy things: quality sleep, a healthy diet and plenty of activity. 

• Give up the short-term mindset.

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”  —  Mae West

Successful people set long-term goals and work on short-term habits that they need to do every day. These healthy habits shouldn’t be something you do; they should be something you embody. There is a difference between: “Working out to weigh less on the scale” and “Working out because that’s who you are.”

• Give up on playing small.

“Playing small does not serve the world. We are all meant to shine, as children do. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone, and as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.” — Marianne Williamson

Dreams are supposed to be bold, audacious and risky. If they don’t challenge us, they won’t change us. So don’t be afraid to fail, and certainly don’t be afraid to succeed.

• Give up your excuses.

“It’s not about the cards you’re dealt, but how you play the hand.” ― Randy Pausch

Successful people know that they are responsible for their life, no matter what their weaknesses and past failures. Excuses limit us from growing personally and professionally. Own your life; no one else will.

• Give up the rigid mindset.

“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.” — Robert Greene

People with a black and white mindset think their talents are traits that can’t be changed. If you invest your time in developing a growth mindset, acquiring new knowledge, learning new skills, and changing your perception you will be wildly successful. Who you are today is not who you have to be tomorrow.

• Give up your drive to be perfect.

“Perfection is overrated. We are all lopsided people living lopsided lives!”  —  Julie Isphording

Fear of failure — or even fear of success — often prevents us from acting. Many opportunities will be lost if you wait for things to be right.

• Give up your need to control things.

“Some things are up to us, and some things are not up to us.”  —  Epictetus

Detach from the things you cannot control and focus on the ones you can. 

• Give up on negative people.

“Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.” — Albert Einstein

The people you spend the most time with will add up to who you become. 

What makes athletes so successful?

• They are realistically optimistic.

Achieving success is not easy, even though there are some people who always seem to make it look so natural. Successful athletes set realistic goals and equip themselves with an arsenal of effort, patience and persistence because they know the journey can sometimes be long and difficult. 

• They believe in being their best, rather than being the best

 Successful athletes know there is always room for improvement. Sometimes it involves a different technique, skill, strategy or coach. They enjoy the challenge of finding more drive, consistency and courage in themselves and their abilities.

• They build consistency with small sustainable changes. 

Success is built on small sustainable changes. It’s about “showing up” every day with passion, perseverance and humility. Eventually, something great happens, but you have a billion chances to get it right.

• They surround themselves with people who support their dreams.

It may sound a little selfish, but if we all did that, we’d be much happier and more affirmed people. To create success, you must feel it. The five people closest to you can have the biggest impact on your success. Choose them wisely.

• They have grit.

Anyone who wants to take charge of their own destiny must have grit and stamina. There will always be self-doubt. You must hold firm in the face of challenges and difficulty. Your plans rarely go as planned, and it takes fortitude to get through life’s curve balls and detours.

Olympian Julie Isphording is the director of the Western & Southern Thanksgiving Day Race, an author and keynote speaker. Her speeches on living a happy life include unforgettable props, lots of laughter and a few tears. Write to her at julie.isphording@gmail.com.