I went to see 4 Drs

I wrote ‘I went to see 4 Drs’ some years ago I always refer back to it and check in to make sure I’m doing the things I said I’d do.  It came off the back of something that happened to me about 10 years ago when I became very ill.

Being a busy parent and a coach it’s sometimes hard to get the balance right between looking after your own health, work and family.  Before you know it you’re not feeling your best and it’s difficult to know where to start which is why I wrote about the 4 Drs.  I also and created a free ‘Zero to Hero’ download to give people a clear starting point with easy to follow practical advice.  Because lets face it training twice per day and living on chicken and broccoli doesn’t happen in family life.

As a Coach I don’t get sick very often but what makes this unique is I can remember the build up. My health deteriorating over a period of weeks.  I felt physically and mentally worse and worse.  Then one day I just couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep.

Every day I said, “oh I’ll be ok tomorrow.”

The tomorrows came and went for a few days I got worse before I got better.

When eventually I did recover I swore I never wanted to feel like that again.

I could have just picked up a nasty virus, who knows, but In my head I’d allowed myself to grind myself into the ground over a few months by doing too much.

After I recovered I went to see 4 Drs.

Dr Sleep

We all work but sometimes treat our bodies like machines, trying to fit as much as we can into each day,  multi tasking and trying to be efficient.  One of the biggest contributing factors to people feeling mentally and physically unwell is fatigue and manifests itself physically in many ways. That’s why sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture!

If we become tired what’s the first thing most reach for?

Usually coffee or some kind of caffeine stimulant to wake us up and feel more mentally alert.  This goes hand in hand with increased levels in heart rate, blood sugar and blood pressure and even anxiety. We all know the long term effects of those are not good!

A few practical steps.

Go to bed earlier during the week, don’t get up later.

Have a bedtime routine that includes coming off devices and don’t take them to bed.

If stress is causing you lack of sleep take steps to address the cause.

click here for my free ‘Zero to Hero’ download.

Dr Diet

The foods you eat are the building blocks of your body.  You are what you eat.

We’re surrounded huge choice but many of us are driven by the instant gratification of taste and calories content of food and not what it offers us in terms of goodness.  Of course no one wants to eat food that tastes terrible.

Poor quality processed food high in fat and sugar will affect the way you look and feel and becomes your new ‘norm’ when in fact the medicine you need isn’t from the Dr but maybe right under your nose at the supermarket.

Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food (Hippocrates).

Your body regenerates everyday.  Hair, skin, bones.

What do you think it uses to do that job?

The food you eat.

Rubbish in, rubbish out.

A quick word on water.  You don’t have to be obsessive about water but remember the majority of our body is made of water from a cellular level to the plasma in our blood allowing oxygen to flow freely around your body with ease.  If you’re dehydrated you’ll feel tired and lethargic.

Make good food choices with an array of colourful food. 

If it has a shelf life the chances are it’s not going to offer you much other than flavour and calories.

click here for my free ‘Zero to Hero’ download.

Dr Movement

A day of travel and work can often result in sitting for 18-20 hours per day.

Then getting home again feeling exhausted from not moving.

Even if you hit the gym with the best intentions you’re likely to be sitting on cardio machines or sitting on weights machines.  More sitting.

Stand up!

That’s why kettlebells works so well.

Think of your body as one big muscular pump, pumping oxygen and fluids around the body.  Movement keeps your joints lubricated, supple and skeleton structurally sound not to mention burning off unwanted calories.

Lack of movement leads to reduced oxygen around the body, stiff immobile joints and muscle wastage giving a weak skeleton. 

Excess weight on that skeleton manifests itself as bad knees, backs and necks to name a few areas.

Dr Happiness

This might sound a bit ‘tree huggy’ but this is probably the hardest Dr to see. 

With record numbers of people feel down or clinically depressed for many reasons.  Relationships, too little or too much money, poor work life balance, the list is exhaustive.

Ask yourself, what do you want and what makes you happy, it’s a hard question to answer?

What can you control and what can’t you control?

For me it’s having more time with family and friends.

Less possessions.

Spending time on my bike.

Do what makes you happy and plan it, not just when you get a bit of spare time.

Stop comparing yourself to other people or trying to impress them, we’re all different with different values.

“Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.” (Maxwell Maltz)

Every so often it’s good to checking with these 4 Drs. 

They are the last Drs you’ll ever need.

Have a great day and if you’d like some help getting your mojo back, just get in touch.

Russell

click here for my free ‘Zero to Hero’ download.