7 minute read
Men's Health
HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE Appearance is only one aspect
ANNEKA FINN
TYPICAL images in the media of slim women can often be seen as what a ‘healthy women’ should look like. But what does it mean to ‘be healthy’? The outside appearance is only one aspect. How can we ‘be healthy’ if we don’t fit this picture?
When I talk with my clients about their weight, appearance and BMI I try my best to help them shift focus from the outcome. The outcome could refer to for example as; a certain number on the scale, a dress size or an item of clothing that they used to be able to fi t into.
These are all imperial measures of what I fi nd my clients place all the emphasis on as the determining factor of their success.
Am I healthy… or not? Have I succeeded in the most recent diet… or not? Placing all the emphasis on the outcome lends itself to an all or nothing approach which can lead to extremely dangerous ‘yo-yo’ dieting and never truly being satisfi ed with the skin you are in.
The question is then, how do we measure success and how do we ‘be healthy’? Attention needs to shift from the outcome to the process. The everyday actions that contribute to overall health.
The small daily practices that when performed for a prolonged period of time contribute to being a healthier person. These may include for example (but by no means limited to); eating your vegetables, limiting processed foods, managing stress, getting enough sleep and daily movement.
One great technique to nailing these small goals is to start by writing them down on a piece of paper or in your phone. Let me use an example; my goal is to drink less alcohol.
The process is limiting my intake of alcohol and the outcome could be for example having a healthier liver and being able to maintain a healthy body weight.
Now this goal needs to be broken down further so it is specifi c and most importantly ACHIEVABLE! If goals are unachievable then you will feel like a failure and be less likely to stick with the health behavior. Using the example of alcohol some furthermore specifi c strategies to achieving this goal may include: • limiting wine to Friday and Satur-
day nights. • no alcohol on a school night. • having no more than 2 small glasses at one sitting. • having one non-alcoholic drink or every glass of wine.
Lastly to further promote success we need to create an environment that will support this goal. It might look like; purchasing mini bottles of wine, buying a smaller wine glass, having non-alcoholic drinks on hand or telling your partner and friends about your goals so they can support you.
As a health practitioner I feel it is my role to help my clients formulate goals and strategies that will help them improve their health. We do this together in a systematic process to develop a plan of attack of how those goals are best going to be achieved.
If at fi rst the goal is diffi cult to achieve it is then my role to provide further suggestions and support. It might take a while to trial diff erent strategies until you fi nd one that fi ts your lifestyle and most importantly is sustainable long term. Long term healthy habits maintained most of the time is wht leads to being a healthier person.
We are all diff erent and need an individualised approach to our nutrition and health.
Men's Health
Anneka Finn is an Accredited practicing dietitian & nutritionist. Visit www.afinndiet.com. Contact: anneka.dietitian@gmail.com
I FEEL MY LIFE IS GOING ROUND IN CIRCLES… How to escape GROUNDHOG DAY
MINDSET | MARCUS WHEAN
THE phrase “Groundhog Day” has been etched into our psyche courtesy of the famous 1990’s movie of the same name starring Bill Murray.
For those who know it, Bill’s character is perpetually stuck waking up to the same day over and over.
Stories like Groundhog Day speak to a very relevant and relatable issue many of us encounter. That is, we are often living our own Groundhog Day; living in a revolving door; a life full of copy and paste patterns and habits. It can be so frustrating especially if we are aware of it.
We may have goals. We may want to change and even know what we need to do. But so often and commonly we don’t do anything and it’s a tragedy in my opinion.
Why? Why do we fail to take action? Why do we stay in a pattern of living that we don’t want to be in? Why, if we feel unfulfi lled and unhappy as men, and stress ourselves out, do we not go–“righto, that’s it, that’s enough”?
In short, change is hard. And whilst we may even have a life that looks good on the outside, if the inside life – our thoughts, emotions etc are uneasy, unhappy, stressed etc then no amount of ‘outside’ pleasures is going to change that.
And it’s likely that your idea of happiness and fulfi lment was to be derived from attaining external pleasures and achieving external successes.
These things aren’t to be demonised and they are positive things, but they can never make us truly happy and fulfi lled as men unless our inner worlds are aligned with our outer world. When these are at odds we experience self-doubt, stress, anxiety or even depression.
The main reason we fail to take consistent action to live and be the man we feel we can be is because of fear and resistance.
We think and do the things we do every day because they are rooted in signifi cant past experiences throughout our critical developmental periods. We do what we do to maximise our life experience, but our primary motivator, whether we’re conscious of his or not, is fear.
Better the devil we know
As a consequence, we are resistant to change – even for the perceived better. Change is unknown and ‘better the devil we know’, right! This leads to frustrations and inner questioning of ourselves like – “why can’t I change”?
Why don’t I feel good enough as a man”? or “…not living the life or being the ‘man’ I think I should be”. The word ‘should’ is key here and again speaks to the past and your idea of yourself has been shaped by how you think you should be; what you believe to be acceptable by others and to yourself.
So, when trying to change you’re going up against long held and ‘die-hard’ belief systems of what you think you should be, or even more likely, how you think you shouldn’t be’. This creates strong avoidant and resistant emotions to change.
The fi rst step is to get conscious of this. Until then nothing is going to change and you’re going to chase more and more validation and fulfi llment from the outside and from worldly pursuits.
Ironically the more you try outwardly to ‘fi x’ your inward self, the more frustrated and stressed you can feel. Even worse, can lead to ‘breakdowns’, relationship and mental health issues.
What we need to change is our thinking and our goals. They are interconnected and they must be. You must change your mindset and address patterns of negative thinking to do things diff erently.
And to support this you need to have and set goals that are meaningful to you. Truly to you! I suggest one change and one goal at a time. It could be around health or your work. But the goal gives you a focal point and a motivating reason to also change your thoughts.
The actions required to achieve your goal mean you need to think diff erently in order to take the necessary steps.
When you do things diff erently along with thinking about yourself and the things you’re doing diff erently, this creates new networks in your brain and the more consistent you are with these changes the more reinforced it becomes. Thus, change is made and maintained. Groundhog Day no more.
Start small. Start with one thing at a time. Little by little we build our power. We need to build confi dence slowly and trust the process. You know you want to change, and you can. Sometimes some guidance is all you need.
The more you’re doing and living the life and way you want to, the happier and more fulfi lled you’ll feel as a man.
As a special gift to readers, I’m giving away my E-Book to anyone who’d like to learn about this in more detail to work on their mindset and break free of their own little Groundhog Day. Just click on the link: https://adobe.ly/3DsybIS I hope you enjoy and fi nd it helpful. You’ve got this!
