Canada celebrated its 153rd birthday this week.
If a person could live to that age, I wonder what pearls of wisdom they would share?
I wonder what dreams got fulfilled and what goals got lost?
What would their quality of life be like?
I found myself questioning this when I was younger as I watched my grandparents’ health deteriorate to the point that they couldn’t remain independent. That sucked.
So, what does healthy, active ageing look like to you?
We all set goals in life. But few people take purposeful action.
We make plans to take that dream vacation, get in shape, buy a bigger house or take the next step in our career without ever stopping to ask what higher dreams we might be leaving behind.
When I coach my clients, whether one-on-one or through The Play for Life System, I have them go through an exercise called “Your Better Health Vision.”
How you envision your future health will drive the decisions you make today.
It goes something like this:
It’s ten years in the future, and everything you’ve wanted to be, do, have, and experience has become a reality. The date is _______________. Describe in detail everything that has happened over these past ten years to create your better health?
Establishing this vision will also determine what habits you can put into place now so that you can read that in 10 years and know that your daily actions helped to propel you towards your dreams.
What are the boundaries you are putting on yourself when it comes to your health?
In my book, The Play Book: How To Get In The Habit Of Good Health, I discuss this further in Chapter 4, “Your brain on play.” It comes down to getting and staying motivated, and how a little self-compassion goes a long way.
Self-esteem is mostly an emotional component if we are to achieve our potential in life.
Sometimes getting real about healthy active ageing and our current play situation is hard – it’s not fun facing the self-loathing and shame that comes with putting off something difficult.
Sure, you can procrastinate or go into denial, pretending it won’t catch up with you.
But eventually, not playing (moving a little more) or keeping strong and mobile WILL catch up with you.
You’ll find yourself in a state of far more diminished physical and mental well-being that could have been prevented if you just planned a little.
It’s a fantastic revelation that you can have your independence and be active even as you age.
Health is about loving yourself enough now to want the best for yourself in the future.
You don’t have to be bound by the limitations you put on yourself — you can dream big instead.
Go after your dreams.
Age actively. The choice is yours.
P.S. If you need help with healthy habits like this, check out my FREE 7 Day Healthy Habits Course OR The Play for Life System coaching program.