Transcript – Health vs Healthier

So, let's start by defining "health" and "healthier."

By many standards, "health" is considered to be good, if you're not feeling or experiencing any pain, or if you're free of disease. And that's an okay standard, from my viewpoint.

However, I do know people who are not overweight, but they're very inactive physically. And I know people who are not overweight, but they don't eat healthy foods, but they don't have the energy that they want to do things. They don't have the stamina and that strength that you need to sometimes get through the day. They may not have any aches and pains; they may not be on any medications; they may have no disease; but, I don't know if they are healthy.

Now, they may be the picture of health... you may look at them and say, "Ah, they look so healthy." But that's not always the case.

And likewise, some people are diseased. They do have cancer. They do have diabetes. They do have other phys-- other medical conditions, that you may look at them and not know that they have.

So, when I'm talking about health, healthy, and healthier... what I want you to consider is your current physical health.

Do you experience those aches and pains? Are there things that you could do, changes you can make in your life, to feel more healthy? And these are the types of actions that we're going to be working with, in this program.

We may not be able to cure everything that ails you. We may not be able to cure the many diseases that are out there in our world. However, there are things we can do to minimize the impact of those illnesses. And there are things we can do to reduce the symptoms.

So, as I'm talking about "healthier habits," what I'm talking about are those small things that we can do on a regular basis, a consistent basis, a daily basis. Working them into our daily routine, so that they can help reduce our risk for certain diseases, or reduce the level of pain, that we experience.

As an example, and I will share this story in full a little bit later in the program, I'm sure. A couple of years ago, I weighed 183 pounds. I was getting ready to do a big hiking adventure. [The] 100-mile wilderness part of the Appalachian Trail, here in Maine. I knew that I would be hiking for 10 days straight, at a minimum, carrying a 40-pound pack. Now, I'm only 5 foot 3, so 183 pounds plus 40 pounds... 223 pounds, on a 5 foot 3 frame... my knees already hurt me, when I was out hiking. And especially on the descents, as we were going down, the pressure and the pounding on my knees... it was very uncomfortable. And this was when we would hike one or two days together. So the thought of hiking for 10 days straight was worrisome. I didn't realize that it was my weight that was causing my knee pain. Because when I made the decision, and the commitment, and started losing weight... after I had lost about 15 to 20 pounds, I started noticing that my knees no longer hurt.

That's the type of change that you can experience by making small changes, making decisions to live a healthier lifestyle. You can get rid of or reduce some of these aches and pains, and illnesses and medications you're on, by changing your behavior, by changing your daily habits.

And so that's what this program is about. We may not become that picture perfect definition of health, but we can be healthier. And that's what we're striving for in this course. When we become healthier, so many other things are going to change and improve, so we will feel happier.