007 // It's Time to Redefine Health

Last week's newsletter was about the unlikely story of a 61 year old Australian farmer who broke the record of one of the most grueling ultramarathons (544 miles). If you missed it, you can read it here.
Guess what!? A newsletter subscriber replied saying: "That's my great uncle! We used to always see him out running." How wild is that!? Small world.

---

Health can be a hard topic to engage with because in culture, it tends to live on the extreme ends of the spectrum. These two extremes misrepresent health in a way that alienates people from seeking true change. Simply put, extremes aren't sustainable.

Two Extremes

On one extreme, you have the fitness and health obsessed person. They strive for health (or the appearance of it) as a way to find identity and purpose. This can be seen in the self-involved fitness "influencer" who seeks worth from social media engagement.

On the other extreme, you have the person who has "given up". If you boil it down, somewhere along the way they stopped believing their life mattered enough to take their own health seriously. They often use sarcasm or a joke as a shield to deflect engaging with that reality.

I think it's common for people to bounce between these extremes. You start off the year with your gym membership and meal plans, structuring every part of your day around a "better you" goal; Around month 3, you're tired, frustrated and inevitably swing to the "given up" side of the spectrum.

There is a sweet spot in the middle of these extremes that rightly positions health:

Example

Let's say you are a car mechanic tasked to repair a damaged race car to race again. You are given 6 weeks. After week 3, the owner comes in and says he is going to retire the car, never to race again. Instead, it will sit in his garage as part of a collection. He still wants it fixed, so you have the remaining 3 weeks to finish. Would you work those last 3 weeks with the same diligence and care as the first 3?

Probably not.
No, definitely not.

How Small Can You Think?

The highest form of health happens when it is unto a purpose. This concept doesn't just apply to the big, philosophical question: "What's my life purpose"? You can apply this to something small. Maybe you loved playing soccer as a kid and want to join a local adult league. This gives you enough directional purpose to start new habits. If you want to play soccer, you must be able to run for extended periods of time. To run for extended periods of time, you need good food in your body and plenty of water. You need enough rest to exert high amounts of energy, so sleep becomes important. You get the picture.

This micro-dose of purpose cascades down to creating healthy habits.

Health, Redefined

Now that we have properly positioned health, let's give it a new definition.

Health is NOT how you look, what diet you follow or how much weight you can lift.

Health is living with energy and purpose.

Energy is a result of healthy habits.

Purpose is the intangible driver of those habits.

• The Father who is a husband who has the capacity and vitality to be present with his children, love his wife and work to build wealth.
• The creative who possesses the focus, mental clarity and work ethic required to bring ideas to life that give solutions to world problems.
• The 30 year old who re-discovers the inner runner they left behind in high school, training and completing their first marathon.

All of these are sure signs of health.
Find yours.

______

TOMMY

// if you need help or want to suggest a topic, just hit reply.

______

Email Archive:

​001 // Step 1 to a Healthy Life​

​002 // Your Body Runs on Clocks [Circadian Health]​

​003 // Sleep's Connection to Eating Healthy​

​004 // Make Movement A Movement​

​005 // What Mice Taught Us About Eating Healthy​

​006 // The story of a 61-yr-old Farmer Ultra Marathoner​