“Knowing what to do and not doing it is the same as not knowing what to do.” - Robin Sharma
Housekeeping from last week...walking is king. Right up until you take that awkward first step getting out of your truck and tweak your groin. It's been a painful week, but the show goes on...
The Army Can Take the Fun Out of Anything
In the US Army, we had a saying we lived by- "the Army can take the fun out of anything".
And it did.
If you would have told me during one of my earliest helicopter flights, cruising along at tree-top-levels, doors open, and Creedence Clearwater Revival blasting in my helmet, that flying could ever become a chore, I would have never believed you.
Well, it did.
But one thing the Army did do was instill the ability to learn in a highly repeatable way, regardless of the level of difficulty, and often without a ton of excitement.
Indulge me for a minute.
Explanation, Demonstration, and a Practical Application
It didn't matter if we were talking about learning to operate a sophisticated flying machine or replacing toilet paper on a roll, this is how every training session began. (And yes, we actually had a standard where every toilet paper roll had to unroll 100% over the top, or 100% underneath- no exceptions)
The method to learning was the same. You see, war fighting is a results-oriented business. To achieve consistent, positive results; teach me, show me, and tell me how I will use this skill in a real-world application.
So, in my former world, learning a new skill was done in this way every single time. In my current world, I tackled learning this gut health stuff the exact same way.
In fact, I'm still doing it as we speak. The only thing that changed was trading a complex machine for something more complex- the gut.
How does this intricate conglomeration of organs and processes known as the human gut actually work? Tell me how I build or rebuild it with diet, exercise, stress management, and sleep. Then tell me how it will help me on my journey to good health.
I caught lightning in a bottle because the first place I was told to start was picking up the book, The Good Gut.
The authors were able to explain this machine called the gut in pretty clear terms. (explanation)
They talked about how feeding, moving, managing, and resting your body has beneficial effects on your gut. (demonstration)
Then they went on to show how their research supported their reasoning. (practical application)
This was the same explanation, demonstration, and practical application I had seen over and over in the Army.
Knowing What to Do and Doing It
So, if we know what to do, how do we actually do it.
Let's stay with the Uncle Sam-US Army analogy. In my specific case, it was fairly obvious. Learn to fly, go fly, and be successful or things don't end so well.
Remember, take-offs are optional, landings are mandatory.
The same applies if you're a firefighter. You learn the skill, train for the skill, and execute the skill.
Why should our health be any different?
Step number one in the game of repetition is to remember why you're doing it. If you have an impactful memory or motivating factor, you're way ahead of the game. The Army example isn't exactly fair here...I had to be motivated every day.
This concept did apply to me with my health scare though. And I'm sure it has applied to many of you in your trials and tribulations.
If you've had brushes with mortality, life-altering experiences, or events that have rocked your world, they bring things into greater focus and are tremendous motivators.
If you don't have a motivating factor, you need to find one or you're wasting your time.
When it comes to health, gut health specifically, borrower mine. Consider it a game show parting gift, a memory "timeshare" of sorts.
Or better yet, look around at your next dinner table gathering, family party, or big moment at a kid or grandkid's event. Hopefully this can conjure up enough emotion to serve as a motivating factor to improve or reclaim your health.
Don't pass go and collect your $200 until you nail this step. Trust me.
Step number two is to set some short-term and long-term goals. Long-term is easy- I want to get healthy, lose weight, etc. I'm sure you've set out on these missions in the past and maybe you've had some success.
But the numbers tell us the results probably haven't lasted. It's probably not a long-term goal problem. More than likely, it's a short-term goal problem. It takes time to improve health. It takes sustained commitment to lose and keep weight off.
It's tough to lose 20 pounds before you lose the first pound. It's tough to improve your gut before you commit to eating that first piece of fruit or vegetable. Or until your face puckers from that first mouthful of fermented sauerkraut.
In our case, until you commit to a short-term goal of eating that first whole food, first gram of fiber, and first serving of fermented food in your diet, we can't get there.
Step number three for me is using a checklist. Back to the Army for a second. Part of my uniform every day was a small notepad. Every task we did was included in a checklist, on a notepad.
This ritual was used for some very important reasons. First, it gave you a roadmap for the day. Second, it gave you a real sense of accomplishment as you checked off the tasks. Lastly, the task list given most days included way more tasks than time in the day to complete.
This required and honed the skill of prioritizing tasks to ensure the most important stuff got done first. If something didn't get done, it could begin the checklist for the next day.
The format has changed from a physical notepad to a digital notepad. And the tasks changed from shining my boots and polishing brass, to grocery store shopping, packing my lunch, and getting in my steps.
I can't emphasize this exercise enough. Whether it's a checklist or voicemail to yourself or a calendar entry, don't rely on "winging it" every day. Memorilaize it somehow, do it, and check it off.
Every. Day.
Last step for me? Try not to miss or skip a task more than once. Whether it's an "off" day with the diet, my walking regiment is interrupted, or you just don't feel up to being on your game today, take a break.
Skip a day. But make it only ONE day. It's part of that whole notion of not being perfect. Make progress. And a day to recharge your batteries or unplug can be very helpful in the long game.
But when skipping the first day turns into the 2nd, and so on...we all but guarantee long term failure. Who remembers the Wild World of Sports opening video- the agony of defeat?
Don't skip more than once!
Wrap Up
I saw this posted on Twitter yesterday. And it sums up everything about being successful at making small, short-term changes that turn into long term lifestyle transformations. It's from a cardiologist in England:
"Sometimes, being healthy is: less about fancy tests, special memberships, complex nutrition plans or unnecessary supplements. Sometimes, it’s just about consistency & hard work. It’s about doing the mundane things Over and over and over again." Dr. Paddy Barrett
Next Week- New format coming...getting uncomfortable is essential in re-claiming your health AND penning a newsletter.
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
