Is It Good For You?

Your friend has suggested you try a new diet, it worked well for her so you give it a go. A month or so in, you aren’t losing weight, you’re feeling lethargic and hungry and you miss your usual foods. You’ve not noticed any difference but persist anyway until one day another friend tell you that you look awful and asks if you are ok.

Another example, a colleague runs each night and has asked if you wanted to join them. You say, ‘why not’, and go out with them. Your knees hurt after a few days, but you think it’s just because you’ve not done it for a while so push through. The rest you have at the weekend, leaves you stiff and sore and by the Monday you really shouldn’t be running anywhere. You go out with your colleague and have to stop halfway as something hurts bad in your knee. A trip to A&E and you’ve been told to rest and ice it. The next day at work your running friend asks you if you are ok.

What will your answer be to this? Are you going with the usual ‘Fine’, ‘Ok’ or will you tell the truth?

What I failed to tell you before each example was you always feel lightheaded and sick when you try a new diet…your body needs fuel and it shouldn’t be at the expense of your wellbeing. You’ve had dodgey knees for years and have been told not to do exercise where the knees receive impact.

Now, if your friend had these issues and was about to embark on what you did, would you have spoken to them and suggested they consult a doctor or have a think as it could really affect them negatively?

We often do things we know are bad for us, because 1. We really want too and 2. We don’t think about the long term effects it has on us.

I was at the dentist last week and they told me that I need to keep flossing as several areas between my teeth are in danger of decay and could result in me requiring fillings….not an experience I want to go through. I had been flossing for ages and doing what I needed to do, but then I got out of the habit and kept forgetting but I’d continue to eat and eat all the things I wanted without really giving in between my teeth a second thought.

Two days before my appointment i began flossing again, but by then it was a bit too late to make a difference for that appointment. But at least I am back on the right track now…

Why do we so often ignore what is good for us, we think we know best but we are actually damaging ourselves in some way.

If you broke your leg and it was in plaster, you wouldn’t try to run on it. So why do we do things, when we know they aren’t good for us?

If you know that failing to floss is going to result in fillings, then why don’t we take more care? What is it that says ‘we know best’ when we clearly don’t. Why do we dismiss things when we know the outcome could be detrimental to our health? Why do we think we can outrun the negatives?

I think until we feel sick or until the dentist drill is creating a space for a filling, we don’t really contemplate the effects of things we do to ourselves. We always assume we will be ok and it won’t happen to me or that we have all the time in the world to fix ourselves so this time it will be fine.

What’s good for you? Before you embark on something you know is likely to cause you an issue down the line. Stop and think. Is it really worth it? Can I adapt and do something less damaging to my health? Seek advice from your GP or dentist, talk to your friends and family.

We all need to be responsible for our bodies, we can be very neglectful of it and assume it will always work the way it does now. When in reality, if you are knowingly putting yourself at risk then you can’t expect to get away with it forever. There will likely be a point in future when your body will hit back.

Our bodies truly are our temple. It houses us. So the next time you set out to do something or find yourself already doing it, ask yourself ‘Are you willing to deal with the potential consequences to your body’? I am not saying it is going to be easy or even possible at times, but we can’t keep expecting things to change, if we continually do the same things.

I know my teeth will be in better nick if I just flossed more, so for now and for as long as I possibly can, I will do so. However, there will be a point when I forget or can’t be bothered and it is at this time I need to ask myself why am I willing to risk it and end up with more fillings!

Be kind to yourself. Try to keep yourself in good health and always look after you.

Have a great week. Love Emma xx