Key to Prosperity -- Health

As I try to figure out what prosperity is and how to be more prosperous in my own life, I've identified a number of key characteristics. The first one on my list is health. Good physical, mental, and emotional health are important contributors to a prosperous life.

Obviously, there are elements of our health that are out of our control. I would never suggest that someone with a disability or illness couldn't be prosperous. In contrast, there are many inspirational examples of people who live amazing, prosperous lives and inspire others each day regardless of limitations on their health. Frugal Dad just posted a list of inspirational videos, including The Last Lecture of Randy Pausch. Great stuff!

Still, there are elements of our health that clearly are within our control. And I believe we have an obligation to take control of those elements in order to be as fit and healthy as possible.

Useful Quotes on Health*:

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1 Corinthians 6:19, Bible King James Version

On the sick man by the sacrifice of mercy may perfect health shine like bronze; may the Sun-god give this man life; may Merodach, the eldest son of the deep, give him strength, prosperity and health.
Babylonian Prayer for Health, Pagan Prayers by Marah Ellis Ryan

The return of health after illness, the return of understanding after an estrangement: everything must be treated tenderly and with care at the beginning, so that the return may lead to a flowering.
Hexagram 24: Fu / Return (The Turning Point), I Ching, Wilhelm Translation

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Constitution of the World Health Organization, The Columbia World of Quotations

The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired, so long as we can see far enough.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Columbia World of Quotations

* For quick and dirty Internet research, I’m indebted to: Sacred Texts, BibleGateway.com, Bartleby.com, and I Ching online

If I am physically ill, mentally burned out, or emotionally unbalanced, it's more difficult to do the good work it takes in order to build and sustain prosperity. It simply makes it harder to muster the energy I need to get busy changing living, and more importantly, changing my life on a day-to-day basis. Not to mention that good health strengthens the immune system so that I spend less time being ill.

Unfortunately, our society both obfuscates and overcomplicates health. We’re surrounded each day by unhealthy messages, images, and stereotypes; while at the same time the latest guru or fad diet is selling us solutions that are supposed to make us happier, healthier, thin, and fit – overnight. Look at any women’s magazine at the checkout counter. It will invariably have a recipe for a high-calorie dessert juxtaposed with a diet plan that will take those extra pounds off by this weekend. Plus a bunch of skinny models hawking unguents and salves that we simply must have in order to look young and beautiful. It’s no wonder our society is so neurotic and that both obesity and eating disorders are rampant.

I think that the basics of health aren’t meant to be that complex. For good physical/mental/emotional health I need to:

• Eat a variety of good food that I enjoy
• Get enough restful sleep
• Enjoy regular exercise
• Avoid chemicals (additives) stimulants (coffee) and depressants (beer) to excess
• Eliminate harmful stress
• Cultivate a realistic body image (media bad!)
• Spend regular time in quiet contemplation (meditation)
• Enjoy entertainment that feeds my soul
• Keep my brain stimulated
• Surround myself with things and people that lift me up, instead of drag me down

Obviously, I’m better at some of these than others. But it’s useful to look at this laundry list as a starting point for creating goals. For example, I know I could eat more fruits and veggies and get more exercise. And that whole quiet contemplation thing? Well, not so much. On the other hand, I don’t smoke and don’t overdo the caffeine and alcohol.

Here’s my personal todo and financial guideline list for Health, based on the areas where I need to work:

• Eat a variety of good food that I enjoy
• Eat more fruits and veggies and avoid processed foods
• Spend money on quality groceries, but save by eating out less often
• Search out healthy and/or financially smart alternatives like farmers markets and U-pick farms
• Avoid the snack machine at work (which is unhelpfully free)
• Enjoy regular exercise
• Walking, hiking, and biking are all great and don’t cost anything
• Playing with a child is the best exercise
• Spend regular time in quiet contemplation (meditation)
• It costs nothing but time to take a few quiet minutes a day
• It’s OK to suck at first
• Keep my brain stimulated
• The Internet can help with free Sudoku etc.
• In addition, the library is easy and free

Notice in the above list I specifically give myself permission to spend more money on healthy foods. Unfortunately, it’s often the simple healthy option that costs more, while the processed and unhealthy food is much less. This is one area where a strict frugal interpretation might be to spend less money by compromising on quality. Bad idea!

Instead I will make a trade: more money on quality groceries and less money on cheap takeout. And I won’t feel guilty for paying extra for the organic, natural, or hormone free options.

In any case, I know that taking care of my health can save big in the long run, so it’s definitely a worthwhile investment in time and money.

------
Over the coming weeks, I plan to explore each of the keys to prosperity individually in order to identify areas where I can improve and tie goals into a plan for living a more prosperous life. In between, I may ramble about other related topics such as goal setting, taste inflation, and will-power.