Change Your Lifestyle, Change Your Life
My mantra on life is simple, but it’s certainly not easy.
That’s right. Change your lifestyle, change your life. To do that, you must focus on getting more activity (physical and mental), more oxygen, more H2O, brain cleansing sleep, and strategic nutrition for optimal body and brain fitness.
People I’ve worked with say, “I want to be healthier, but I’m not a gym rat, world-class chef, or wealthy trust-funder. I don’t have time/energy/money (insert excuse here) to do all of this. So, what small change can I make now that will make a BIG difference?”
When pressed, these same people admit that they don’t want to stop (pick one): eating red meat, smoking, drinking, sitting for hours in front of a screen, or going on an ice cream run at 10pm (did you know those Ben & Jerry’s pints are NOT single serve?).
Sure, every little bit can help, but the truth hurts, and the truth is that a small change is not enough to truly change your life or make a big difference (or we would all look like Adonis and have the wisdom of Athena without much effort or commitment).
It is not one habit in isolation that will change your life, though adopting one definitely won’t hurt. You could certainly eat more green food, drink more water, eat less sugar, and lace up those running shoes. Yes, you could do a crossword puzzle or a Sudoku, and that’s a good thing. But my concept is that your brain and body need an active, responsive workout, sufficient sleep to recharge, and a strategic nutrition plan to thrive. Small changes on a sporadic basis just aren’t going to cut it.
In fact, small change will result in a small result. The magic can not be found in a single pill, single exercise, single magic food of the month (but kale! Or garlic! A pomegranate?). The magic is in putting in the work, the time, and the effort, then seeing your entire life transform.
To get the full effect – to truly change your life – the body needs you to treat it as a single unit, where all of the pieces and parts are connected and intertwined, with an understanding that how you treat one impacts the others. Then you must develop a holistic action plan for your life that targets the body as a whole rather than treating your body as a composition of its individual parts. You can’t spot train your way to a six pack or optimize your brain with a single supplement – we’re much more complicated than that.
A Business Plan for You – For Life!
Now, what do I mean by a responsive workout, cleansing sleep, and a strategic nutrition plan? These are lifestyle changes you need to set in motion for who you are and what you need at this moment in terms of activity, oxygen, H2O, sleep, and nutrition for optimal health. You need a business plan for you in order to change your life.
We tend to get serious when it involves money. So what is a life full of healthy years worth? Years of:
- feeling good
- being active
- having strength
- experiencing mental clarity
- enjoying overall wellbeing
I can tell you: it’s priceless. Staying as healthy as possible for as long as possible really is the best bang for your buck.
I follow my own advice. Everything I’ve written here, I do. After suffering a CVA (stroke) in my mid-thirties, I experienced the beginning of a wake-up call, though it took me another decade to fully answer that call and make my own business plan for a changed life. I began to eat better, exercise my body and brain more, and educate myself in the study and practice of longevity like my life depended on it…and it does!
I follow my PuzzleArt concepts for better brain health every day. I jumpstart better brain health with my PuzzleArt Brain Skill Builders, and practice Breathing for Brain Fitness 2-5 minutes daily.
I understand those are one part of the big picture, so I also mapped out a fitness plan: my responsive workout, which includes more activity, more oxygen, more H2O, more sleep, and better nutrition. Your responsive workout won’t be exactly the same as mine – it will be what works for you.
When you create your business plan for better living, be sure to touch on how you will make changes to increase mental and physical activity, get more oxygen, take in more H2O, get more sleep, and create a better nutrition plan. The specifics won’t be the same, but this basic business plan for better living is a solid one. If you try it out and certain elements aren’t working, should you pitch the whole thing? Well, if it was a money-making business plan, would you give up the business at the first struggle, or would you tweak the plan?
I know what I would do, and because I’m worth the time and effort, I do it. You can too.
To give you a jumpstart and help you develop focus, improve concentration, and become more creative in how you solve life’s daily problems, I’m offering my FREE Brain Training Online Game. IMPROVE YOUR BRAIN FITNESS Give it a try. You’re worth it.
Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader, perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!