Health is wealth. It’s a cliché we have all heard many times. Though we may tire of it, that saying will remain for a long time because it is a principle of truth.

Good health is at the center of our lives. We rely heavily on our health to do the things we need to do every day. 

Without good health and well-being, it will be difficult to live a quality life. It will be a challenge to provide for yourself and your loved ones, indulge in your favorite sports and have fun with friends. 

That’s just for the physical side. Health is more than just the absence of disease. 

The World Health Organization defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

A “healthy person” is someone who can cope with the demands of life in all its aspects. 

The benefits of exercise

One of the most important things we can do for our health is to exercise. The Internet is full of excellent materials in written and video forms explaining the importance of exercise. 

Despite knowing all these facts, not a lot of Americans exercise. Only 20.7% of men exercised in 2019. Women have a much lower rate – 18%. 

Fig.1 Screenshot taken by the author from Statistica.com

 Take a look at the figures gathered by Statistica. Only 1 in every 5 people exercises. 

Why?

Is it because we are busy? 

Common excuses for not exercising

I remember reading an article that says one of the most commonly disregarded New Year’s resolutions is to exercise. Many are committed to exercising, to boost their health, only to have the resolution collapse in two to three weeks. 

Busyness is one of the common excuses we give when it comes to exercise. I used to say that, too. “I don’t have time to go to the gym and exercise.” 

One of the excuses I also hear a lot is “I’m too tired to exercise. Maybe tomorrow.” Putting off doing physical activities can put your health at risk.

Others give the excuse of walking in your house as already an exercise. Some say they prefer exercising with a partner, others don’t like a partner. 

Brainless health suggestions 

Do we need a full hour to exercise? What if you only have 20 minutes to spare? All these questions plus more are answered in the book “Brainless Health: Simple Habits for Smart People” by the author John Patton.

In our podcast interview, he explained why he titled it “Brainless”.

“The title of the book came about because I kept coming back to the fact that we’re brainless things, meaning not dumb things, things that you don’t have to think about to put into practice.  long before COVID people have been washing their hands. Now, that’s brainless.“

When we have been doing something habitually, we reach the point of doing it without thinking. For example, if we are going to a higher floor, we automatically go to the escalator or elevator.

John shared that he thinks that while it is commendable to follow strict diets, many of the diets recommended are impossible for the average person to follow. 

“You can start to measure your food, weigh your food, you know, count your steps, log everything on a thousand different apps on your phone. But it’s going to take some real focus. And then you’re trying to be disciplined about it. Shopping for the right food and going to the gym or exercising is just a lot. They would go into that if you weren’t training for some Olympic event. It might prove too difficult,” he further said. 

Because he cannot find a book that delivers easy and straightforward tips for health that he is looking for, John made one. 

Brainless Health is packed with practical health habits we can incorporate in our daily lives. It also has lists of things you must not forget to do. 

Lessons learned  

John speaks confidently about this topic because he has gone through it. He likes to reward himself to feel better and it usually comes in the form of food like ice cream or alcohol. Over time, he noticed that he got sluggish and he had no energy to work with his staff. 

At this pivotal moment, John made the decision to cut down on his food intake and started doing it little by little but consistently. After some time he noticed that he started making better choices like taking the stairs instead of using the escalator. 

It’s never too late

We may have picked up some bad habits previously, like eating a tub full of ice cream or ignoring the importance of exercise, but it is never too late to start creating better habits. 

One of Antoine de Saint – Exupery’s quote is, “The time for action is now. It’s never too late to do something.” 

We may be in the midst of the pandemic, but there are still plenty of small changes we can make that will have big impacts in our lives. 

Constant washing of hands, eating healthy, at least 30 minutes of exercise, the list of small things we can do goes on and on. You just have to make the choice to follow these simple habits. 

Find out more easy ways we can take care of our health in John Patton’s book. 

Listen to our full conversation here:https://outcomesrocket.health/brainless-health/2020/08/