DA-5 Guiding Principle #2 – Support Health First
Before we rush into our performance goals we may be wise to consider first the status of our HEALTH in body, mind and spirit.
If we were to take two equally talented athletes and run drills with them repeatedly, who would last longer? Who would recover faster? Who would be back to fight again tomorrow? Don’t know?
What if one of these athletes had been eating poorly for the last several months, slept 4 hours a night, and just dealt with a highly stressful personal relationship set back?
Could you now predict who might fall apart first?
Our BODY, is a physical representation of what we have been experiencing in our lives. It tells the true story. The healthier it is the more accurately we can discern what we need to do next for our body to keep performing well.
Our MIND, programs what we do everyday. It also processes information both good and bad. It can also CHOOSE. We must start by observing what we THINK about before we can consider what comes next to be able to achieve something better.
Our SPIRIT, is what is inside of us. If we do not take the time to be still and silent we could miss the whole game in the Sport of Life going on around us. Our spirit is the life force that beats our heart and expands our lungs while we sleep. One of the most powerful exercises is to be still long enough to observe our body at work. It is in that moment we witness nature at its best, doing what it does. Be still enough as often as you can in order to appreciate this miracle.
Bottom line, the long term INVESTMENT in health is what sets us up for a bright future. Much like the financial investments we make for our feature retirement, if we cash out a part of our nest-egg several times prematurely we will often do so with some form of penalty.
There are so many preventable measures we can take to insure our body will be healthy and performing well into our golden ages.
As Domestic Athletes we can simply do more and contribute more if we are of optimal health in body, mind and spirit. Also, what we may need today may not be what we need tomorrow.
Be Present…Make mindful moves.
Connect with your body. Correct faulty movement. Perform at your best. Recover and restore. Repeat.
Support health first.
Coming next… Principle #3