Heroic Health: by Michelle Le Comte

The Hero and Health After being in the fitness industry for over 40 years, I’ve come to realize that for many, being healthy and fit is an elusive dream. Often, our daily lives don’t support the things we need to do to reach health goals, and the further away we get from the actions we would need to take for health, the harder it is to find the impetus to change. The bigger the challenge becomes, the more overwhelming it is to contemplate, until we deny that change is necessary and a chronic disease is knocking at our door. But there is so much that can be done to insure it never gets to that point.I call this article ‘Heroic Health’ because, in order to transform your health, it will often take finding that thought process and energy that feels Heroic in order to change. That may sound a little new-age, but consider what it takes to change a habit. What is holding you back from achieving a simple 5 pound weight loss goal? What is preventing you from simply not eating after a certain hour at night? Or from getting out of bed in time to get to Yoga? It’s not so easy to change your ways. But doing the difficult is where Heroic Health comes into play.Heroic is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as ‘exhibiting or marked by courage and daring’.Health is defined as ‘the condition of being sound in body, mind, and spirit esp.freedom from physical disease or pain.’ And, making the kinds of changes we are called upon to apply so we can be healthy i.e. free from disease or pain, many times takes courage and daring. Having said that, as humans, the beauty of our minds is that we CAN become open to new possibilities and thoughts; we CAN change, but we also must exercise new muscles in our minds and bodies, and this is where it takes courage and heroic action.We all have been inundated with information about what we should and should not do for health, what we should and should not eat and drink. However, knowing is not the same as doing. If you have a friend who appears to be healthy and fit, ask them how they do it! How do they get up in the morning to exercise before work? How to they find the time (which many people say is their biggest obstacle) to devote to exercise? How do they find it within themselves to say no to sugar, especially when they have a family that loves their desserts? Ask them how they got started. The answer may surprise you, and the truth is, everyone, at some time or another, finds it difficult to do what they know they should do for health. But I like the 90% rule; If you do the actions needed for your health and fitness 90% of the time, you will be doing enough to make a change! It doesn’t need to be perfect to be successful!It is my hope that in this monthly column, we can discuss what it takes to be your own Hero for your own Health, and perhaps you will read something that will resonate with you!Le Comte is a Certified Personal Trainer. She is certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and has been since 1994. She is also certified by National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) as a Corrective Exercise Specialist. Her experience includes owning her own Jazzercise Franchise and more recently, enjoying the privilege of working with many clients and students who enlisted her help as a Personal Trainer to improve their fitness and health.