Estimated Reading Time 6 Minutes
Hey You! Welcome back to The Vibrant Life Podcast. I’m Emily Romrell and I hope you’re having a happy day. Are you living the good life his summer? Are you doing all the things you love? I hope so. The world is crazy and life’s an adventure. This podcast is all about helping us to enjoy the ride and become our best selves along the way. If you’re enjoying The Vibrant Life Podcast, a quick review on iTunes and a recommendation to your friends would go a long way. Thanks in advance for sharing the love.
I’ve been thinking a lot about being healthy lately. This last week I had the flu and it’s been rough. Nothing reminds you how wonderful it is to be healthy like recovering from being sick. I’ve also been dealing with some other health issues that I won’t go into, except I want to let you know that I personally know the value of good health and how much it affects us in all areas of our lives. So this week we’re diving into this truth: the first wealth is health.
The phrase “The first wealth is health” is a quote from one of my all-time favorite writers and philosophers, Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was a transcendentalist and believed that you could learn the most important lessons in life by observing nature and looking inside yourself. I don’t disagree. Emerson has quite a few great quotes on health and I want to review them with you because each embodies some amazing truths. So here’s a quick rundown of health wisdom from one of the greats:
Health is the condition of wisdom, and the sign is cheerfulness, – an open and noble temper.
and another quote is similar to this:
The best part of health is fine disposition.
Truly healthy people are happy people, right? I’m not saying you can’t be happy while struggling with your health. The exact opposite is true. But think for a minute of the most joyful and vibrant people that you know. I bet they are energetic, they have open hearts and noble temperaments. That is one of the keys to true health, my friends.
We forget ourselves and our destinies in health, and the chief use of temporary sickness is to remind us of these concerns.
It’s easy to get complacent, right? I think it’s important to remember that contrasts are what make life beautiful. We all have to go through periods of sickness in order to know what’s important. What are our priorities? What are our dreams? Sometimes we need bouts of hardship to put things into perspective. Then when we are healthy we can recognize what a gift that is. We can go with gusto on our way to making those dreams come true.
And ya may not know it but Emerson was a poet. This one’s a beauty:
The richest of all lords is Use,
And ruddy Health the loftiest Muse.
Live in the sunshine, swim the sea,
Drink the wild air’s salubrity.
Don’t worry if you don’t recognize that last word. I had to look up salubrious. Which was a bonus because I love learning new words. Salubrity is just an old English word that also means health. Drink the health in the wild air, live in the sunshine, and swim in the sea. I can dig that.
I don’t believe you can truly be healthy unless you connect with nature on a regular basis. I live close to some beautiful Utah mountains and almost nothing refreshes my soul like going up the canyon and drinking in that wild air. One of the miraculous things about this world is that every place has its own beauty. Whether it’s the mountains, the beach, or something else, soak that sunshine up, Peeps. And it’s not just every place that has it’s own beauty. Every person does too. Each one of us is something pretty special. That’s important to remember.
Health is the first muse, comprising the magical benefits of air, landscape, and bodily exercise on the mind.
This goes along similar lines, right? But I love that Emerson calls health a muse. When we are at our healthiest, we are our most creative and most productive versions of ourselves. Humans are creators. One of the best ways I know to get out of a funk is to create something. Whether it’s writing a song, breaking out the play dough with your kids, or cooking something delicious. Being creative is like taking a mega mental vitamin for both your emotional and physical health.
So definitely check out Ralph Waldo Emerson if you’re looking for some more inspiration in your life. He truly is one of my favorite writers. And now that I’ve inspired y’all with his amazing quotes, let’s talk about some basics about staying healthy.
I think sometimes we get bored with hearing the simple answers in life all the time. But the truth is usually simple and our human hearts and minds like to make things more complicated than they need to be. In my church, we often refer to primary answers because we teach children really young the basics of how to cultivate a close relationship with Heavenly Father and to be happy. One of my old bishops used to say, “Sing a primary song a day and you’ll never go astray.” So the list here is nothing new. But these are the things that make a difference.
Drink Water
It’s a no-brainer but we somehow don’t seem to take it seriously. There are a lot of distractions and other options. But if you want to be healthier drink more water and less soda. The Star Trek nerd in me would like to remind you that we’re giant bags of mostly water and it’s important to replenish that water. Live vibrant and drink water.
Get Enough Sleep
As someone who struggles with insomnia on a regular basis, guys, get enough sleep. I regret all the naps I resisted as a child. Just like our bodies need to be replenished with water, we need to be recharged with sleep. Sleep allows us to process our experiences each day come back with energy for tomorrow. It allows our immune system to do its thing and fight off disease and it allows us to dream. Get enough sleep.
Eat Nutritious Food
I’m a big believer that a chocolate chip cookie can change someone’s world at the right moment. But I’m also a big believer that the old saying is true: you are what you eat. There are a lot of diets and conflicting information out there. But you will feel the difference between eating 2000 calories of a balanced diet full of veggies and complex carbs vs 2000 calories of junk food. I’ll tell you this too if you’ve been eating healthy and then you eat a bunch of junk it will make you feel like junk. It’s about moderation, right? Life wouldn’t be the same without a great burger and fries once in and while. But life is so much better when you have the vitality and energy that comes from eating right.
Exercise
Working out doesn’t have to be unpleasant. There are so many options and I think it’s important to choose something you like. If you’re a dancer at heart, for heck’s sake dance! Find a sport that you love. If you like the gym, more power to ya. Go hiking. Run marathons. Do CrossFit. Chase some little kids around the neighborhood park. Don’t get stuck in a routine that you find boring because then you won’t do it. But it’s important to get your blood pumping now and then and let your body know that you’re really alive. Make time to exercise.
So obviously, these are the four things everyone knows and everyone would tell you are the cornerstones of living a physically healthy lifestyle. That’s been my main focus for this podcast, but I want to remind you that your emotional, spiritual, and mental health is just as important. And it’s all connected. Humans love to box things up into labels and categories. But the truth is when your physical health improves all the other aspects of your health improve. Same thing with mental and emotional health etc.
So this is my plug to you this week: make time for the basics. Please try not to let yourself get overwhelmed if you have a big journey to get where you want to be. Take it one day at a time. Do the things that we all know we should do. Choose carrots today instead of chips. Talk a walk in the sunshine and breathe in some wild air. Go to bed early and dream your dreams. Drink some really cold water and feel it flow through your body. Remember that the first wealth is health. Live the Vibrant Life!
