Being stubborn is good when you want to stay healthy
Growing up, we were taught that being stubborn isn’t good. It was associated with being tight and not flexible. But in today’s world where there is extreme competition at work, being stubborn and a go-getter is considered a big plus. The most stubborn people in the organization are asked to join the best teams because they know how to ‘seal the deal’.
The same logic can be applied to our health too. When you make a decision to stay healthy, it involves making some tough choices. In most cases, those choices include changing our diets and exercising. Any new change requires work and some getting used to. And one of the most difficult decisions to make is changing what our palate usually craves. For instance, if we are used to spicy and oily food, it takes a lot out of us to switch to bland and less oily food. If you have a sweet tooth, then again, it takes a lot of persistence to say no to those delicious desserts that come your way every other day. Same goes for alcohol, especially if our idea of a good time is so wrapped up around meeting friends over the weekend and going out clubbing. It’s not easy to be the only one in a group with a mojito, while the others chug beer, and be okay with that.
Changing your diet involves changing your lifestyle. It can take a toll on your social life when you choose to go to bed early instead of heading out to a party late in the evening, but it’s this strong sense of discipline that can and does get you through. Not to mention, what it does for your mind is extraordinary. It helps you get more focused and when your body has more energy, you can work longer and more efficiently.
Healthy living is a choice we make. We can either fall off the wagon and consume food that’s neither good for the body nor the mind or we can stop and make some necessary changes that make our lives better. Making a decision is still easier but sticking to that decision for months or years is hard. Food is sort of like an addiction and a lot of our cravings have to do with our emotions. But it’s your stubbornness that will keep you from reaching out and grabbing that chocolate cake or instead of turning off the alarm and going back to bed, it’ll push you to go for that early morning run. For some of us, being stubborn comes easy. What matters is, what are we really stubborn about?