Nothing can steal your time more than poor health. If you have poor health or don’t feel well, it can consume your thoughts and confine you to a limiting mindset where you don’t want to do anything. We need time if we want to be productive, but we have to be healthy to take advantage of any time we have. If you don’t take care of your body, there is no way to make the most of the time you have available.
In the book Time Traps, author Todd Duncan identifies Four Common Dependencies that Affect Overall Health and Five Simple Ways to Ensure You Are Being Healthy. Let’s look over these and make sure we are avoiding the bad things and doing as many of the good things as possible.
Four Common Dependencies That Affect Overall Health
1. Alcohol
We all know how alcohol can not only affect your overall health but can also destroy your life and the lives of others around you. The affect can go from a simple one-time hangover to car accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and broken relationships. Alcohol can be debilitating and can steal your time before you even know it.
2. Nicotine
It says it right on the box that nicotine is bad for your health, yet so many people consume it. And it is not just cigarettes anymore. Now we have vaporizers, E-cigarettes, and legalized marijuana. Our kids are attracted to these…damaging their bodies and minds at an early age.
3. Food (overeating)
Food can be great and it can be horrible. I’m not just talking about flavor. I am also talking about its effects on our bodies. Depending on the foods we eat, and the amount we eat, it can make a big difference between being healthy and being a heartbeat away from a heart attack.
4. Caffeine
Caffeine can be great when you need a little pick me up, but some people take it a bit too far. Constantly drinking coffee or sodas throughout the day. I know I drank a ton of Mountain Dew as a teenager and sweet tea by the gallons as a college student. It got to the point where I needed my caffeine to fight off headaches. A little caffeine each day is fine, but too much can put you in a world of hurt.
Five Simple Ways To Ensure You Are Healthy
1. Eliminate your intake of nicotine and moderate how much alcohol you drink.
Stop smoking cigarettes, vapes, and marijuana instantly. Remove nicotine and all the other bad things that come with it. Consuming nicotine is pretty much as fast street to cancer, so change routes now if necessary. Also limit alcohol consumption. One way of doing this is to limit it to weekends and only a couple drinks a night. Avoid “getting wasted.”
2. Moderate your intake of caffeine to 2 or 3 cups of coffee a day.
I love my coffee as much as the next guy, but I had to make some changes. I was drinking 3 to 4 large cups of coffee each day. Now, I have it down to 2 cups a day, one at 10:00am and one at 2:30pm. Limit your coffee and caffeine consumption in order to avoid the headaches that come with it.
3. Begin exercising daily.
You can’t go wrong with exercise. No, you don’t have to work out for three hours a day. In as little as twenty minutes a day, you can drastically improve your health. As the 5and2Guy, I do my best to work out Monday – Friday and then take the weekends off. Infuse daily exercise into your life if you want to improve your health over the long run.
4. Make a list of the foods you will no longer eat.
This can be important. We know the food we shouldn’t eat, but we never fully commit to never eating them again. It is suggested that you make a list of the foods you will never eat again and stick to it. It doesn’t have to be a really long list. Just pick five to ten foods you know provide you no value and commit them to a never eat again list.
5. Put yourself on a strict sleeping routine.
I have heard different studies saying we need sleep from 6 hours a night to 9 hours a night. We are all a bit different and we change over time. I suggest you find the amount of sleep that makes you feel good. Once you know the amount you believe you need, then plan on getting that sleep every night, including weekends. Plan to go to bed at the same time and wake up the same time. This strict sleeping routine can improve your overall health and make you more productive throughout your days.
Final Thoughts
Time Traps was a great book about the type of things steal our time, the impact of the lost time, and how to avoid these traps. These traps do not only steal our productivity, but they can also greatly impact our health. Be aware of common dependencies that negatively affect your health, and do your best to avoid them. Implement some simple practices into your life that can improve your health over time. Remember, slow and steady wins the race. It is the little things we do or don’t do each day that can have the largest impact on our lives, including our health. Commit to improving your health using recommendations from Time Traps.
If you are interested in reading this book, you can pick up a copy via my affiliate link here:
