(A version of this essay was also published in CreativeSpace)
I'm not talking about the kind that focuses on prepping your summer body or beating some kind of record, but the kind of health focus that keeps you from getting sick - the one that lets you move and work and live the way you want to. This is something I'm feeling increasingly strongly about as I age.
And I've come to realize that my health is the foundation of everything.
I really mean everything. At a certain point - a few years down my solopreneur and "finding myself" journey - I even moved "health" from fourth to first place on my list of values in life.
What?! Do you value your own health more than your family and values like empathy and kindness?
Well, yes. And no.
Here's how I see it: If I get sick, I can't show up for my family the way I want to. I can't stay focused, creative and curious in my work. I don't have the same capacity to show kindness. I can’t be there in the same way to help my parents who are getting older. I can't keep doing my podcast, writing, mentoring, creating... Absolutely everything falls apart if my health falls apart.
And in a world that feels like it's becoming more and more absurd and uncertain, I belive health is one of the most underrated forms of resilience. Everything else becomes harder if your health breaks down.
I often feel this topic is a bit difficult to bring up. If I'm in a group of friends and we talk about what we do when we have a bad day, and I cheerfully say, "I go for a run!" - I don't know, but it feels a bit like smacking a wet shoe in the head of the friend who just admitted to going for Ben & Jerry's and the sofa. So to keep everyone in a good mood, I often downplay it. I skip the part where I want to share how the run gives me new ideas, how it takes away anxiety and scary thoughts, how it's the best start to the day I can think of, and how - over years and years of keeping this a part of my life - it has gotten me through some of the most challenging parts of the journey.
My runs have remained one of the few constants during times when everything else felt up in the air. I think maybe this is the most important part. That time when I lost my job. The year my father got sick. Those years the whole world shut down. That exercise routine has been a constant - even if it's just 15-20 minutes sometimes - that gives me a sense of normality and always a welcoming boost of "happy hormones".
My own Ted Lasso
I started talking about health and gradually moved toward running. Why? Because running is so simple, and it has a strangely contagious effect on everything else. I noticed that alcohol made my sleep really poor, which then affected how I felt the next day and my performance on my morning run. So now I rarely drink, I try to sleep well, eat properly, and so on. It’s a domino effect.
And I haven't even started on the mental part of it!
Do you know “Ted Lasso”? The Netflix series about the super-positive American football coach who's brought to London and completely transforms the culture of an English football team with his inspiring way of being and coaching. It's about football, but it's also about everything else in life.
I feel like I have my own Ted Lasso in my earphones whenever I run. It's Nike Running's head coach, Coach Bennett, from Nike's free running app (no, I'm not sponsored). I've had him with me for the last couple of years.
And he always says something like:
"This is about running. This is not about running."
And that's exactly it.
While I'm getting on the treadmill or heading out on another morning run, it's absolutely not only about running. It's about how to keep going when it gets hard. How to deal with setbacks. How to go out there even when I don't feel like it. How to be present. How to trust the process. And Coach Bennett talks about this, in so many different ways - on the speed runs and long runs, in preparing for a race (I don't race, I just pretend I will) or coming back from a long break. This is like a running coach, a psychologist, and a mental trainer all in one.
Almost without exception, I end the run with some insight about something that has nothing at all to do with running. And I always feel so much better! (except for that day in May last year when my hamstring said stop and went on strike for a few months - no “happy hormones” in sight)
I can honestly (hand on my heart) say that I'm not doing this to look good on Strava or to brag about it on Substack. Maybe it's an age thing. My focus now is to be able to work and live the way I want as long as possible. I'm doing it so I can stay positive. So I can keep working in my one woman company. So I can handle the ups and downs that come with being human - as well as a solopreneur.
I don't think there's enough conversation about this. And maybe it's because health and exercise are so tied to perfection, looks, and performance. But it's not a race. Not a competition.
It's about making sure our bodies can carry us in the best possible way well into old age, so that we can continue doing what we want to do. So that we can tackle uncertainty and chaos, which unfortunately is rather relevant for many people in the world right now.
So this is my gentle nudge to you (at the risk of being that annoying friend): take your health seriously. Not just for your body - but for your creativity, your resilience, your ability to listen, to lead, to care.
And maybe try running. Or walking. Or dancing in the kitchen. With Coach Bennett in your ears - or not. Whatever keeps you coming back the next time. And the next.