I’ve set the intention that in 2019 I am going to prioritise looking after my health. Not just my physical health, but my mental and emotional health too. This intention started coming to me around September last year, but it seems that everything since then has given it greater depth of meaning.
Each aspect; physical, mental and emotional, all warrant their own post. In fact they all warrant many... but this particular post is a plea to you. A plea to not wait until your health slaps you in the face before you take it seriously.
Riders are notorious for shaking off pain. Hell, I’m guilty of not going to the dentist, the doctor or a chiro for years at a time! At the end of 2017 I injured my knee something fierce and it took me weeks to bother getting a scan, and as soon as it was obvious I didn’t need surgery, I shrugged it off and went back to my usual daily life. It still clicks and grinds, but who has the time to worry about that, right?! The culture of riding (and our world in general) seems to be that your ability to absorb, and preferably ignore pain and illness is a badge of honour.
Honestly, its a badge of f***ing nothing.
There is no greatness in ignoring your body and having the privileged opinion that it will just continue to allow you to do whatever you like, regardless of how badly you treat it.
Ignoring your body is a privilege, not a right.
Brene Brown has found in her research that when we sit with people who have suffered a great trauma or loss, that the best way we can show that we care is by showing we are grateful for what we have. In her series of talks titled “The Power of Vulnerability” she says that “when you value what you have, you acknowledge what I have lost”.
So, value your damn body!
If I sound harsh, great, cause I needed a massive kick up the bum about this myself, and I’m appalled at how I got my kick:
I have an awesome friend called Sarah. We used to work together years ago in a less-than-delightful shop, and then I had the pleasure of looking after her gorgeous old horse in his retirement. Sarah was great to work with - kind, upbeat, fierce when she needed to be, and laugh-to-the-point-of-crying funny. Nothing’s changed there really! She also used to lecture me on my unhealthy choices in snacks and (soft) drinks, and I would shrug it off every time.
Last year Sarah had some abdominal pain. Not a biggie, she’s only 27 and there are plenty of reasons why that could happen. The doctors didn’t think it warranted a scan; she was young, healthy, ate well, and generally looked after herself. It took months before there were any real signs that something was quite wrong… and by then she was diagnosed with bowel cancer that had spread to her liver. She had 50% of her bowel removed, and is now waiting to begin chemo for stage four liver cancer.
She’s 27. It’s not genetic. It’s not her diet. It’s just sh*t luck… and it’s scary as hell!
So what is the lesson in this, other than life can be cruel? The lesson is to listen to your body.
If I stick to bowel cancer:
- It has traditionally been viewed as an “old persons” disease, and so screening is free after 50, but in the last decade, the incidence of 20-30year olds with bowel cancer has increased by 30%. Let me say that for you again; thirty percent.
-Because it’s not see as something young people get, by the time they do receive the correct diagnosis it’s often already stage 3 or 4.
-There is an excellent organisation called Bowel Cancer Australia, who are worth researching and supporting. I am also planning on (and recommend you do the same!) doing a screening test, though a full colonoscopy is the best as it can detect polyps before they become cancerous. In fact, if enough people want to get in on this, I will organise something around it - maybe a “Post-Poo” Clinic and/or party for after we all do it? If you’re in, let me know!
Obviously it’s not just bowel or liver cancer… my point is, our body tells us when there is something not right. We need to put down our ego and our attempts at being “tough” and listen to it! We need to tell our friends to do the same. We need to be grateful for our body - it’s the only one we get, and it does an amazing job for us, the least we can do is learn to listen to it before it has to scream at us!
So here is my plan, and you are welcome (encouraged) to join me in any or all of these practices:
-Get that check up, go to the dentist, go to the chiro.
-Take (and by take, I mean set aside!) the time daily to really listen to my body. To give it a chance to be “heard” and allow me to do better by it.
-Include at least 3 things in my daily gratitude practice that are specific to my body
-Donate blood - because Sarah is currently having a blood transfusion, and it is literally keeping her alive.
-Get my bowel screened, and find a way to support Bowel Cancer Australia, and other health organisations, in what they do.
If you are reading this, please, listen to your body. Don’t wait until your health, or the health of someone you love gives you a slap in the face, to remember how damn lucky you are. I see you. I care about you. I want you to look after yourself, and look after those around you.
If you do nothing else, please just take a moment, right now, to honour your body. As it is. For all it does for you, and all it has done for you. Maybe it doesn’t look the way you want. Maybe it aches, or creaks, or doesn’t quite move the way you think it should… but dammit, you’re alive, and it spends every minute of every day making that happen for you. So breathe. Take in the miracle that is your body. Honour it.
Don’t wait for the slap in the face, do something now, because really, now is all we have.
If you want to talk about health, ask any questions, or just say anything at all (this is all about starting a conversation after all!) please get in touch! Comment below, comment on my social media, e-mail me, text me, whatever! Talk to your friends. Talk to your healthcare provider.
Talk to your body.
