Recently we met family and friends at the local outdoor ice rink to celebrate my niece’s birthday. It was a gorgeous afternoon to be playing outside. With COVID keeping people fairly isolated over the past year and restrictions loosening up in California, people were really happy to be out together even if if masks were still required. As I watched, I thought about the challenges this past year has given us all and the toll it has taken on our mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. It was so good to see so many people happy together again.

It was Friday, March 13th of last year when we at the park district closed down until these COVID risks were understood. Many of us in parks and recreation knew the mental health problems that were ahead of us, and emphasized how important physical activity was going to be in combating the illness. Health, nutrition, rest, hygiene… all have proven to be key factors in avoiding or recovering from the illness. As COVID gets controlled but variants evolve and disease persists, these timeless factors will continue to be key to a long, productive and happy life.

So, how is your health? How well is your physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, relational, and energetic wellbeing? If you were to score each of these realms on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being highest, what mark would you give yourself? Don’t compare yourself to models or other people you see on TV. Don’t think of it as relative to your perception of other people’s health – I have known people ranging in appearance from anorexic to obese report being happy with their physical health. Many people wear happy masks while having poor emotional or mental health. Answering this question is completely a personal evaluation that only you can give yourself.

Are you happy with your health these days? My answer: yes, for the most part. While I struggle emotionally and relationally these days and am working on it, my mental, energetic and spiritual health are strong, and my physical is great – especially considering where it was a few years ago…

At my previous employer we had a wellness program that included annual clinical check ups. In March 2017 my blood pressure was high, I was obese by medical standards at 246 pounds (I’m 6’1”), my cholesterol was high, I was high stress, and I was told I was pre-diabetic. How had I let my health decline so much since running the Twin Cities Marathon (4 hours, 36 minutes) in October 2012?! I am an athlete, dammit!

After taking a new job and relocating back to Nevada, in September 2017 I decided I wanted to get back to an active lifestyle. I knew that 20 minutes of creating an elevated heart rate at least 3 days a week was a basic level of health. My own standard of health is being able to run a 5K. I knew I needed to eat better too. I wanted to get back to a 6 day/week exercise habit. I have always been able to protect and make it to my workouts more often if I do them first thing in the morning.

On Monday, October 23rd, 2017 I started with a program based off a Couch to 5K program I found online and had used to start my marathon training. My entire goal that first day was just to get into the gym. I didn’t even need to exercise. Just get there. I struggled to even get out of bed. But, with a large coffee sugared with a flavored creamer and loud music I got there. I remember just walking the track a little, toying around with the exercise machines and free weights. Victory! The next day I got in too, and the next, and the next, and so on. Slowly my walking increased to running and my strength training started getting recorded with increased weights, sets and reps. Sixteen months later, on January 27th, 2019 I weighed 195.8 pounds. I had lost 50 pounds!

While my goal was improving my health, what I needed to develop was healthy habits. I measured my success by how many days I would sweat or how many days I’d go between drinking sodas or cooking at home instead of eating fast food. Yes, I was happy that my running redeveloped faster than the program, and I was able to jog a mile then walk/jog a 5K in half the time the program meant for it to take. But it probably took me 3-4 months of strength training progress to start noticing physical results. If I was focused on the scale or pants size I would’ve been discouraged. By making a game out of scoring small, healthy habits I had improved my health.

It’s been more than 3 years now and I’m happy with my progress and lifestyle. I have no plans of giving that up. I’ve added other habits to my day, particularly meditation for my mental and spiritual health, and nutrition and regimented sleep for their benefits too. I’d like to fit yoga into my daily routine, but there aren’t enough hours in a day. I make my wellbeing a priority. When I miss a day in the gym or eat a poor meal my body lets me know it. I’m not perfect at any of it, but I’m happy with my health. I believe my health and habits helped me resist COVID and other diseases as well as the isolation that social distancing created.

So, I’ll come back again to asking how are each of your six realms of wellbeing – the physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, relational, and energetic aspects of your life? It’s all intertwined, and an improvement in one area can improve the others. Liking the body we see in the mirror affects our mental health just like our emotional health can affect our physical health. The good news is that we can start with small habits, master these small habits, and almost imperceptibly put into motion behaviors that have big payoffs in our happiness and wellbeing.

If you’re feeling you could be better or want to be happier in your work, in a relationship, in your home or while alone, look to see if is there an aspect of your health that you’d like to improve. By focusing on small habits you’ll see big changes when you commit to practicing them. Make a game out of tracking your new desired habits. Maybe you make it a point to get coffee or take a walk every day with a coworker to improve your relationship. Maybe you want more joy in your life so you add morning prayers of gratitude for big and small things in your life that you’re thankful for. Maybe you add reading to your evening to stimulate your brain or help you to fall sleep.

Chances are there are small changes you can make to develop a habit that improves your life. You don’t have to wait for New Year’s to create a resolution. You don’t have to have a heart attack or bottom out with alcohol. You don’t have to wait for that dream job to start. Simply assess where you want to be better, and get creative. Many people place blame for the condition of their lives on others instead of taking charge. Screw that. We have lots of power and control over our lives and future. For me, I’m taking charge of my life and will make it better by starting with my habits. You can too.

Habits. Simple, small habits.