4 min read
Most problems we face are not like packages that suddenly show up one day at our front steps.
They are slow growing manifestations of hundreds of (single) decisions done over days, weeks, months or years.
Problems typically fall into two categories, sudden or slow growing.
Sudden problems are things like car accidents, sports injuries, life events/milestones, and countless other events outside of our immediate control. Slow growing problems are things like malnutrition, physical inactivity, fatigue, chronic inflammation, high blood pressure and other things we have direct control over.
If left untreated sudden problems and slow growing problems can affect us the same way.
The immediate shift from a sudden problem is both similar and different than a slow growing problem. Both types of problems can be debilitating and intrusive on daily functions and can alter the entire course of one’s life, but sudden events are typically not the result of personal negligence and so philosophically the process around preventing and dealing with them is completely different.
For example, a person falls from a ladder and causes a severe back injury, experiencing a sudden problem. A second person experiences chronic back pain over the course of five years and the pain is left untreated. Both people experience identical symptoms and receive identical diagnosis. The difference between the two cases is one could have been prevented and the other was an accident that could not be predicted.
Dealing with sudden problems.
Dealing with a sudden problem is simpler than a slow growing one. This is because the root of the symptom is easier to diagnosis and usually can be linked back to a singular event. Then once the problem is treated things typically resume as they were beforehand (if possible).
Dealing with slow growing problems.
A slow growing problem is the result of possibly thousands of decisions that lead to a final result. This makes it difficult to decipher which factors will create change for short and long term progress. This challenge is the reason it is vital to look at problems holistically and with the biggest perspective possible, because the root of problems may be buried under many layers.
Also, to solve slow growing problems usually day one of treatment is completely different than the day the problem is fixed. Do not fall victim of, “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”. In order to truly operate holistically, you must assess with multiple tools and ways of thinking.
A few decisions that create slow growing problems are:
Nutrition
• Never drinking plain water
• Never eating enough protein/fat/vitamins/minerals
• Never fasting or feeling hunger
Movement
• Always going to the gym tired
• Always sitting in the sauna to “warm up”
• Always skipping an entire way of training (aerobics/strength/hypertrophy/mobility/flexibility/coordination/etc.) and doing only a few exercise you are comfortable with
Self-Therapy
• Never getting body work
• Never practicing contrast therapy (sauna/steam/hot tub/cold tub)
• Always skipping exercises and instead relying on medication or manual therapy
Meditation and Mindset
• Never taking time to be alone and without outside stimulation
• Never taking time to reflect on your plans
• Never taking time to focus on your long-term dreams
• Never taking time to engage with others about strengthing your relationships
*this is a very short list of single decisions that create final results.
The point is…
What are you going to wake up tomorrow and do knowing that single decisions can either prevent or create slow growing problems. It is more important to do the right thing now than worry about potential sudden problems. You can never know what may happen, will it be the car accident and if it is what will be the result, we just don know.
At the end of the day, there are not that many things an individual has to discover, manage and improve upon, and because of this we are all different and we are all the same. If we take an active role in our health, vitality, and performance, we can have lives that or full of function, energy, and joy.
Stating the obvious is needed at times, to be honest about what is going on. Don’t let your daily decisions lead you to an inevitable negative final situation.
All The Very Best,
Dan Baruch
BARUCHealth: Founder
info@baruchealth.com
BARUCHealth Programs For Health Vitality & Performance
Step By Step Programs:
Nutrition
Movement (Exercise/Training Program)
Self-Therapy
Meditation
