‘The greatest wealth is health.’
––Virgil
I no longer own a car. But many years ago, I did own a vehicle.
It was a Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40 that looked a lot like the one pictured above.
It was the most beautiful thing with a 3.2 litre diesel engine and four wheel drive!
Made in the 1970’s, it was already well over 20 years when I got it.
Aside from a few issues here and there, it ran really well and more than lived up to the level of reliability that Toyotas are famous for.
But though it was tough and reliable, I had to service it regularly.
This meant changing the filters, changing the oil, cleaning and lubricating the joints and so on.
I wasn’t too fussed about washing or polishing it. But I serviced it religiously, and so, it ran well for all the time I owned it.
Its age was never an issue.
And so it is with the human body. We need movement. We need rest. We need the right nutrition. And we need moderation (and sometimes abstinence) with food and drink to stay healthy and running reliably.
Thankfully, I understood this early on in life, and have not had any major health issues to date.
But so many people I know and love are sick, on medications, and unable to enjoy a quality of life that they would like.
Sadly, some have even passed away at a relatively young age.
And to all of this, people say, ‘It’s age…’
The same people that take such good care of their cars (even washing and polishing them to a strict schedule), think nothing of abusing their bodies by habitually over indulging in rich foods and alcohol, and doing next to nothing in terms of exercise and movement.
When they inevitably suffer the ill-effects of this unbalanced lifestyle, they conveniently blame their age.
So I am writing this to remind you, that it’s not your age.
It’s your unhealthy lifestyle!
And whatever pain and suffering you’re going through, chances are that you can change, or reverse it by changing your lifestyle.
And you can start helping yourself right now.
Yes, you can come at me with all the examples of the lucky few who were outliers and exceptions (‘My uncle who lived to be a 102 smoked and drank since he was 15 and had bacon and eggs for breakfast everyday.’).
But we both know, that for most of us, the law of cause and effect is both fair and unforgiving.
What we put into anything is what we get out of it.
Living to be old is a privilege in itself. But living to be old in a body that is healthy is blessing that nothing else can match.
But as always, there’s a price to pay. That price is self-care and moderation.
So please stop echoing the lie that it’s all about age, when it’s mostly about lifestyle.
Claim the good health and happiness that can be yours, now.
You know I love you. But some times, we all need some tough love, and this is what I’m doing right now.
And this short video (below) on Instagram was my inspiration for writing this post. So please watch it and hopefully, you will see what is possible and feel inspired too!
I would like to close this post with the traditional greeting of those who share my mother tongue:
‘Ayubowan’ (I wish you a long and healthy life).
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