Health and Effort: Why You Need to Work at Health
If you’re one of those people who are getting older and never see a doctor, or even do your once-a-year check-up and don’t have a preventative health practice otherwise, I’ve got news for you: You aren’t doing anything to minimize the risks of a shorter healthspan or lifespan. One of the great myths of modern life is that living in ease and comfort is the best thing for your health.
We all know the rare stories of people who do nothing to enhance their health and end up living a long time without significant health issues. Maybe you’ve even seen this with a grandparent or an elderly neighbor. These become the popular stories that capture our attention and even make the news, the stories people always cite when they argue there is nothing you can do to live longer or “it’s all in your genes.” I wonder if these stories are popular because they excuse the reader from putting in any effort to promote their own health. Reading about someone else who “does nothing” and lives a long time lets them off the hook and lets them indulge in their own less than healthy habits and sedentariness.
The truth is that the vast majority of people who take it easy as they get older end up with health problems that could have been avoided (or at least prolonged), meaning their lives are shorter and a lot less active and fulfilling than they could have been. This could have been me. My “wake-up call” nearly 20 years ago got me moving—literally. If I had not done all the work I have and had not sought out advice on how to prolong the strength, stability, and energy of my body, I would not be enjoying the robust health I do today.
A perceptive English philosopher named Edward Carpenter had this to say about health and effort over a hundred years ago:
It is an important thought that health cannot be won without some amount of effort; that conquest and putting forth of power are intimate conditions of its acquirement and preservation. Health—like freedom—has to be won afresh every morning.
And this in its way is true on all planes. In physical matters the effort of the muscles—exercise—is necessary to keep the body in good condition. In the mind, effort, or the mental faculties deteriorate. In morals again, effort—conscience, duty, sacrifice—all necessary.
This is a truth, or a side of the truth, which is worth dwelling on, especially in consideration of the fact that the easy tendency—the downhill grade—is all the other way: in the direction, namely, of a reliance on external props and supports—drugs, regulated stimulants, careful avoidance of draughts, plentiful flannels, and all the other paraphernalia of valetudinarianism. [This last word means overly concerned with health, similar to a hypochondriac.]
Ponder those words for moment, written way before our many modern versions of comfort and diversion, which have only multiplied on a scale no one could have imagined back then.
Why Effort Matters
Effort induces healing and extra capacity in every aspect of our being. Think about the human body and how it gets stronger. Muscles get stronger as a result of effort, which causes the muscle to be slightly damaged. The immune system then responds to this damage by clearing out the damaged tissue and rebuilding the muscle slightly stronger and slightly bigger than before. This is the body’s way of avoiding further damage in the future. Plus, that muscle is slightly stronger, so it won’t require as much effort as it did before the next time you use it.
I think this statement is worth repeating: Effort induces healing and extra capacity in every aspect of our being. All the organs of our bodies, including our brains, operate on this principle. My eldest daughter is now halfway through veterinary school. It is intensely hard work, and the amount of scientific and medical information she needs to learn and retain causes her a lot of stress, especially around exam times. But as she always says to me, she enjoys what she’s learning, really wants to become a vet (and has since she was 7 years old), and understands that this extra effort is the only path to get there. “I can deal with the stress to get where I want to go,” she says, knowing that she is gaining vital knowledge for her career. Plus, according to an AI summary, in the process of learning, our brain undergoes neuroplasticity, physically changing by forming new neural connections, strengthening existing pathways, and releasing neurotransmitters—essentially rewiring itself to become more efficient at processing new information.
My Own Story
My own health journey is a testament to the benefits of putting forth effort. My regular daily practices, as well as working to overcome the obstacles I have faced—from my right leg and knee (painful osteoarthritis), to my serious episode of Lyme disease combined with Babesiosis (I had to relearn how to walk!), to my recent heart issue (treating arterial plaque and a higher than desirable LDL level)—all have as their common thread the effort I put in to keep my health and fitness levels as high as possible. This does not mean that doing is always the right path. Sometimes stopping to rest and recover, or wait until answers come, is what’s needed. But that, too, requires effort because it relies on understanding how the immune system and healing works and acting on my ability to heal myself as much as possible.
And the wonderful thing about effort is that it gets “easier”. I get stronger and healthier. I can now do more, lift more, eat less, focus more, and generally be clearer about what I want out of my remaining time on this planet. And my resistance to putting in effort -- to exercise, eating healthy and practicing yoga and meditation -- has become way less now that I’ve experienced the benefits of these activities.
This article is meant for those who regret, or want to avoid regretting, not being in better health and able to enjoy life as they get older. As a relative of mine who has managed to live a long time, but not in the best of health, said to me recently, “If I’d known I was going to live so long I would have taken better care of myself.” Taking care of yourself means actively working at taking care of yourself. Go ahead and put in the effort. You are worth it!
