Why Don’t We Take Better Care of Ourselves?

Seriously. We get our hair cut every 6 weeks, change the filters in our water systems every time the red light comes on, change the oil every 3000 miles, pressure wash our decks, rotate our tires. We take better care of our stuff than of ourselves

Why is it so difficult to get off the couch and take a walk? Or go to the gym? Or hire a health professional?

What stops us from taking better care of ourselves?

Actually, in a lot of ways, it’s not our fault.

Part of the reason is because our brain is wired that way. Our brains are predictive and always bent on efficiency. So whatever behavior patterns we have created for ourselves-like being trapped behind a desk for 8 hours a day-are the patterns we automatically default to. And the more we practice them (40-50+ hours a week x how many years?), the deeper the patterns become which makes them even harder to change.

Another part is a simple law of physics: a body at rest remains at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. Our brains simply will not use energy unless it is necessary. An outside force could be any number of things: a mean dog chasing us down the street, an upcoming wedding or family reunion or vacation, or bad news from the doctor. Whatever is perceived as necessary for survival, unconsciously or eventually consciously, will be the action we take.