Actually, is telling someone to live a “healthier lifestyle” really effective?

If I ask 100 or 1000 people, almost 90% or more will tell me they are living a "healthier lifestyle"; that they are eating better, or less, exercising more, going to bed a little earlier, taking vitamins, drinking purified water, nurturing their spirit etc; some combination of "better" steps they are taking to improve their lifestyle.  

This is good, particularly in light of the massive downward trend to overweight and health complications, on a population basis, that is going on right now. This trend to overweight is the root cause of all the poor health statistics you are hearing about in the news.

Now I will always be first in line to applaud even the smallest efforts to improve. I myself take small steps to improve my lifestyle all the time. That’s the way it’s done successfully, with a view on where you want to or need to get to for reasons that inspire you.

But guess what…

Most people are still overwhelmed, exhausted and overweight, and candidates for health complications.  Why? Because they are doing all of this on top of an iceberg of other stuff that has the opposite effect, or they are making changes but simply not at a high enough level to be effective or experience the results they seek…  

"Better" and "healthier" are uniquely relative, border line ambiguous terms with countless meanings depending on who you talk with.

I have been promoting "healthy lifestyle" for a long time and still do. But today, I promote the healthiest, most successful lifestyle approach on the planet. It’s called Performance Lifestyle and it is based on the defined fundamentals of successful living that healthy, high achieving people know and live by.

Its a natural system…

Why do I call Performance Lifestyle the healthiest most successful lifestyle approach on the planet? That’s pretty bold. I answer the question below.

The main reason it’s called "performance" lifestyle and not a healthy lifestyle, is because all wellness, health and fitness concepts are taught in the context of quality of life (our ability to function and perform well) and success (the real goals we want to achieve in life, business and or sport).

A Performance Lifestyle is a healthy lifestyle, but a healthy lifestyle is not necessarily a Performance Lifestyle or going to promote your success at the same level.

Simply put, Performance Lifestyle brings the never-before-assembled fundamentals of a health and success promoting lifestyle together into a natural system you can act on. Your ability to perform well bridging the gap between health and success, it clears up the ambiguity of what it means to truly live "healthy".

Your ability to perform "well", will let you know how healthy you really are.

Hint: your ability to perform well requires lifestyle skills that go beyond sleep, food and fitness.

The problem with simply living healthier is this…

How do you gauge success on an hour to hour, day to day, week to week basis?

And what’s your motivation to really live better, besides prevention, or weight loss, neither of which are natural goals? Of course, if you are in a health crisis, you will be motivated, but for purposes of this article, I’m assuming you are not in crisis. 

In a Performance Lifestyle your reasons for living better are stronger and your understanding of successful living is broader simply because it’s about sustainability and success for you.

It’s the way athletes live.

In a performance lifestyle "better" and "healthier" are relatively defined. These terms still apply, but now in the context of where you’re headed, whats possible and what may need to happen for you to get the results you want.

A good deal of the ambiguity is taken out of the equation, particularly because you are focused on your real goals and again you measure success by your ability to perform "well" versus your weight for example, which is an "effect" of how you live, not the "goal" of how you live.

Here’s what the Washington post had to say about this shift in mindset that makes all the difference in the world.

You, an Athlete?
It’s Not Such a Strange Concept; Think Like One and See What Happens

By Laura S. Jones
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, April 17, 2007; Page HE07

Calling all athletes. Yes, you. Who did you think? Stop laughing — you’ll snort coffee all over the paper…

Performance Lifestyle is a completely different mindset than simply living healthier.

Action Tip: As you go through your day today what thoughts and feelings kick in when you know you need to take care of yourself in some unique way, but you’re focused on a task, or a goal?

Journal this and share your comment below.  

In my upcoming posts let’s discuss the differences between a healthy lifestyle and the healthiest most successful way to live. If you want to perform, look and feel better without the struggle, this is a conversation you want to be part of.

I look forward to your comments.

Live like a pro!

John Allen Mollenhauer is the founder Performance Lifestyle Solutions, the better healthier ways to achieve your goals in life, business and sport. As a former worn down workaholic turned healthy high achiever John Allen (aka “JAM”) will teach you how to Live Like a Pro, optimizing your lifestyle the way athletes do. He is the creator of the Healthy High Achiever - Unleash the Full Potential of Your Lifestyle to Perform, Look and Feel Better!