A chronic health condition that causes pain, stress and financial problems can create enormous suffering. Many physical health issues are linked to unhealthy beliefs and attitudes... and some can be avoided with the tips you will learn in this article. Getting yourself up a state of Peak Health and fitness is not difficult: it just takes right mindset plus a set of healthy habits, applied consistently, and a willingness to self-correct whenever you start to veer off course.  

Here are 9 essential attitudes held by radiantly healthy and functional people.

Read them, absorb them and make them a part of who you are!

Be grateful for all the health that you currently have. If you can walk, talk, see and breathe without difficulty you are in an extremely enviable position to millions of people who are much worse off. While you might not be vibrant and super fit, you have a functional baseline that you can work with. While your health could use improving, there are dozens of things you can do to get a handle on it. Don't wallow in self-hatred or doubt: this can paralyze your motivation to improve things. Accept where you are while knowing the sky is the limit if you just take one step forward.

Our body is our “vehicle” that carries us through this life and we only get one body. If we wear it down with bad habits like smoking, overeating, drinking or not exercising then we are not taking good care of ourselves. Taking good care of yourself takes effort, which is much easier to do if you love & respect yourself. Healthy and fit people believe that deserve the best, they are worth it and that being lazy or inconsistent is cheating themselves. If you deeply and profoundly love and respect yourself, you will go the extra mile and do whatever it takes to be healthy.

It’s not just about you: your health affects the others around you. Your health is directly linked to how much radiance and energy you have. It also affects your relationships with others and changes their obligations towards you. A dad who is always drunk or hungover won’t be a loveable “hero” to his kids. A wife who becomes obese may cause her husband to feel shame and genuinely worry about her health. A man who develops health problems may burden his wife with having to care for him for many years. Even if you don’t have a spouse or family yet, making the effort to attain Peak Health will make you much more attractive and inspiring to your future partner.

Rather than just try to “lose some weight” you should aim for something more specific and tangible like “lose 20 pounds,” “bench press my body weight,” or “remain sober for 1 year.” Write your goals down and then tell everyone about them so they can help you stay accountable. Be willing to do whatever it takes to bring yourself one step closer to meeting your goals. Don’t just aspire for ‘pretty good’ goals, aim big and it will encourage you to make more effort.

Peak Health is all about making a consistent set of good habits, putting in hard work now for pleasure (or lack of suffering) later:

Drive to stores that specialize in healthy food.

Invest in a gym membership with fitness classes or personal training.

Read books and listen to podcasts by natural health experts.

Research & shop online for supplements.

Advocate for your own health and medical testing, rather than just passively accepting whatever the doctor orders.

Eat organic food, filter your water.

Making these investments now will hugely pay off in your future. Think of it as adding to your “wellness 401k.” Towards the end of our lives we wish for more health, not more money!