What is it about active people that makes them seem so healthy and vibrant all the time? I’ve noticed this and over the years, I’ve learned to strive for it myself. Today I’m going to share what I think their secret is and tell you about what happened to me when I didn’t understand this particular magical connection!

Moving Forward

I believe that the key to staying consistently healthy is to keep moving forward. Every day, even if it’s just in a small way, we need to take action toward our hopes and dreams. When we are advancing in our lives, our physical body just stays healthier and more vibrant in order to keep up with our movement forward.

To understand this better, think about people you know who seem to be tired all the time and always coming down with some ailment or illness. If you speak to them, you will find that quite often they are deeply stuck in some aspect of their lives and they have stopped moving forward.

Instead, these people convince themselves that they have some dreadful disease or chronic pain and it becomes all-consuming. They stop taking any actions that are good for them and sit down all day worrying about their sad circumstances. They stop caring about what they eat or how they look, and it just becomes all about their declining health. And not surprisingly, they remain stuck. It’s as if they have willed themselves to be sick.

In a way, I can relate to them because there was a time in my life when I used inaction to get out doing things that were scary or unknown to me. As a teenager, I found that every time I had to make a presentation at school or face a difficult exam or if I was going to be singled out for something, I would suddenly come down with a throat infection. It was my body’s go-to illness that would appear anytime I was too scared to try something new or challenging.

Asking Questions

After years of this negative pattern in my life and missing out on many good opportunities, I wondered if I could stop it from happening. What if I did take that chance? What if I did take even a small step toward getting out of my comfort zone? Could I get a handle on my health?

It turned out, the answer was “Yes!” I was so thrilled when I figured out my way through it. I found that even if I was petrified by some new thing or a new challenge, if I took just some small step toward it, I found that my physical body grew stronger to help me face it! It was incredibly liberating.

Taking Action

The secret was just to take action! By the time I started my first job, I tried my best to take action rather than to shrink back in fear — and it made all the difference in the world. I no longer suffered with those chronic throat infections and my general health became consistently stronger. As long as I kept taking action!

Action truly is a miraculous way to help overcome illness or pain. If you feel frightened, depressed or like you’re coming down with something, make every effort to get out and walk. Even just a little bit at first, if that’s all you can manage. Cook yourself a healthy meal and take time to enjoy eating it. Interact with other people as often as you can, people of all ages. If your pain or illness persists, by all means, see a doctor to find out if they can offer anything that will help you even further. But in the meantime, try taking positive actions and get moving, and I believe you will begin to feel better.

I have since taken action in my job, in my life, in my relationships and in my passion projects. And then once I took action toward being thankful each day, my life really took off like a rocket. It’s wonderful to be no longer stuck and I don’t miss out on life anymore. I encourage you to try taking even a small step today, and then another one tomorrow — to break out of your own unhealthy patterns. I think you’ll be glad you did. I would love to hear how taking action has worked for you. Thanks for sharing your ideas and observations below!

Elena Anguita is a change agent, speaker, and author of Spread Thanks! Create Miracles Through The Power of Ink who supports education and passionately believes in the transformative power of gratitude. You can connect with Elena on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and SpreadThanks.com.

Image courtesy of Juan Camilo Navia.