Restoration isn’t just for cars

Do you know how much easier it is to find good articles on restoring an old car than it is to find ones on restoring your body? I can just hear many people saying, are you kidding? There are thousands of solicitations for losing weight quickly and trying some new-fangled exercise. The profit motive for these is evident and they do abound. In my experience most of these are focused on trying to capitalize on some short term result (i.e. lose 15 pounds in just three weeks, fit into that reunion dress, etc.) They don’t seem to be interested in selling a transformed body and life.

In the same regard, I find most of the articles on Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance are focused on the idea of treatment and not restoration. I wonder if the motives are the same here? The profit motive may not be as evident, but consider the cost of years of increased doses of medicine to control all the complications that come with metabolic syndrome; they surely do add up. It is probably much greater than the 3 small payments of $29.95 offered on that infomercial you thought of.

So let’s for a minute assume that bodies can be restored instead of just treated. What would that look like? Could we use a similar framework as is done for cars? What would you need in that case. Reading a howstuffworks.com article on Car Restoration Basics might give some insight.

1. Choosing want you want to restore. – Easy enough, YOU
2. Move past just the exterior and consider everything needed for a full restore. – Don’t just consider what you can see in the mirror, go deeper considering mind, body & spirit.
3. Make sure you have the right tools for the job. – It takes more than intentions and willpower to complete the task. Click on the Tool Tuesday category for some items to consider.
4. Getting rid of the rust. – For us that means removing impediments to a restored life. That might be foods, social situations, unhealthy enablers, etc.
5. Addressing the Exterior – Just starting with intention on your hygiene and fitness can do a lot to motivate inward change.
6. Restoring the Powertrain – To me, this is the renewing of our mind. Our thoughts, attitude, the words we say to ourself (internally and audibly).
7. Fueling up – Older cars may take a different mix of gas, oils and additives than a new car can run on. Our diet needs to be focused on how our body runs now, not when it was “fresh off the lot.”

We’ve all seen a shined up restored version of an old car rolling down the road. Go out on any given Sunday and you’re likely to see one. We should use this as motivation that we too can restore our bodies. If it can be done for that old pile of metal, IT CAN BE DONE IN YOU! Don’t settle for short term gimmicks or a life of treatments.

Please like, share and comment below. I’d love to hear your perspective on living a restored life rather than a “treated” one. Have a good one!