Michael Phelps, arguably the greatest swimmer of all time with 22
Olympic gold medals and 39 world records, provided us implicit advice about
maintaining an activity-oriented approach to a healthful lifestyle. In an interview
with Bob Costas on August 3, 2016, Phelps acknowledged how his physical and
emotional health declined after taking “a break” from swimming. He said
that he “…literally [did] nothing, for a long time. I gained 25 pounds” and his
mental health deteriorated so markedly that he had contemplated suicide.
This man who had been diagnosed with attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at age nine managed to create a phenomenally
successful life centered upon swimming. Swimming had become so essential
to his physical and mental health that life without swimming seemed
meaningless.
As few could, Phelps epitomizes my personal definition of a
healthful lifestyle activity. That is, he has fashioned an activity that
is rational, organized, comprehensive, and long-lived. And he has
executed the activity to benefit him both physically and mentally.
There is only one Michael Phelps. But I am not the only one
to recognize the critical value of activity. Activity theory and activity
therapy are well recognized and accepted. Activity theory posits that
actions determine what we think more than the converse (Leont'ev, 1978). Consistent with that belief, behavioral
activation therapy helps patients perform activities that reverse unhealthful
habits, drug abuse, and depression, among other problems (Pagoto, 2008). The
basic notion is to structure your lifestyle and life space to nudge you toward
doing that which will make you more healthy.
Being effective with activities, however, is more
than just performing actions. You must be very clever in what you do.
I swim, but I do not consider my swimming to be a healthful activity in
the full sense of my use of the word because I do not do not swim in a manner
that is fully rational, organized, comprehensive, and long-lived.
Swimming for me is more pure pleasure and relaxation. I don't mean
that there is anything wrong with using swimming the way I do. But, for
me, my real "working out" consists of the on-land cardio and
weight-lifting that I do in a manner that is fully
rational, organized, comprehensive, and long-lived. I simply have chosen to use
swimming casually.
So think about what you are doing to be healthy.
Consider how fully rational, organized, comprehensive, and long-lived it
is. If you are serious about making significant, enduring health habit
changes, you probably can profit from at least tweaking your routine to be
consistent with a complete healthful activity. If you need help to make
that happen, you can refer to my Don't
Rest in Peace book. You don't have to be an Olympian to make heroic
improvements in your life.
References
Costas, B. (2016). NBC
Interview with Michael Phelps who discussed leaving and returning to swimming after
having retired in 2012.
Leont'ev, A. N. (1978). Activity, consciousness, and personality.
(M. J. Hall, Translator) Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Pagoto, S., Bodenlos, J., Schneider, K., Olendzki, B., Spates, R.,
& Ma, Y. (2008). Initial
investigation of behavioral activation therapy for co-morbid major depressive
disorder and obesity. Psychotherapy:
Theory, Research, Practice, Training, Vol 45(3), Sep 2008, 410-415.
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0013313.
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