All of us at one time or another have been advised to plan and take steps for our financial future. This could involve putting extra money into our super account, making regular payments into a savings account, looking at investment in property, stocks and shares or a combination of any of these. I’m sure everyone wants to be in a comfortable financial position in their future whether that is before they retire or when they retire. Yet, how many of us are advised to plan and take steps for our future health? That our decisions of today will affect our future health. What is health anyway? For me, health does not only involve the state and ability of my body, but it also includes my mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of myself, all of which are affected by not only my financial situation but also the relationships that I am involved in and the work that I do.

The recommendations for future financial health, usually involve making regular contributions to whatever financial plan/s you are working towards. Future health requires the same principals, making regular health deposits, be they daily, weekly or monthly activities that promote your health and take you closer to your health goals. The path to financial health is a journey and is tweaked along the way as your circumstances change. The journey towards health is also the same. As your circumstances change then the health deposits will also change to reflect this.

So what do I mean when I say health deposits? These are the activities that nourish you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I will give you some of my examples:

Physically I look at eating as cleanly as I can, as the food that I eat not only fuels my body but also is used to build my body. I also try to tune into what my body is trying to tell me, particularly in the way of cravings. Cravings can be a message that something in your life is out of balance. For me when I crave sweets, it is usually because I have not been nourishing myself well, my life is not feeling sweet. In this instant, I can either choose to have sweets (chocolate), or I can choose to nourish myself in another way. Neither is right or wrong; it is how I choose to take the next step.

The way I move my body is also important. I love dancing and running and depending on what is happening for me will depend on how I move this body. The bush is also very important to me and nourishes me on a mental and emotional level so will often do my run in the bush, this way nourishing more than just my physical body. How do you move your body daily?

The people that we choose to hang around also have a tremendous impact on our health. These relationships can either support us and our health both now and in our future or take away from our health. I have only come to realise this not so long ago and can see how the people that I now have around me and my close circle of friends have been instrumental in my ability to navigate curve balls that have come my way. So one of my health deposits is to take time out and continue to connect with the important friends and family in my life who nourish me.

For me, spirituality is about connecting to something that is bigger than me, God, Universe, Mother Earth, whatever that looks like for you. How do I do this? Being in the bush, taking time out to meditate, playing in the kitchen and creating raw treats… For me, it is also about seeing the blessings that I receive each day, like a friend paying for our cup of tea, the cuddle with my daughters cat, a thank you note from a client. It is noticing the beauty even during the times when life is challenging.

Our health is not a statistic, it is ever evolving and how our health in our future is due to how we treat ourselves today. So I invite you to decide what you would like your future health to be and then start making health deposits daily. They do not have to be huge; just small deposits regularly will bring you closer to your future health.

Vicki Cook is a qualified health coach, raw food specialist and Kinesiologist, and founder of Inspired Change. She loves spending time in the kitchen creating raw treats that taste sensational. But her passion runs deeper than that. She is the go-to person for conscious modern women who are ready to slow down, connect with themselves and their bodies in a more deeply natural and powerful way. Vicki presents her raw food workshops with mindfulness practices and uses her coaching skills to help clients map out their own raw food journey for vibrant health and wellbeing. www.inspiredchange.com.au