Stop Fighting Fires With Your Health — Do This Instead

Most people wait until something goes wrong before they take their health seriously. That’s exactly what Christine, 55, was doing, until she realised it was costing her strength, energy & confidence.

Christine is a senior exec, and one of those people whose diary needs its own personal assistant. She’s been successful in business because she’s always ready to jump in and fix problems fast.

The trouble is, she was taking that same “firefighting” approach with her health.

If she pulled a muscle, she’d rest.If she caught a cold, she’d stop training for a bit.If she felt run down, she’d promise to “get back on track” next week.

That’s reactive thinking. It keeps you busy, but it doesn’t build anything long-term.

The turning point

When Christine came to me, she was frustrated. Her energy was unpredictable, workouts felt harder, and recovery took longer. She knew she wanted to stay strong, lean, and capable as she moved through her 50s, but the way she was going about it wasn’t working.

Here’s the hard truth I gave her:

If you want to age well, you can’t wait for your body to shout before you start listening.You need to think ahead. You need to get proactive.

Proactive vs. Reactive

Reactive thinking is about patching up problems.

Proactive thinking is about preventing them in the first place.

Christine started shifting her approach:

• She took full responsibility for her health choices. No more blaming work, age, or travel.

• She began to plan ahead. Workouts were booked like important meetings. Recovery was built in.

• She focused on what she could control — her food choices, her daily movement, her sleep — even when the day didn’t go to plan.

How we built her resilience

We worked on four habits:

1. Be solution-focused

   
   

   Knees sore after travel? We added mobility drills, resistance work, and movement breaks instead of cutting back.

2. Treat health like a priority, not a side project

   
   

   Her gym time became as important as any client call. No “if I have time” — it was locked in.

3. Plan for the challenges you can see coming

   
   

   Hotel with a gym. Snacks ready in her bag. Resistance bands for travel.

4. Control the controllables

   
   

   Flight delayed? She still drinks her water, stretches, and makes smart food choices.

Why this works

You can’t build health resilience in the middle of a crisis.

It’s built in the weeks, months, and years beforehand, so that when life throws you a curveball, your body and mind can handle it.

Christine now has more energy, less stress, and a deep confidence in her ability to stay fit and strong into her 60s and beyond.

And here’s the part I love, she’s not just “managing her health” anymore. She’s building it.

So, take a page from Christine’s playbook:

Don’t wait for the next injury, illness, or low-energy slump to make a change. Start now. Think ahead. 

Build your resilience while you can.

Chris Deavin

Certified Behavioural & Accountability Health Coach