What is the hardest part about living healthy? Why don’t we all do it? There are many challenges to living healthy. Over the years, I have heard countless reasons (and excuses) for setbacks. The reasons and excuses tend to pile up, especially during this time of year. So, what are some reasons? Time, work, kids and the weather seem to be at the top of the list for most people. But why are these things a challenge? Why do people struggle to overcome these obstacles?
People find that time, work, kids and the weather are a challenge because they don’t use them to their advantage. It is that simple. If someone says they don’t have time for exercise, they simply don’t want to make time for exercise. They will argue that they really don’t have time because they have this or that to do as they run down the list of daily tasks.
The problem I have with that argument is that it is subjective. Not enough to one person could be too much to another. The terms that we use so frequently to describe our routines (or lack of) don’t mean much to the person next to us. In fact, that is part of the problem. I can’t truly understand what you mean by too much or not enough when I have a completely different sense of the words.
What does not enough time mean? Bob has 24 hours in a day. How many hours do you have in your day? Bob have meetings, emails, phone calls, presentations, coaching sessions, errands, deadlines, etc. You name it, Bob has to deal with it. So, why can Bob get his exercise in and Steve can’t? Does Steve have less to do than Bob does? No, but Steve has not taken charge of his schedule in order to use it to his advantage.
The question now is why? Why doesn’t Steve take advantage of his schedule? Why doesn’t Steve get as much exercise as Bob even though they have the same amount of time as Bob? The possible answers:
1. He doesn’t want to
2. He doesn’t know how
3. He doesn’t think he can
I am using exercise in this example because it is something that most of us should be spending more time doing. Not only should be we spending more time on exercise. We should be making more time for ourselves so we can exercise. We all know what the benefits are. We all know how much better we feel when we do it. We even know the consequences of not doing it. In fact, the results we want are the exact opposite of what we are getting now.
So how do we change this? Well, as I just said, we all know how to change it. Do it. If you do it, you will get the result you are looking for. Most people that are not getting their desired results are in this situation because they don’t want to change, don’t know how to change or don’t think they can change.
As your coach, I help find out which of these categories you fall into. If you don’t want to change, why don’t you and what can we do to change your mind. I can’t make you change, so clearly you have to make the decision for yourself. If you want to change, but don’t know how, I can help you figure out the best way for you to change and make it happen. If you don’t think you can change, I can help you find the motivation to overcome that thought and move forward despite not being confident about it now.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Wellness/Success Equation
The difference between success and failure is execution. Potential for success is wasted if the action steps are not taken to reach the goals that will bring success. This sounds like something used in the business or sports world, but it can be used anywhere in life. All three of these words have specific meanings in multiple settings. I have broken down the scenario in business, sports, relationships, and of course in health.
Potential in…
Business = the knowledge and job skills to someday make a significant impact on company or industry
Sports = the talent to compete at the highest level and win in the future
Relationships = a common ground that could lead to future enjoyment between two people
Health = the awareness that you can live healthy through your habits
Success in…
Business = making that impact on the company and/or industry
Sports = competing at the highest level and winning
Relationships = enjoying and benefiting from a fulfilling connection
Health = living healthy
This seems simple enough, right? We all understand what success is. We have touched in this before and explained that success is as simple as reaching your goals. So why is success so difficult? Is it that our goals are too lofty? Well sometimes, but there is something much more simple that is missing from this equation. This missing ingredient is so simple that, on paper it looks like a no-brainer. What is it? The missing ingredient is execution.
Execution in…
Business = training and working
Sports = practicing and playing
Relationships = spending time with the other person
Health = living healthy
Execution, put as basically as possible, is doing it. The difference between success and failure is doing it or not doing it. We all have the potential to “be” healthy. Just like in these other areas where success comes from specific actions, if you do healthy things you will be healthy.
Potential in…
Business = the knowledge and job skills to someday make a significant impact on company or industry
Sports = the talent to compete at the highest level and win in the future
Relationships = a common ground that could lead to future enjoyment between two people
Health = the awareness that you can live healthy through your habits
Success in…
Business = making that impact on the company and/or industry
Sports = competing at the highest level and winning
Relationships = enjoying and benefiting from a fulfilling connection
Health = living healthy
This seems simple enough, right? We all understand what success is. We have touched in this before and explained that success is as simple as reaching your goals. So why is success so difficult? Is it that our goals are too lofty? Well sometimes, but there is something much more simple that is missing from this equation. This missing ingredient is so simple that, on paper it looks like a no-brainer. What is it? The missing ingredient is execution.
Execution in…
Business = training and working
Sports = practicing and playing
Relationships = spending time with the other person
Health = living healthy
Execution, put as basically as possible, is doing it. The difference between success and failure is doing it or not doing it. We all have the potential to “be” healthy. Just like in these other areas where success comes from specific actions, if you do healthy things you will be healthy.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Having a Healthy Day
If you’ve gotten email or left a message for us, then you’ve heard the phrase, “Have a healthy day”. We are not the only ones to use this. I have heard fitness and other health centers use this to close their outgoing messages. While having a healthy day is not unique to Byrd Wellness Concepts, it is a high priority.
The reason that having a healthy day is a priority is self-explanatory, but I still wanted to revisit it. As a health coach, I am working daily to help people have healthy days. You’ve heard me say that health is something you do as opposed to something you are. Not only is it something you do. Hopefully it is something that you choose to do. It’s not enough to want the results; you have to take the actions in order to have a healthy day.
I like to use the phrase as a reminder to all that we are able to choose what kind of day we are going to have. I myself need a reminder at times, just like my clients. We are all human and have certain obstacles that make it more difficult to live healthy. By focusing on the day to day routine, we can get over those obstacles and keep progressing.
That is why the daily reminder of having a healthy day, each day keeps us focused on the choices we have. Despite the challenges and the fact that some days are more difficult than others, we can do something today that will help the cause.
So...Have a Healthy Day!
The reason that having a healthy day is a priority is self-explanatory, but I still wanted to revisit it. As a health coach, I am working daily to help people have healthy days. You’ve heard me say that health is something you do as opposed to something you are. Not only is it something you do. Hopefully it is something that you choose to do. It’s not enough to want the results; you have to take the actions in order to have a healthy day.
I like to use the phrase as a reminder to all that we are able to choose what kind of day we are going to have. I myself need a reminder at times, just like my clients. We are all human and have certain obstacles that make it more difficult to live healthy. By focusing on the day to day routine, we can get over those obstacles and keep progressing.
That is why the daily reminder of having a healthy day, each day keeps us focused on the choices we have. Despite the challenges and the fact that some days are more difficult than others, we can do something today that will help the cause.
So...Have a Healthy Day!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Habits
I have touched on habits before. During many articles, both the term and process have been key points. Habits are a significant part of our lives. We do things in a certain manner because we have developed the habit to do it that way. Whether we were taught to do it this way or simply found this to be the easiest way, the habit has been developed.
You’ve heard the term “old habits die hard” before. This is very true. Because the saying rings true, habits are very important in life. No matter what we do, habits determine whether we succeed or fail. If we develop good habits, we get good results. If we develop bad habits, well, you know what we get.
So what is the difference between good and bad habits? Results are the only difference. Good habits yield good results, while bad habits yield less than desirable results. No matter what you are trying to do, there will be actions that lead to better results than others. So, the key to success in any endeavor is to practice habits that yield the results we are looking for.
If we are talking about basketball (or any sport for that matter), we are going to want to practice the parts of the game that will lead to game success. With academics, we are going to focus on learning and being able to convey our knowledge of the material on exams. Since I am a health coach, I speak about habits as they relate to our health.
Our health is nothing more than the product of our actions. Our actions turn into habits. So the longer we do certain actions, the more routine they become. In other words, we form habits. It is crucial to understand that there is no difference between good and bad habits. We have classified them that way simply because of the relationship to our desired results. The only reason any habit is more difficult form (or break) is due to the length of time associated with it.
So the moral of the story is: habits that have been formed over a long period of time are difficult to break and easy to continue. Good or bad, the longer and more consistently you do something, the more likely you are to keep doing them. There is no magic trick that gives you instant habits or can give you different results from the same actions. There is only habit. The habits that you form are going to give you certain results. The key is to form the habits that are going to give you the results you want.
Once you have gotten started, the key becomes staying with it. If you realize that habits take time, you will be able to keep going without feeling that you are failing. By focusing on the habits and enjoying the results, success will be yours. It is when we stress about the results and go back to (or stay with) old habits that we have trouble getting those new results.
Good Habits + Time to solidify = Good Results
Bad Habits = Bad Results
Good Habits without enough time to solidify = Bad Results
You’ve heard the term “old habits die hard” before. This is very true. Because the saying rings true, habits are very important in life. No matter what we do, habits determine whether we succeed or fail. If we develop good habits, we get good results. If we develop bad habits, well, you know what we get.
So what is the difference between good and bad habits? Results are the only difference. Good habits yield good results, while bad habits yield less than desirable results. No matter what you are trying to do, there will be actions that lead to better results than others. So, the key to success in any endeavor is to practice habits that yield the results we are looking for.
If we are talking about basketball (or any sport for that matter), we are going to want to practice the parts of the game that will lead to game success. With academics, we are going to focus on learning and being able to convey our knowledge of the material on exams. Since I am a health coach, I speak about habits as they relate to our health.
Our health is nothing more than the product of our actions. Our actions turn into habits. So the longer we do certain actions, the more routine they become. In other words, we form habits. It is crucial to understand that there is no difference between good and bad habits. We have classified them that way simply because of the relationship to our desired results. The only reason any habit is more difficult form (or break) is due to the length of time associated with it.
So the moral of the story is: habits that have been formed over a long period of time are difficult to break and easy to continue. Good or bad, the longer and more consistently you do something, the more likely you are to keep doing them. There is no magic trick that gives you instant habits or can give you different results from the same actions. There is only habit. The habits that you form are going to give you certain results. The key is to form the habits that are going to give you the results you want.
Once you have gotten started, the key becomes staying with it. If you realize that habits take time, you will be able to keep going without feeling that you are failing. By focusing on the habits and enjoying the results, success will be yours. It is when we stress about the results and go back to (or stay with) old habits that we have trouble getting those new results.
Good Habits + Time to solidify = Good Results
Bad Habits = Bad Results
Good Habits without enough time to solidify = Bad Results
Monday, November 24, 2008
Health Care Solutions
Health Care Solution: Personal Responsibility
The future of our health care is uncertain at best. We all agree that there is a problem. Actually, we agree that there are many problems with the current system. The rising costs and inconsistent coverage are just two of the concerns, but enough in to have many alarmed. So what is the biggest problem?
We are. That’s right; we are the biggest problem in the health care system. We each have choices as to how we live. We choose whether our habits are healthy or unhealthy. We choose to do everything that we do, until it is time for care. Then we leave it up to the system. The system is now responsible for fixing or managing your condition. Was the system responsible for your habits? Did the system make choices for you all of these years? No it didn’t.
Health Care Solution: Personal Responsibility
Now, as I stated in the last article, I think the system should help you live a healthy lifestyle. We should emphasize the importance of wellness and facilitate the habits that will lead to positive changes in our health as a whole. Just because that is not the way health care works now, doesn’t mean that we can’t make those choices now.
It is up to us, not the system, to manage our health on a day to day basis. If we manage our health, we are able to prevent many conditions. We are able to avoid the pain and suffering, costs and complications of reactive medical care. If we don’t manage our health, what do we end up with? We end up with all of the problems we have now. We end up with multiple epidemics that are costing us all billions of dollars.
The worst part about this scenario (worse than the reality and severity) is that we chose it. We chose to ignore our health and leave it in the hands of the system. We chose the unhealthy habits that have lead to all of these epidemics and we have relied on the system to react.
Now that we see the results of a system caring for people that aren’t caring for themselves, we are alarmed. We feel that we are paying too much and that we need better care. When in reality, we already have access to better and cheaper care. It’s called personal responsibility. By taking ownership of our health, we are improving the system. By being responsible and managing our own health we are taking much of the burden off of that system.
The future of our health care is uncertain at best. We all agree that there is a problem. Actually, we agree that there are many problems with the current system. The rising costs and inconsistent coverage are just two of the concerns, but enough in to have many alarmed. So what is the biggest problem?
We are. That’s right; we are the biggest problem in the health care system. We each have choices as to how we live. We choose whether our habits are healthy or unhealthy. We choose to do everything that we do, until it is time for care. Then we leave it up to the system. The system is now responsible for fixing or managing your condition. Was the system responsible for your habits? Did the system make choices for you all of these years? No it didn’t.
Health Care Solution: Personal Responsibility
Now, as I stated in the last article, I think the system should help you live a healthy lifestyle. We should emphasize the importance of wellness and facilitate the habits that will lead to positive changes in our health as a whole. Just because that is not the way health care works now, doesn’t mean that we can’t make those choices now.
It is up to us, not the system, to manage our health on a day to day basis. If we manage our health, we are able to prevent many conditions. We are able to avoid the pain and suffering, costs and complications of reactive medical care. If we don’t manage our health, what do we end up with? We end up with all of the problems we have now. We end up with multiple epidemics that are costing us all billions of dollars.
The worst part about this scenario (worse than the reality and severity) is that we chose it. We chose to ignore our health and leave it in the hands of the system. We chose the unhealthy habits that have lead to all of these epidemics and we have relied on the system to react.
Now that we see the results of a system caring for people that aren’t caring for themselves, we are alarmed. We feel that we are paying too much and that we need better care. When in reality, we already have access to better and cheaper care. It’s called personal responsibility. By taking ownership of our health, we are improving the system. By being responsible and managing our own health we are taking much of the burden off of that system.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Health Care Solutions
Health Care Solution: Wellness
There are many arguments about what we need to do in order to fix the health care system. So what is the best solution? You will hear the arguments for government-run universal health care. You will also hear arguments for a free-market system. No matter what side of the spectrum you feel is the right direction to go, we can all agree that we need to go somewhere, because where we are today is not where we need to be.
I am not an expert on the health care system. I understand the basic concepts and see the intent of our current system, but I do not claim to know everything (or more than the next person for that matter) about the health care system. But that is the biggest reason for my concern. Why don’t I, as a professional in the health and wellness industry, have a larger role within the structure of our health care system?
Health Care Solution: Wellness
If wellness becomes a more significant part of our system, people will be healthier. If health care is to actually be considered health care, than we need to prevent some of the issues that are causing so many problems. The current system simply deals with our illnesses and injuries. It provides a fix for the symptoms of those illnesses and injuries. What it needs to provide more of is prevention.
Health is not something that is attained by getting care for an emergency. Granted, if you break your leg, the system is there to help you. If you need a surgery or medication, again, the system is there for you. But, what happens if we prevent the condition that required the surgery or the medication? What happens if we promote healthy behavior and help people live healthy lifestyles? If we promote health, we will no longer need to spend so much on costly care.
Wellness is the only way for us to actually care for our health, which is what health care should be. The current system, while the intent is good, is only caring for the sick. When you get sick, you use the health care system. What we need to do, in order to fix the system, is to start caring for our health. By caring for people and helping them live healthy lifestyles, we are preventing many devastating and costly conditions.
Stay tuned for more health care solutions.
Do you have a solution or a comment? Please let us know.
There are many arguments about what we need to do in order to fix the health care system. So what is the best solution? You will hear the arguments for government-run universal health care. You will also hear arguments for a free-market system. No matter what side of the spectrum you feel is the right direction to go, we can all agree that we need to go somewhere, because where we are today is not where we need to be.
I am not an expert on the health care system. I understand the basic concepts and see the intent of our current system, but I do not claim to know everything (or more than the next person for that matter) about the health care system. But that is the biggest reason for my concern. Why don’t I, as a professional in the health and wellness industry, have a larger role within the structure of our health care system?
Health Care Solution: Wellness
If wellness becomes a more significant part of our system, people will be healthier. If health care is to actually be considered health care, than we need to prevent some of the issues that are causing so many problems. The current system simply deals with our illnesses and injuries. It provides a fix for the symptoms of those illnesses and injuries. What it needs to provide more of is prevention.
Health is not something that is attained by getting care for an emergency. Granted, if you break your leg, the system is there to help you. If you need a surgery or medication, again, the system is there for you. But, what happens if we prevent the condition that required the surgery or the medication? What happens if we promote healthy behavior and help people live healthy lifestyles? If we promote health, we will no longer need to spend so much on costly care.
Wellness is the only way for us to actually care for our health, which is what health care should be. The current system, while the intent is good, is only caring for the sick. When you get sick, you use the health care system. What we need to do, in order to fix the system, is to start caring for our health. By caring for people and helping them live healthy lifestyles, we are preventing many devastating and costly conditions.
Stay tuned for more health care solutions.
Do you have a solution or a comment? Please let us know.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Freedom of Choice
On Tuesday November 4th Americans everywhere exercised their right to vote. In what some call the epitome of freedom, millions cast their ballots to choose leadership at many levels. In our democracy, we often emphasize how important it is for us to choose. Freedom of choice is a right that countless soldiers have fought for and it is what we base our national ideals on.
On my way to the polls, I thought about the election process and really felt like a good American. I knew that my choice was contributing to the process that makes our country great. I was going to make a difference in the results that were reported that night. As I stood in line, I continued this thought and I came to the conclusion, that while this is a monumental decision, it is only one decision. I wondered how many people that chose to make it to the polls to cast their ballots were able to choose to do something healthy for themselves today.
The conclusion I reached on election day was that, while I made an important choice, it wasn’t the only choice I made. I am an American every day and I make choices every day. When I make those choices, I truly make them. I am free to choose in all areas of my life. As an American, that is a right I share with all of you. We are all free to choose healthy habits every day. For that reason, ‘exercising your rights’ has a significant meaning to me every day, not just on election day.
On my way to the polls, I thought about the election process and really felt like a good American. I knew that my choice was contributing to the process that makes our country great. I was going to make a difference in the results that were reported that night. As I stood in line, I continued this thought and I came to the conclusion, that while this is a monumental decision, it is only one decision. I wondered how many people that chose to make it to the polls to cast their ballots were able to choose to do something healthy for themselves today.
The conclusion I reached on election day was that, while I made an important choice, it wasn’t the only choice I made. I am an American every day and I make choices every day. When I make those choices, I truly make them. I am free to choose in all areas of my life. As an American, that is a right I share with all of you. We are all free to choose healthy habits every day. For that reason, ‘exercising your rights’ has a significant meaning to me every day, not just on election day.
Focus: Urgent vs. Important
Focus is the key to reaching any goal. Whether we are talking about a simple project or a complex business objective, you need to focus on the task at hand in order to accomplish it. The same holds true for your health. You need to focus on your health in order to improve it. In other words, we can’t simply expect things to change if we don’t focus on changing them. I have noticed that this has been a major barrier for many people.
Why do we have so much trouble focusing on our health? We struggle to find focus around things that don’t take precedence. Is our health important to us? Yes, in general, our health is very important to us. Even those of us that have neglected our health for years, still would consider it to be important. The problem is, in our lives, important doesn’t get done until after the urgent. Urgent issues take precedence over important issues in our day to day lives. Now I’m not trying to tell you what is or isn’t important in your life. I’m simply illustrating the difference between these two categories and how it makes life (at least a healthy life) more difficult.
Imagine sitting in a busy office trying to work. For many of us, this isn’t too hard to picture. The task at hand is a very important report for your boss. You’ve been working on it successfully for a few hours until the phone rings. Even if you don’t answer the phone, it is a distraction and you have to gather your thoughts again. As soon as you are back on track, a coworker pops over and asks a question. By the time they leave, you’ve lost a few minutes of work time. Not a catastrophic event, but when another coworker stops by and asks you to do something else, you’ve now realized that the report is not coming along as you want it to. As soon as you get back to your report, you see an email pop into your inbox that explains an urgent situation that needs your immediate attention. Naturally, this concerns you and you read it. By the time you read the email and decide how to respond, you’ve lost another few minutes and this important report has been pushed off yet again.
Think of your health as this report. It is important to you, but there are urgent things that keep coming up to pull you away from it. The ringing phone, the coworker and the email are all metaphors for the other things that keep us from the tasks that we know will help us live healthy lives. In many cases, they are not metaphors at all. These urgent matters or distractions are all too literal.
So what do we do? Many of us struggle with this question. The answer is honestly to start looking at the importance of what we are doing. Whether you are working on that report or trying to include more healthy habits in your day, you have to establish the importance. Once you do that, so called urgent or distracting influences simply don’t interrupt your focus. But this can only happen when YOU establish the importance of what you are doing.
At work, it may mean closing your office door or forwarding your calls to voicemail. You may even want to turn off the pop-up function on your office email so you don’t see every email until it is time to deal with them. By setting time aside and honoring that time, you can accomplish much more. The same goes for healthy habits. Make an appointment on your calendar to go for your walk. If someone is standing at your desk, simply tell them, I’ve got an appointment in five minutes, so I will have to step away.
By making appointments with yourself, you bring the accountability that comes with importance. Important things go on the calendar. You set reminders so you don’t forget important things. Urgent things just sort of happen. If you are free, guess what, now you are dealing with this other task. If you are already engaged, now you can prioritize and decide which is more important.
Clearly, there many ways in which these scenarios can play out. I know that not all situations are flexible and there are times when we have to do what has to be done. What I am saying is that if we decide what is important and focus on it, we can accomplish it. If there are distractions and other things coming in the way, what do we need to do in order to eliminate them? If we don’t focus, we can’t progress with the goals that we want to progress with. In other words, the important things in our lives don’t get done.
This is what I help clients do. I don’t tell you what to do. I don’t try to make my priorities your priorities. But I do help you put your priorities in order. Not only do we work to decide what your priorities are, but we will start to focus on those important priorities. And that is the key. As soon as you are focusing on what is important to you, you are successful. Not only are you successfully reaching goals, you are also bringing fulfillment into your life as you accomplish what is truly important to you.
Why do we have so much trouble focusing on our health? We struggle to find focus around things that don’t take precedence. Is our health important to us? Yes, in general, our health is very important to us. Even those of us that have neglected our health for years, still would consider it to be important. The problem is, in our lives, important doesn’t get done until after the urgent. Urgent issues take precedence over important issues in our day to day lives. Now I’m not trying to tell you what is or isn’t important in your life. I’m simply illustrating the difference between these two categories and how it makes life (at least a healthy life) more difficult.
Imagine sitting in a busy office trying to work. For many of us, this isn’t too hard to picture. The task at hand is a very important report for your boss. You’ve been working on it successfully for a few hours until the phone rings. Even if you don’t answer the phone, it is a distraction and you have to gather your thoughts again. As soon as you are back on track, a coworker pops over and asks a question. By the time they leave, you’ve lost a few minutes of work time. Not a catastrophic event, but when another coworker stops by and asks you to do something else, you’ve now realized that the report is not coming along as you want it to. As soon as you get back to your report, you see an email pop into your inbox that explains an urgent situation that needs your immediate attention. Naturally, this concerns you and you read it. By the time you read the email and decide how to respond, you’ve lost another few minutes and this important report has been pushed off yet again.
Think of your health as this report. It is important to you, but there are urgent things that keep coming up to pull you away from it. The ringing phone, the coworker and the email are all metaphors for the other things that keep us from the tasks that we know will help us live healthy lives. In many cases, they are not metaphors at all. These urgent matters or distractions are all too literal.
So what do we do? Many of us struggle with this question. The answer is honestly to start looking at the importance of what we are doing. Whether you are working on that report or trying to include more healthy habits in your day, you have to establish the importance. Once you do that, so called urgent or distracting influences simply don’t interrupt your focus. But this can only happen when YOU establish the importance of what you are doing.
At work, it may mean closing your office door or forwarding your calls to voicemail. You may even want to turn off the pop-up function on your office email so you don’t see every email until it is time to deal with them. By setting time aside and honoring that time, you can accomplish much more. The same goes for healthy habits. Make an appointment on your calendar to go for your walk. If someone is standing at your desk, simply tell them, I’ve got an appointment in five minutes, so I will have to step away.
By making appointments with yourself, you bring the accountability that comes with importance. Important things go on the calendar. You set reminders so you don’t forget important things. Urgent things just sort of happen. If you are free, guess what, now you are dealing with this other task. If you are already engaged, now you can prioritize and decide which is more important.
Clearly, there many ways in which these scenarios can play out. I know that not all situations are flexible and there are times when we have to do what has to be done. What I am saying is that if we decide what is important and focus on it, we can accomplish it. If there are distractions and other things coming in the way, what do we need to do in order to eliminate them? If we don’t focus, we can’t progress with the goals that we want to progress with. In other words, the important things in our lives don’t get done.
This is what I help clients do. I don’t tell you what to do. I don’t try to make my priorities your priorities. But I do help you put your priorities in order. Not only do we work to decide what your priorities are, but we will start to focus on those important priorities. And that is the key. As soon as you are focusing on what is important to you, you are successful. Not only are you successfully reaching goals, you are also bringing fulfillment into your life as you accomplish what is truly important to you.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Good to see…let’s see more
Recently, I’ve started to look around the web for more wellness blogs. I was pleasantly surprised to find people willing to blog about their success stories. It has been great to read about lifestyle changes in diet and exercise. Now, I know that there are millions of people working hard every day to make changes in their lives. I know that many of us are starting and maintaining healthy lifestyles.
What I forgot, is how inspiring it is to hear others’ stories.
That inspiration is the reason I have been this industry for all these years. The Progress that my clients make is what inspires me to continue. I want to see and hear about more! You can do the following to help spread the inspiration:
- Tell me about how well your routine is going.
- Share your weight loss stats: starting and current weight.
- Show those thinking about getting started, that it will be worth it!
What I forgot, is how inspiring it is to hear others’ stories.
That inspiration is the reason I have been this industry for all these years. The Progress that my clients make is what inspires me to continue. I want to see and hear about more! You can do the following to help spread the inspiration:
- Tell me about how well your routine is going.
- Share your weight loss stats: starting and current weight.
- Show those thinking about getting started, that it will be worth it!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Cycles
Life is made up of a series of cycles. Wellness, as it is part of life, can also be a series of cycles. You’ve heard the term “vicious cycle”, as in “My weight continues to increase as the vicious cycle continues”. We will continue to use weight as an example as we have all been in the following situation:
I didn’t go exercise, so I felt tired today. I was tired, so I had less self-control and ate too much at lunch. Work was stressful, so I ate a candy bar to help me feel better. I actually felt more sluggish after the candy bar and started to regret eating it. Now that I am feeling down on myself because of my eating today, it is hard for me to focus on work. The work I am doing is taking me longer and I am making mistakes because I am struggling to focus. When the day is finally over, I didn’t get as much done as I wanted to, my mood is down and my self-esteem is lower than it was yesterday. When the alarm goes off in the morning, I think to myself: “I am too tired to get up and go like I want to”, and…the cycle continues.
This is the downward spiral. Action leads to feelings which lead to reaction, but everything is based on the negative. We are upset because we aren’t getting it done and now we aren’t getting done because we are upset. Unfortunately for most of us, the spiral has been downward for a long time. That does make it a challenge to reverse, but it is possible and it doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think.
That’s right, just as the cycle can take you on a downward spiral, it can take you on an upward spiral as well. Think about it. Just the concept of a cycle makes it easier to look at. We can picture the spiral moving in a gradual downward direction as our actions (or lack of action) lead to continually less desirable results. The key word here is gradual. You have been gradually moving downward. Just as the cycle can gradually move downward, it can also move gradually upward.
The key is to think about the fact that you got here through that gradual process. Whatever the issue, weight, stress or smoking, you have developed habits over time and the result followed over that same period of time. Barring very rare circumstances, things do not change overnight. Nothing changes (good or bad) in the blink of an eye. We only see change in the cycles. Either we are going down or coming up.
Now that we can look at the gradual movement of the cycle, we can decide which way we want our spiral to go. You can continue the actions that have brought things down, or you can change and bring things back up. It is entirely up to you.
Granted, you may need support to get started and some more along the way, but once the decision is made, it can be done. We help our coaching clients to realize that the cycle can not only be stopped, but it can be reversed. Often that is the biggest step in making changes: realizing that it can be done.
Ideas for follow up:
We would like to hear about your success stories in reversing your cycle. What did you do to turn the downward spiral around and get it moving upward?
Having trouble?
Get ideas and examples from others that have been there by posting a question under comments or emailing the ‘coach’ inbox.
You can learn how to change the direction of your cycle. You can work with your own health coach and see the positive results just as hundreds of others have already.
I didn’t go exercise, so I felt tired today. I was tired, so I had less self-control and ate too much at lunch. Work was stressful, so I ate a candy bar to help me feel better. I actually felt more sluggish after the candy bar and started to regret eating it. Now that I am feeling down on myself because of my eating today, it is hard for me to focus on work. The work I am doing is taking me longer and I am making mistakes because I am struggling to focus. When the day is finally over, I didn’t get as much done as I wanted to, my mood is down and my self-esteem is lower than it was yesterday. When the alarm goes off in the morning, I think to myself: “I am too tired to get up and go like I want to”, and…the cycle continues.
This is the downward spiral. Action leads to feelings which lead to reaction, but everything is based on the negative. We are upset because we aren’t getting it done and now we aren’t getting done because we are upset. Unfortunately for most of us, the spiral has been downward for a long time. That does make it a challenge to reverse, but it is possible and it doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think.
That’s right, just as the cycle can take you on a downward spiral, it can take you on an upward spiral as well. Think about it. Just the concept of a cycle makes it easier to look at. We can picture the spiral moving in a gradual downward direction as our actions (or lack of action) lead to continually less desirable results. The key word here is gradual. You have been gradually moving downward. Just as the cycle can gradually move downward, it can also move gradually upward.
The key is to think about the fact that you got here through that gradual process. Whatever the issue, weight, stress or smoking, you have developed habits over time and the result followed over that same period of time. Barring very rare circumstances, things do not change overnight. Nothing changes (good or bad) in the blink of an eye. We only see change in the cycles. Either we are going down or coming up.
Now that we can look at the gradual movement of the cycle, we can decide which way we want our spiral to go. You can continue the actions that have brought things down, or you can change and bring things back up. It is entirely up to you.
Granted, you may need support to get started and some more along the way, but once the decision is made, it can be done. We help our coaching clients to realize that the cycle can not only be stopped, but it can be reversed. Often that is the biggest step in making changes: realizing that it can be done.
Ideas for follow up:
We would like to hear about your success stories in reversing your cycle. What did you do to turn the downward spiral around and get it moving upward?
Having trouble?
Get ideas and examples from others that have been there by posting a question under comments or emailing the ‘coach’ inbox.
You can learn how to change the direction of your cycle. You can work with your own health coach and see the positive results just as hundreds of others have already.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Addiction vs. Habit
We have all heard the latest news: Smoking is bad for your health. This information has not been a secret. You don’t have to go around pointing it out. We already know. The strange part is that smokers know this too. That is why I hear phrases like, “I know I should quit” and “I want to be healthier, so I will quit”. Yet, many of these people are still smoking.
Here is another newsflash for you: cigarettes are addicting. Nicotine is an addictive substance that makes it very difficult to quit using it. Again, we all know this. For this reason we have products and programs to help people quit smoking.
So, if we all know it’s bad for us why do we keep doing it? We know it’s addictive, so why do we start in the first place? That is still a mystery to me. I have heard many stories and reasons for picking up cigarettes, but I am still curious. If you are a smoker, please send your comments to coach@byrdwellnessconcepts.com and enlighten us. We would like to hear your take on why you started and why you continue to smoke.
While there are many reasons to start smoking, there are even more reasons to stop. This is easier said than done, however. I mentioned the products and programs that are available to people ready to quit. These are very effective for many people. Others just don’t work. Why is this? It is because of habit.
There is a difference between habit and addiction. Addiction is the body physically depending on a substance to bring a desired effect. Habit is something that we have trained ourselves to do. Smoking becomes part of your life, not just because of the nicotine, but also because of the habits you have formed. On a typical day, you have made cigarettes a part of your life to the point where you do it without even thinking about it.
This is why it is so difficult to quit. Anyone can put them down for a few days and say they “quit”. But as soon as they start smoking again, they are smokers and are not considered to have “quit”. Studies show that the nicotine is no longer in your system after just a few days, therefore, the physical addiction only lasts that long.
It is not enough to simply quit smoking. You have to change your habits too. It may not be easy, but if you truly want to quit, you can. It takes discipline, but you can do it. If you truly want to quit, you will. With your health coach in our program you will not only quit, but we help you replace the habits of smoking. The only way to be a non-smoker is to develop non-smoking habits. It does’t come automatically, but your coach helps you set goals and supports you through the challenges. Step by step you will not only quit smoking. You will be a non-smoker.
Here is another newsflash for you: cigarettes are addicting. Nicotine is an addictive substance that makes it very difficult to quit using it. Again, we all know this. For this reason we have products and programs to help people quit smoking.
So, if we all know it’s bad for us why do we keep doing it? We know it’s addictive, so why do we start in the first place? That is still a mystery to me. I have heard many stories and reasons for picking up cigarettes, but I am still curious. If you are a smoker, please send your comments to coach@byrdwellnessconcepts.com and enlighten us. We would like to hear your take on why you started and why you continue to smoke.
While there are many reasons to start smoking, there are even more reasons to stop. This is easier said than done, however. I mentioned the products and programs that are available to people ready to quit. These are very effective for many people. Others just don’t work. Why is this? It is because of habit.
There is a difference between habit and addiction. Addiction is the body physically depending on a substance to bring a desired effect. Habit is something that we have trained ourselves to do. Smoking becomes part of your life, not just because of the nicotine, but also because of the habits you have formed. On a typical day, you have made cigarettes a part of your life to the point where you do it without even thinking about it.
This is why it is so difficult to quit. Anyone can put them down for a few days and say they “quit”. But as soon as they start smoking again, they are smokers and are not considered to have “quit”. Studies show that the nicotine is no longer in your system after just a few days, therefore, the physical addiction only lasts that long.
It is not enough to simply quit smoking. You have to change your habits too. It may not be easy, but if you truly want to quit, you can. It takes discipline, but you can do it. If you truly want to quit, you will. With your health coach in our program you will not only quit, but we help you replace the habits of smoking. The only way to be a non-smoker is to develop non-smoking habits. It does’t come automatically, but your coach helps you set goals and supports you through the challenges. Step by step you will not only quit smoking. You will be a non-smoker.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Commitment
Commitment is a word we hear in many contexts. The context that we will discuss today is you, as in commitment to yourself. We often commit to relationships- “I am committed to my husband or wife.” We also commit to dates on our calendars- “I would love to come, but I have a prior commitment.” We even commit to entertainment events- “I’ve got tickets to the show or game, so we have to leave by 5.”
These are all important to varying degrees in lives of most people. We have all made statements similar to those examples at one point or another. For this reason, I don’t doubt our ability to commit. I simply question the areas in which we commit to, or more importantly, the areas in which we do not commit to.
The biggest area we could all use some work on is committing to ourselves. I’ve heard it time and time again: “I can’t go because I have a meeting.” Or “I will be there, here is my RSVP.” Commitments are made all day every day. The problem I see is us committing to ourselves. I don’t often hear, “I will be late to the meeting because it starts during my workout time.” Or “I can’t help now, but will call you as soon as I return from my break.”
We have become so focused on the urgent, that the important is…well, no longer as important. So what happens to less urgent items? They get put on the later-list, or get completely forgotten. But some of these items ARE important. They were important when we set out to do them before and they are important even as we do not do them.
When it comes to living healthy, this is our biggest problem. It’s not that we don’t want to do healthy things or that we want to suffer illness and fatigue. We simply don’t commit to ourselves in order to do what is important. We are too busy focusing on the urgent. But the biggest problem with that pattern is that someone else is deciding what is urgent. Someone else is deciding what you need to do now regardless of the importance that it plays in your life. Some else is deciding that these issues must be taken care of before the things that you consider to be important.
While this is a reality for many of us, it does not have to be the only way. Granted we all have responsibilities that take on urgency and we must commit to. Whether it is work, family or friends, there are many obligations that we all have to commit to. There is nothing wrong with this, but it is also important to put ourselves on the list of commitments. If we don’t, things are very difficult.
You cannot improve health or change habits without committing to yourself. Only when you commit to you can you set and reach goals that will take you to your desired destination. I use the example of the trip:
In order to get to California, I have to do a few things. The very first thing is to pick a destination. San Francisco is where I want to go. Now I have to pick a date. When do I want to go? September 15th, I will go to San Francisco. Now that I know where and when I want to go, I can choose how to get there based on my current situation. Being that I am in Minnesota and only have a few days to spare, I choose to fly to San Francisco on October 15th. The final piece of the commitment is the booking of my flight. Once I have done that, there is no going back. I can look forward to my trip and begin planning my entire travel itinerary.
I would never schedule a meeting or RSVP to a gathering on October 15th. Why? - Because I have committed to going to San Francisco. So how is it that we can’t make the same commitment to ourselves? Why can we commit to short term, high-priced items, but not long term, free and rewarding items such as healthy activities.
I will tell you why- because we can’t commit to ourselves like we can commit to others. The biggest reason that I won’t blow off my flight to San Francisco, is that I will have to pay for the ticket whether I go or not. I have committed to the airline and had them save me a seat for the flight. Granted, the vacation will be enjoyable, but the biggest factor is the commitment made with the tickets. That is why they sell them in advance. Would a baseball team deny you a ticket if you wanted to buy it in advance? No. would they honor your ticket if you decided not to go to this game, but a latter game because it was more convenient for you? No. they would gladly ask you to purchase a new ticket.
Another example of committing:
You and I are scheduled to meet for lunch. We have talked over a few dates and times to find out what will work best for both of us. Finally, we decide on next Friday afternoon. The first thing we do is put it on the calendar. Now that Friday afternoon has come around, you head over to the restaurant that we discussed and sit down to a table. As time goes by and I still have not yet arrived, you get agitated. You finally call me and ask where I am. Now that we are on the phone, I tell you that I cannot make it today. Since we are friends, I do want to reschedule. So we pick another date and time that works and we go from there. Well, what if I don’t show up again? Are you likely to try to schedule another lunch with me? Not likely.
Now, this behavior is unthinkable to most of us. If there is an appointment set, you don’t miss it. So why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we blatantly disregard our own appointments. Many of us don’t go as far as setting appointments for ourselves, which can lead to “urgent issues” being thrown into our days without our say. But even when we do, it is harder to keep an appointment with ourselves that it is to keep with someone else.
It is this commitment to others, that we need to show to ourselves. I’m not saying you have to clear your calendar and fill it with your own personal goals. This is not realistic for most of us. But what is realistic is putting something on the calendar for yourself. No matter how small the appointment is, if you schedule it and honor it, you will accomplish more.
If you want to be healthy and enjoy the activities you enjoy, you have to commit to them. More importantly, you have to commit to yourself. Be a better friend to yourself. Commit to you and you will be successful. No matter what the goal is, if you commit yourself to doing it and commit TO yourself, it will happen.
These are all important to varying degrees in lives of most people. We have all made statements similar to those examples at one point or another. For this reason, I don’t doubt our ability to commit. I simply question the areas in which we commit to, or more importantly, the areas in which we do not commit to.
The biggest area we could all use some work on is committing to ourselves. I’ve heard it time and time again: “I can’t go because I have a meeting.” Or “I will be there, here is my RSVP.” Commitments are made all day every day. The problem I see is us committing to ourselves. I don’t often hear, “I will be late to the meeting because it starts during my workout time.” Or “I can’t help now, but will call you as soon as I return from my break.”
We have become so focused on the urgent, that the important is…well, no longer as important. So what happens to less urgent items? They get put on the later-list, or get completely forgotten. But some of these items ARE important. They were important when we set out to do them before and they are important even as we do not do them.
When it comes to living healthy, this is our biggest problem. It’s not that we don’t want to do healthy things or that we want to suffer illness and fatigue. We simply don’t commit to ourselves in order to do what is important. We are too busy focusing on the urgent. But the biggest problem with that pattern is that someone else is deciding what is urgent. Someone else is deciding what you need to do now regardless of the importance that it plays in your life. Some else is deciding that these issues must be taken care of before the things that you consider to be important.
While this is a reality for many of us, it does not have to be the only way. Granted we all have responsibilities that take on urgency and we must commit to. Whether it is work, family or friends, there are many obligations that we all have to commit to. There is nothing wrong with this, but it is also important to put ourselves on the list of commitments. If we don’t, things are very difficult.
You cannot improve health or change habits without committing to yourself. Only when you commit to you can you set and reach goals that will take you to your desired destination. I use the example of the trip:
In order to get to California, I have to do a few things. The very first thing is to pick a destination. San Francisco is where I want to go. Now I have to pick a date. When do I want to go? September 15th, I will go to San Francisco. Now that I know where and when I want to go, I can choose how to get there based on my current situation. Being that I am in Minnesota and only have a few days to spare, I choose to fly to San Francisco on October 15th. The final piece of the commitment is the booking of my flight. Once I have done that, there is no going back. I can look forward to my trip and begin planning my entire travel itinerary.
I would never schedule a meeting or RSVP to a gathering on October 15th. Why? - Because I have committed to going to San Francisco. So how is it that we can’t make the same commitment to ourselves? Why can we commit to short term, high-priced items, but not long term, free and rewarding items such as healthy activities.
I will tell you why- because we can’t commit to ourselves like we can commit to others. The biggest reason that I won’t blow off my flight to San Francisco, is that I will have to pay for the ticket whether I go or not. I have committed to the airline and had them save me a seat for the flight. Granted, the vacation will be enjoyable, but the biggest factor is the commitment made with the tickets. That is why they sell them in advance. Would a baseball team deny you a ticket if you wanted to buy it in advance? No. would they honor your ticket if you decided not to go to this game, but a latter game because it was more convenient for you? No. they would gladly ask you to purchase a new ticket.
Another example of committing:
You and I are scheduled to meet for lunch. We have talked over a few dates and times to find out what will work best for both of us. Finally, we decide on next Friday afternoon. The first thing we do is put it on the calendar. Now that Friday afternoon has come around, you head over to the restaurant that we discussed and sit down to a table. As time goes by and I still have not yet arrived, you get agitated. You finally call me and ask where I am. Now that we are on the phone, I tell you that I cannot make it today. Since we are friends, I do want to reschedule. So we pick another date and time that works and we go from there. Well, what if I don’t show up again? Are you likely to try to schedule another lunch with me? Not likely.
Now, this behavior is unthinkable to most of us. If there is an appointment set, you don’t miss it. So why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we blatantly disregard our own appointments. Many of us don’t go as far as setting appointments for ourselves, which can lead to “urgent issues” being thrown into our days without our say. But even when we do, it is harder to keep an appointment with ourselves that it is to keep with someone else.
It is this commitment to others, that we need to show to ourselves. I’m not saying you have to clear your calendar and fill it with your own personal goals. This is not realistic for most of us. But what is realistic is putting something on the calendar for yourself. No matter how small the appointment is, if you schedule it and honor it, you will accomplish more.
If you want to be healthy and enjoy the activities you enjoy, you have to commit to them. More importantly, you have to commit to yourself. Be a better friend to yourself. Commit to you and you will be successful. No matter what the goal is, if you commit yourself to doing it and commit TO yourself, it will happen.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Pumpkin Recipes
As promised, here are some pumpkin recipes:
Pumpkin Nut Bread
An old family favorite, pumpkin nut bread makes a wonderful snack, breakfast or dessert. This recipe makes one large loaf or 2 mini loaves for gift giving. The bread also freezes well. Freeze on a plate 6 hours, wrap frozen loaf in heavy duty aluminum foil and return to the freezer for up to six months.
2 cups all-purpose flour or 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each: salt and nutmeg
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree or 1 cup solid pack canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup skim milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup each: chopped pecans and black walnuts (may substitute raisins or any combination to equal one cup)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt and ground nutmeg.
In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, milk and eggs. Mix well.
Add dry ingredients, oil and nuts mixing until just moistened. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Do not over mix.
Spoon batter into well greased (use vegetable oil) 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or two 7-1/2 x 3 3/4 inch loaf pans, may use aluminum pans.
Bake (in the middle of the oven) large loaf for 65 minutes or two mini loaves for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes in the pan.
Use a knife to go around the edge of the pan to loosen bread from the sides of the pan, invert, cool on a cooling rack or plate. Slice and serve.
Pumpkin Nut Bars
1 cup cooked pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
1/2 cup butter or margarine (melted)
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
2 cups oats
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup chopped salted peanuts, pecans, or almonds
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat egg whites slightly; add pumpkin and melted butter or margarine beat until smooth.
In another bowl combine oats, brown sugar, coconut, wheat germ, and nuts.
Fold oat mixture into pumpkin mixture to form stiff dough.
Press dough into a lightly greased 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 inch jelly roll pan.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. While still warm, cut into 2x3 inch bars.
Yield about 30 bars. Serve warm or cool completey.
We thought these were the best. You can find more recipes and nutrition information at: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/pumpkins/nutrition.html
Pumpkin Nut Bread
An old family favorite, pumpkin nut bread makes a wonderful snack, breakfast or dessert. This recipe makes one large loaf or 2 mini loaves for gift giving. The bread also freezes well. Freeze on a plate 6 hours, wrap frozen loaf in heavy duty aluminum foil and return to the freezer for up to six months.
2 cups all-purpose flour or 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each: salt and nutmeg
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree or 1 cup solid pack canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup skim milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup each: chopped pecans and black walnuts (may substitute raisins or any combination to equal one cup)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt and ground nutmeg.
In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, milk and eggs. Mix well.
Add dry ingredients, oil and nuts mixing until just moistened. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Do not over mix.
Spoon batter into well greased (use vegetable oil) 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or two 7-1/2 x 3 3/4 inch loaf pans, may use aluminum pans.
Bake (in the middle of the oven) large loaf for 65 minutes or two mini loaves for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes in the pan.
Use a knife to go around the edge of the pan to loosen bread from the sides of the pan, invert, cool on a cooling rack or plate. Slice and serve.
Pumpkin Nut Bars
1 cup cooked pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
1/2 cup butter or margarine (melted)
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
2 cups oats
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup chopped salted peanuts, pecans, or almonds
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat egg whites slightly; add pumpkin and melted butter or margarine beat until smooth.
In another bowl combine oats, brown sugar, coconut, wheat germ, and nuts.
Fold oat mixture into pumpkin mixture to form stiff dough.
Press dough into a lightly greased 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 inch jelly roll pan.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. While still warm, cut into 2x3 inch bars.
Yield about 30 bars. Serve warm or cool completey.
We thought these were the best. You can find more recipes and nutrition information at: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/pumpkins/nutrition.html
Reducing stress over holiday season: The PLAY Model
The PLAY model is the key to getting through the “stress season”.
The fall season can mean many things to us. It is back to school season, the end of the summer season and time to prepare for the holidays. All of these definitions can lead to a season of stress. So how do we cope with “stress season”?
I call it the PLAY model. By focusing on these steps, you can actually enjoy the coming months!
1. Planning- Planning your events and obligations can make it more manageable. Before committing to everything, take a look at when and where things are taking place.
2. Listing- Once you have decided which events you will attend, list them or put them on your calendar. Seeing them in an organized (planned) way can feel less overwhelming.
3. Attending- This seems odd, I know, but by attending the events and consciously and making an effort to enjoy yourself will remind you of why you are going in the first place. Some people like to list all of the positives of attending events before they go in order to focus on the positives.
4. You- It’s all about you. This should probably be the first step, but that would ruin my acronym. YOU can decide what is realistic and what’s not. Making sure you stick to your plan through busy times will help you stay energetic. If you are feeling good and taking the time for yourself, you will be able to prevent unnecessary stress from ruining your holiday season.
Keeping this in mind will help you keep your routine in mind. When your routine is in mind, life is easier and you can keep progressing. More importantly, you can enjoy it.
The fall season can mean many things to us. It is back to school season, the end of the summer season and time to prepare for the holidays. All of these definitions can lead to a season of stress. So how do we cope with “stress season”?
I call it the PLAY model. By focusing on these steps, you can actually enjoy the coming months!
1. Planning- Planning your events and obligations can make it more manageable. Before committing to everything, take a look at when and where things are taking place.
2. Listing- Once you have decided which events you will attend, list them or put them on your calendar. Seeing them in an organized (planned) way can feel less overwhelming.
3. Attending- This seems odd, I know, but by attending the events and consciously and making an effort to enjoy yourself will remind you of why you are going in the first place. Some people like to list all of the positives of attending events before they go in order to focus on the positives.
4. You- It’s all about you. This should probably be the first step, but that would ruin my acronym. YOU can decide what is realistic and what’s not. Making sure you stick to your plan through busy times will help you stay energetic. If you are feeling good and taking the time for yourself, you will be able to prevent unnecessary stress from ruining your holiday season.
Keeping this in mind will help you keep your routine in mind. When your routine is in mind, life is easier and you can keep progressing. More importantly, you can enjoy it.
Monday, September 22, 2008
3 Steps to Getting Active
Do what you like best. If you like running, run. If you like doing aerobics, do aerobics. The exercise that will work for you is the exercise that you will do consistently. There are many programs out there that will tell you what the “right” way or “wrong” way is. That is not something that I put any stock in at all. There is no right and there is no wrong. The only right is exercise and the only wrong is living a sedentary lifestyle.
So how do you get active? Well, it starts with the mode. Choose to do something you like to do. But you also need to select a time that will work for you. Many will debate what time of day is best, but the fact is, the time of day that exercise will help you the most is the time of day that you exercise. Often the selection of a time is the single step that allows people to get started on a routine. Pick a time that you can realistically see yourself not only exercising, but keeping the time dedicated to your exercise.
Now that you have decided what you are going to do and when you are going to do it. The only thing left is actually doing it. But there is a subtle step that can help your routine not only get on track, but also help keep it on track as you go. That step is the duration of your exercise session. Again, you may have heard the recommended 30 minutes or more. You may have also realized that you have not been doing any exercise lately. If you are starting from square one, you don’t have to do it all at once. Setting your goal to start gradually can be the difference between failure and long-term success. As you progress your goals will increase and so will your results.
The process is simple. The following steps will get you started:
1. Pick a mode that you enjoy
2. Pick a time that you will be able to do it
3. Pick a duration that is realistic and can be improved as you go
By taking these 3 steps, you will be on your way. The only step that can make these easier is to put the step of talking to your health coach in front of it all. By assembling your support team around you, all 3 steps are much easier to complete. Getting started may be a challenge, but with your coach, you will adjust and stay motivated. You can do it. You can reach your goals.
So how do you get active? Well, it starts with the mode. Choose to do something you like to do. But you also need to select a time that will work for you. Many will debate what time of day is best, but the fact is, the time of day that exercise will help you the most is the time of day that you exercise. Often the selection of a time is the single step that allows people to get started on a routine. Pick a time that you can realistically see yourself not only exercising, but keeping the time dedicated to your exercise.
Now that you have decided what you are going to do and when you are going to do it. The only thing left is actually doing it. But there is a subtle step that can help your routine not only get on track, but also help keep it on track as you go. That step is the duration of your exercise session. Again, you may have heard the recommended 30 minutes or more. You may have also realized that you have not been doing any exercise lately. If you are starting from square one, you don’t have to do it all at once. Setting your goal to start gradually can be the difference between failure and long-term success. As you progress your goals will increase and so will your results.
The process is simple. The following steps will get you started:
1. Pick a mode that you enjoy
2. Pick a time that you will be able to do it
3. Pick a duration that is realistic and can be improved as you go
By taking these 3 steps, you will be on your way. The only step that can make these easier is to put the step of talking to your health coach in front of it all. By assembling your support team around you, all 3 steps are much easier to complete. Getting started may be a challenge, but with your coach, you will adjust and stay motivated. You can do it. You can reach your goals.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Deciding to Change
You don’t need brain surgery to change your mind. So I don’t need to be a brain surgeon to help you. No matter how many degrees someone has, the bottom line is: YOU HAVE TO MAKE A CHANGE. If you’ve already made that change, you need to make it lasting and habitual. Common sense will eventually win out. We can continue to kid ourselves and blame age, kids, work or other things that we choose to define our lives. We can come up with new theories and create more specialties to deal with specific conditions. We can even give up.
But remember, whatever you decide to do is just that: you deciding. The things we now refer to as “reasons” are choices that we made. They may be results from the habits we’ve formed over the years. They may simply be excuses. Bottom line is: YOU DECIDED. You decided to eat that cup cake. You decided not to exercise for the past five years. You decided to stay late at work every day for the past month. Because you decided, I know that you can change.
Just as you decided to do all of these things that you now regret, I know that you can decide to do many things that you will love yourself for doing. You can decide to take care of yourself. You can decide to change your life. You can.
That is the first step in the process. “I can change” becomes the starting point for your journey of health. Notice I said health is a journey, not a destination. If health were a destination, I believe that more of us would stay there. But health is a journey. Health is something that can change on a day to day basis, for better or for worse. You can be “healthy” one day and not the next.
Some people look at this as a discouraging idea. I look at it as reinforcement that health is a journey. First of all, the fact that it can change so quickly emphasizes the importance of healthy habits. Without them, your condition or results are only temporary.
The results only last as long as the habits do. So with that in mind, bad health only lasts as long as bad habits do. That is why I know you can change. I know that you didn’t start these habits yesterday, so I don’t expect you to change them by tomorrow. I know that it took years to develop your current routine, so I am prepared for it to take you time to develop your new one.
But remember, whatever you decide to do is just that: you deciding. The things we now refer to as “reasons” are choices that we made. They may be results from the habits we’ve formed over the years. They may simply be excuses. Bottom line is: YOU DECIDED. You decided to eat that cup cake. You decided not to exercise for the past five years. You decided to stay late at work every day for the past month. Because you decided, I know that you can change.
Just as you decided to do all of these things that you now regret, I know that you can decide to do many things that you will love yourself for doing. You can decide to take care of yourself. You can decide to change your life. You can.
That is the first step in the process. “I can change” becomes the starting point for your journey of health. Notice I said health is a journey, not a destination. If health were a destination, I believe that more of us would stay there. But health is a journey. Health is something that can change on a day to day basis, for better or for worse. You can be “healthy” one day and not the next.
Some people look at this as a discouraging idea. I look at it as reinforcement that health is a journey. First of all, the fact that it can change so quickly emphasizes the importance of healthy habits. Without them, your condition or results are only temporary.
The results only last as long as the habits do. So with that in mind, bad health only lasts as long as bad habits do. That is why I know you can change. I know that you didn’t start these habits yesterday, so I don’t expect you to change them by tomorrow. I know that it took years to develop your current routine, so I am prepared for it to take you time to develop your new one.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Accountability
While accountability is an important part of our lives, it often gets overlooked in the area of exercise. We know exercise is a key component to a healthy lifestyle, yet across the nation, we are not getting enough of it. The biggest reason for our lack of exercise is our lack of accountability.
Accountability is the foundation of business, relationships and any endeavor involving more than one person. It is the glue that holds teams together and allows them to progress. So, why does it get overlooked in regard to our health? It gets overlooked because many of us don’t hold ourselves accountable.
Would you stand your friend up if you had a lunch set up? Would you blow off a meeting at work? Would you tell your boss that “it’s no big deal that I didn’t show up to work today…I’ll try to be there tomorrow”? I don’t think so! These are all examples of ways that others hold us accountable. So we do have difficulty holding ourselves accountable?
Well, there are many reasons for each of our challenges to get enough exercise. Some of us don’t set realistic goals- we expect to be in the gym every day after years of inactivity. Others don’t manage time well- we expect to be able to cram more meetings and errands into each day than we have time for. And some of us just plain don’t want to change- we’ve all had days when we simply chose not to exercise. The simplest steps for any of us to start holding ourselves accountable are listed below. These are just a few of the steps that we can all take to make exercise a part of our regular routine:
1. SET AN APPOINTMENT- Make an appointment for your exercise session. You would never deliberately skip an appointment with a friend or coworker (if you would, we have some other goals for you to work on). So put an appointment on your calendar at the time you want to do your exercise. This is why having an exercise partner or a trainer works so well. Having another person meeting you there or going with you makes it harder to blow off.
(Stay tuned for more details on how to make your exercise appointments work for you)
2. WRITE IT DOWN- Write your goals down. People that set their daily, weekly or monthly goals in writing are more likely to achieve them. Sometimes just writing it on the calendar is enough to hold you accountable. This will not only help you get a feel for a realistic schedule, but it will also help you reach your goals and become more consistent.
(Coming soon: more specific ways to master goal setting)
These are just two ways that I wanted to share with you. There are many ways to make this more advanced and customized for you. Next time, I will elaborate on each of these two steps and help you to make them work in your routine. By taking each of these to the next level, you will be doing the same with your exercise routine. And we all know what the results will be.
Exercise is a major component of a healthy lifestyle. While many of us struggle to get enough, it doesn’t mean that we are doomed to suffer the consequences of a sedentary life. Changes can be made and they are often not as difficult as we think they are going to be. You are not alone. You can make changes in your life and your health coach can help you. You and your coach will work together to set realistic goals and they will support you on your journey to reach them.
Accountability is the foundation of business, relationships and any endeavor involving more than one person. It is the glue that holds teams together and allows them to progress. So, why does it get overlooked in regard to our health? It gets overlooked because many of us don’t hold ourselves accountable.
Would you stand your friend up if you had a lunch set up? Would you blow off a meeting at work? Would you tell your boss that “it’s no big deal that I didn’t show up to work today…I’ll try to be there tomorrow”? I don’t think so! These are all examples of ways that others hold us accountable. So we do have difficulty holding ourselves accountable?
Well, there are many reasons for each of our challenges to get enough exercise. Some of us don’t set realistic goals- we expect to be in the gym every day after years of inactivity. Others don’t manage time well- we expect to be able to cram more meetings and errands into each day than we have time for. And some of us just plain don’t want to change- we’ve all had days when we simply chose not to exercise. The simplest steps for any of us to start holding ourselves accountable are listed below. These are just a few of the steps that we can all take to make exercise a part of our regular routine:
1. SET AN APPOINTMENT- Make an appointment for your exercise session. You would never deliberately skip an appointment with a friend or coworker (if you would, we have some other goals for you to work on). So put an appointment on your calendar at the time you want to do your exercise. This is why having an exercise partner or a trainer works so well. Having another person meeting you there or going with you makes it harder to blow off.
(Stay tuned for more details on how to make your exercise appointments work for you)
2. WRITE IT DOWN- Write your goals down. People that set their daily, weekly or monthly goals in writing are more likely to achieve them. Sometimes just writing it on the calendar is enough to hold you accountable. This will not only help you get a feel for a realistic schedule, but it will also help you reach your goals and become more consistent.
(Coming soon: more specific ways to master goal setting)
These are just two ways that I wanted to share with you. There are many ways to make this more advanced and customized for you. Next time, I will elaborate on each of these two steps and help you to make them work in your routine. By taking each of these to the next level, you will be doing the same with your exercise routine. And we all know what the results will be.
Exercise is a major component of a healthy lifestyle. While many of us struggle to get enough, it doesn’t mean that we are doomed to suffer the consequences of a sedentary life. Changes can be made and they are often not as difficult as we think they are going to be. You are not alone. You can make changes in your life and your health coach can help you. You and your coach will work together to set realistic goals and they will support you on your journey to reach them.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Stress Management
Stress is part of all of our lives. It is a big part of most of our lives. No matter who you are, there is some stress somewhere. Since we all know what stress is and that it is something that we are familiar with, one would think that it would be easy to handle. Unfortunately, it is not. Stress is very difficult to deal with.
Stress is so difficult to deal with that we often don’t. We simply let stress take over and run our lives, never to be dealt with or even managed. Although common, this is a scary thought to me. Stress makes live hard for many. In fact, stress kills people. It is not an overstatement to call stress deadly.
For that reason, I find it important, not only to discuss stress, but to help people manage it. Notice that I use the word manage. I did not say that I help people “relieve” or “eliminating” stress, or give people “stress-free” lives. Stress comes into all of our lives, no matter how happy, efficient or skilled we are. It does not go away for good. You may not feel it or be worried about it for a while, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t come back.
This is where the real change is made. Many of my clients have made great strides in their lives. Stress, of course is an area that we have worked on. When we start working on this topic, there are some major barriers. There are some people that have been completely consumed by stress. While there are others who don’t feel that it exists at all. For many of these people, no matter where they are on the spectrum, there are a few important steps that take place on the road to managing stress.
It goes back to my earlier statement about managing stress versus “relieving” or “eliminating” of stress. Once you realize that you will never completely eliminate stress, you will be in a much better place mentally. Often, I see people get upset over that fact that they feel stressed. It becomes a battle that they cannot win, especially when they are upset at themselves for feeling stressed at all.
While stress management can be very complicated, it doesn’t have to be. That’s right, managing your stress does not have to be complicated. In fact, it can actually be quite simple. It all comes down to three things. These three things are what allow you to manage your stress:
1. Triggers
2. Control
3. Habits
1. Triggers
What is causing your stress? The triggers are simply the reasons or factors that cause you to feel that your stress level is elevated. By identifying these triggers, we can start to make changes to our routine. Just like any other change, the key is awareness. This awareness is the first step you must take if you want to make a change.
2. Control
What can I control? Now that we have identified the situations or factors behind our stress, we can get more specific in our gameplan. Once we are aware of the causes, we can begin to identify the areas of control. Even if a situation feels completely overwhelming, there are likely many small factors that add up to bring your stress level to its peak. Some of those small areas may be in your control. Even if we can only identify a few of those small areas and control them, that could make a significant difference in the overall stress level.
3. Habits
What do we do when we feel stressed? Habits are a way of life. We all live our lives by practicing habit after habit as we go through our routines. The problem for most people is that their habits are causing more harm than good. That may sound harsh, but it is reality. Our health and wellbeing in the US is in a state of emergency. We are not taking care of ourselves the way we should be. If we can identify the triggers, begin to control the small areas of our lives, good habits are already forming. Once we can do that, it is just a matter of practice. We will get better and better at controlling the areas we can control and doing things that help us feel less stressed.
Now, this may only be temporary, but that is the beauty of habits. The more you practice and live your life a certain way, the better you get at it. Now, this has lead many of us down the path of pain and suffering as we have gotten so good at doing things that brought us harm. Remember, a habit is a habit. There are good habits and there are bad habits, but the fact remains that they are all in the same class. Habits function the same way good or bad. Habits bring you the expected results, good or bad. It is up to you to determine how you want your life to go.
Clearly this applies to many areas of life. Stress, although a more dangerous and difficult topic, is no different. If you identify the triggers, focus on the things you can control and practice habits that help you manage stress, than you will be managing stress. When you manage your stress, you get a feeling of accomplishment and everything feels easier. When you don’t manage your stress you get…more stress!
Stress is so difficult to deal with that we often don’t. We simply let stress take over and run our lives, never to be dealt with or even managed. Although common, this is a scary thought to me. Stress makes live hard for many. In fact, stress kills people. It is not an overstatement to call stress deadly.
For that reason, I find it important, not only to discuss stress, but to help people manage it. Notice that I use the word manage. I did not say that I help people “relieve” or “eliminating” stress, or give people “stress-free” lives. Stress comes into all of our lives, no matter how happy, efficient or skilled we are. It does not go away for good. You may not feel it or be worried about it for a while, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t come back.
This is where the real change is made. Many of my clients have made great strides in their lives. Stress, of course is an area that we have worked on. When we start working on this topic, there are some major barriers. There are some people that have been completely consumed by stress. While there are others who don’t feel that it exists at all. For many of these people, no matter where they are on the spectrum, there are a few important steps that take place on the road to managing stress.
It goes back to my earlier statement about managing stress versus “relieving” or “eliminating” of stress. Once you realize that you will never completely eliminate stress, you will be in a much better place mentally. Often, I see people get upset over that fact that they feel stressed. It becomes a battle that they cannot win, especially when they are upset at themselves for feeling stressed at all.
While stress management can be very complicated, it doesn’t have to be. That’s right, managing your stress does not have to be complicated. In fact, it can actually be quite simple. It all comes down to three things. These three things are what allow you to manage your stress:
1. Triggers
2. Control
3. Habits
1. Triggers
What is causing your stress? The triggers are simply the reasons or factors that cause you to feel that your stress level is elevated. By identifying these triggers, we can start to make changes to our routine. Just like any other change, the key is awareness. This awareness is the first step you must take if you want to make a change.
2. Control
What can I control? Now that we have identified the situations or factors behind our stress, we can get more specific in our gameplan. Once we are aware of the causes, we can begin to identify the areas of control. Even if a situation feels completely overwhelming, there are likely many small factors that add up to bring your stress level to its peak. Some of those small areas may be in your control. Even if we can only identify a few of those small areas and control them, that could make a significant difference in the overall stress level.
3. Habits
What do we do when we feel stressed? Habits are a way of life. We all live our lives by practicing habit after habit as we go through our routines. The problem for most people is that their habits are causing more harm than good. That may sound harsh, but it is reality. Our health and wellbeing in the US is in a state of emergency. We are not taking care of ourselves the way we should be. If we can identify the triggers, begin to control the small areas of our lives, good habits are already forming. Once we can do that, it is just a matter of practice. We will get better and better at controlling the areas we can control and doing things that help us feel less stressed.
Now, this may only be temporary, but that is the beauty of habits. The more you practice and live your life a certain way, the better you get at it. Now, this has lead many of us down the path of pain and suffering as we have gotten so good at doing things that brought us harm. Remember, a habit is a habit. There are good habits and there are bad habits, but the fact remains that they are all in the same class. Habits function the same way good or bad. Habits bring you the expected results, good or bad. It is up to you to determine how you want your life to go.
Clearly this applies to many areas of life. Stress, although a more dangerous and difficult topic, is no different. If you identify the triggers, focus on the things you can control and practice habits that help you manage stress, than you will be managing stress. When you manage your stress, you get a feeling of accomplishment and everything feels easier. When you don’t manage your stress you get…more stress!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Challenges to making changes
If we expect to see changes, we need to make changes. The actions and behaviors directly affect the results that we get. Results will remain the same unless actions are changed. In fact, the definition of insanity is repeating the same behavior but expecting a different result. So, why are we all in sane? Actually, we are not all insane, but one may wonder when you think about the things we voluntarily do to our bodies. I have broken down a few of the reasons for our challenges in this article:
Fear of change itself
Change can be a very frightening thing. Change means effort and perhaps some discomfort. Change means doing things that you are not used to doing, or at least doing things differently. Sometimes just the thought of doing something outside of the routine can be enough to make you shutter. Is this because it is so terrible? No, it is because we are not used to it and therefore, are unsure of the outcome. That leads us into the next reason we struggle with change:
Lack of confidence to change
It is difficult to even attempt a change if we are unsure that it can be accomplished. If you set out to do something, it is easier if you have done it before. It is much easier if you have done it successfully before. I often ask clients what their confidence level is to reach a certain goal. If it is too low, we will look further into that and actually change the goal in many cases. This shows the importance of setting realistic goals. Our next reason for challenges comes when your goals are unrealistic for you:
Unrealistic or general goals
If we don’t set goals for ourselves, it can be very difficult to reach them. We all know certain things about diet and exercise, but we have to be striving to reach things that we see ourselves doing. If you set out to run a marathon this year, I would hope that you had been running for a while and were comfortable increasing your distance to 26.2 miles soon. Many people simply pull goals out of a hat and say that they will accomplish them. I like the spirit, but if your not specifically motivated and equipped to reach a goal, it is the wrong goal for you. Later, I will get into more detail about goal setting and we will discuss this area further.
We’ve discussed three challenges to making changes. While they may not be the only challenges, they are significant. They are likely to affect your routine, but can be overcome with determination, planning and support. You’ve got to have the determination to change your actions. You’ve got to plan the proper routine and set realistic goals. You also need support around you to hold you accountable. Once you can put that together, you can accomplish any goal and make any change you set out to make.
Fear of change itself
Change can be a very frightening thing. Change means effort and perhaps some discomfort. Change means doing things that you are not used to doing, or at least doing things differently. Sometimes just the thought of doing something outside of the routine can be enough to make you shutter. Is this because it is so terrible? No, it is because we are not used to it and therefore, are unsure of the outcome. That leads us into the next reason we struggle with change:
Lack of confidence to change
It is difficult to even attempt a change if we are unsure that it can be accomplished. If you set out to do something, it is easier if you have done it before. It is much easier if you have done it successfully before. I often ask clients what their confidence level is to reach a certain goal. If it is too low, we will look further into that and actually change the goal in many cases. This shows the importance of setting realistic goals. Our next reason for challenges comes when your goals are unrealistic for you:
Unrealistic or general goals
If we don’t set goals for ourselves, it can be very difficult to reach them. We all know certain things about diet and exercise, but we have to be striving to reach things that we see ourselves doing. If you set out to run a marathon this year, I would hope that you had been running for a while and were comfortable increasing your distance to 26.2 miles soon. Many people simply pull goals out of a hat and say that they will accomplish them. I like the spirit, but if your not specifically motivated and equipped to reach a goal, it is the wrong goal for you. Later, I will get into more detail about goal setting and we will discuss this area further.
We’ve discussed three challenges to making changes. While they may not be the only challenges, they are significant. They are likely to affect your routine, but can be overcome with determination, planning and support. You’ve got to have the determination to change your actions. You’ve got to plan the proper routine and set realistic goals. You also need support around you to hold you accountable. Once you can put that together, you can accomplish any goal and make any change you set out to make.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Funny take on American Health
If you've been following the Olympics, you may have heard about Michael Phelps' routine. He has a schedule to keep that involves a great deal of training, but it also involves a lot of eating. In order to fuel the fire for this amazing feat, he has to consume more food than many could imagine...at least it should be hard to imagine...
"Michael Phelps 12,000 calorie-a-day diet becomes newest U.S. craze
Failure to swim 30 hours a week leads to massive heart failure in thousands of Americans following newest gold medal diet fad"
Original headline posted on The Diary of Fools blog. These guys (and gals) are truly hilarious! They are not a wellness-related blog, but it is very entertaining.
"Michael Phelps 12,000 calorie-a-day diet becomes newest U.S. craze
Failure to swim 30 hours a week leads to massive heart failure in thousands of Americans following newest gold medal diet fad"
Original headline posted on The Diary of Fools blog. These guys (and gals) are truly hilarious! They are not a wellness-related blog, but it is very entertaining.
Wellness- worlds collide in order to achieve it (inner vs. outer)
Wellness is many things. Wellness is living with health, balance, focus and quality. Wellness is doing good, and fulfilling activities. But most importantly, wellness is a mindset. Wellness is the mindset that we are going to do things that make us feel good. Not only are we going to do these things, we are going to make time for them and strike a balance in our lives. Wellness really is that balance that keeps us striving for more growth and challenges while still appreciating the comforts friends and family.
We create our lives. When wellness is a part of that creation, it is truly yours to enjoy. You may feel that things are not in your control or that you are at the mercy of others. Well, you are…if you don’t live with wellness. Too often we look outward at our problems. Too often we look outward for solutions to these problems. Most answers, while not always clear, are inside. They have been there and will continue to be as long as we are human beings. So how do we achieve as human beings?
We make it part of our lives. In order to feel good, we have to do things that make us feel good. Getting up in the morning feeling good is a result of wellness. Going to bed at night feeling good is also a result of wellness. And, clearly feeling good throughout the day is a result of wellness. Living with wellness and making it part of your life is easier said than done. But it is being done by many already and can be done by anyone.
Wellness is what you get when you start each day with your agenda. It goes back to inner versus outer influences. Ask yourself a few questions: Who is winning the battle, the outer world or the inner world? What is driving your life, the outer world or the inner world?
How do you answer these questions? Actually asking yourself the questions is difficult enough. Especially in a time of stress, but it is important and can be very rewarding. You have to ask these questions if you want to know where you are in relation to wellness. If the inner world is what drives you, than wellness is a part of your life. If the outer is driving you, than…you guessed it, wellness is not a part of your life.
You may say, “I am a healthy person who practices many good habits, but my life is demanding and I have no control.” Or you may say, “It’s not my fault that my schedule is the way it is, but I get the healthy things in when I can.” Well, I am here to tell you that wellness is more than getting some exercise in or taking a break when you can. Wellness is much more that racing to the gym with a moment of your spare time. It is much more than getting a diet soda at the fast food restaurant.
Wellness is the mindset. The mindset that you are going to do what you need to do in order for your inner world to be as harmonious as possible. Our inner world can only be as controlled as we believe it can be. Much like our outer world can only be as out of control as we believe it can be. Until we look inward and truly find what drives us, we are simply going along with the outer world no matter what the consequences are to the inner world.
I’m no Buddhist monk, but I know a thing or two about enlightenment. I don’t mean the spiritual enlightenment that can only be achieved by years of meditation in the Himalayas. I mean the enlightenment that you achieve by looking inward and asking yourself who or what is in control. Am I running my life or is someone else? That is the real question. And all too often, the answer is either someone (or everyone) else. You may think that you can answer it at a glance or without thinking about it, but chances are you are proving the fact that the outer world is winning by not taking the time for yourself.
It is one thing to take time to go for a walk or relax on your day off. It is quite another to ask yourself what you really want. The reason our worlds (inner and outer) are limitless is our minds. Our minds are so powerful that we can literally be held captive or set free be them. A thought or decision inside your own mind can determine the best or the worst imaginable outcome. And guess what…it’s up to you.
The moral of the story is that we are creating our world. Either by doing what we want and getting great satisfaction or by allowing others to dictate what we do and what makes us happy, we are creating our world. It is up to us which world we focus on, but the outer will always reflect the inner. That is why if we look inside, we can make the changes that will affect the outer. We must look inside to change anything. We have to go to the root and start from the source in order to make any changes.
If you are not where you want to be, simply ask yourself these questions: What needs to be done in order to get there? What do I have to do in order to get what I want? If the goal is important enough, you will make the changes to reach it. If the goal is not important enough, you won’t.
That is why I emphasize the difference between the inner and outer worlds. If your goal is based in the outer world (by someone else or to meet something on the exterior) it is not important enough for YOU to make a change. Only when your goals are rooted in your inner world are they going to be important enough for YOU to make the changes necessary to reach them. And only when you are able to ask yourself what is important to you in the inner world will you be able to set goals there.
If you can identify what you want, set goals get it and make the necessary changes, you can do anything you want. But if you can’t identify what YOU want or set goals based on YOUR desires, you can do nothing. You can do nothing other than live according to your outer world. It may be easier or feel “normal”, but it is not. In the short term, you may stay comfortable, but in the long term is will be much harder to deal with.
Once you have begun to satisfy your true passions and strived to reach your true inner goals, you have made wellness a part of your life. How important are your goals?
We create our lives. When wellness is a part of that creation, it is truly yours to enjoy. You may feel that things are not in your control or that you are at the mercy of others. Well, you are…if you don’t live with wellness. Too often we look outward at our problems. Too often we look outward for solutions to these problems. Most answers, while not always clear, are inside. They have been there and will continue to be as long as we are human beings. So how do we achieve as human beings?
We make it part of our lives. In order to feel good, we have to do things that make us feel good. Getting up in the morning feeling good is a result of wellness. Going to bed at night feeling good is also a result of wellness. And, clearly feeling good throughout the day is a result of wellness. Living with wellness and making it part of your life is easier said than done. But it is being done by many already and can be done by anyone.
Wellness is what you get when you start each day with your agenda. It goes back to inner versus outer influences. Ask yourself a few questions: Who is winning the battle, the outer world or the inner world? What is driving your life, the outer world or the inner world?
How do you answer these questions? Actually asking yourself the questions is difficult enough. Especially in a time of stress, but it is important and can be very rewarding. You have to ask these questions if you want to know where you are in relation to wellness. If the inner world is what drives you, than wellness is a part of your life. If the outer is driving you, than…you guessed it, wellness is not a part of your life.
You may say, “I am a healthy person who practices many good habits, but my life is demanding and I have no control.” Or you may say, “It’s not my fault that my schedule is the way it is, but I get the healthy things in when I can.” Well, I am here to tell you that wellness is more than getting some exercise in or taking a break when you can. Wellness is much more that racing to the gym with a moment of your spare time. It is much more than getting a diet soda at the fast food restaurant.
Wellness is the mindset. The mindset that you are going to do what you need to do in order for your inner world to be as harmonious as possible. Our inner world can only be as controlled as we believe it can be. Much like our outer world can only be as out of control as we believe it can be. Until we look inward and truly find what drives us, we are simply going along with the outer world no matter what the consequences are to the inner world.
I’m no Buddhist monk, but I know a thing or two about enlightenment. I don’t mean the spiritual enlightenment that can only be achieved by years of meditation in the Himalayas. I mean the enlightenment that you achieve by looking inward and asking yourself who or what is in control. Am I running my life or is someone else? That is the real question. And all too often, the answer is either someone (or everyone) else. You may think that you can answer it at a glance or without thinking about it, but chances are you are proving the fact that the outer world is winning by not taking the time for yourself.
It is one thing to take time to go for a walk or relax on your day off. It is quite another to ask yourself what you really want. The reason our worlds (inner and outer) are limitless is our minds. Our minds are so powerful that we can literally be held captive or set free be them. A thought or decision inside your own mind can determine the best or the worst imaginable outcome. And guess what…it’s up to you.
The moral of the story is that we are creating our world. Either by doing what we want and getting great satisfaction or by allowing others to dictate what we do and what makes us happy, we are creating our world. It is up to us which world we focus on, but the outer will always reflect the inner. That is why if we look inside, we can make the changes that will affect the outer. We must look inside to change anything. We have to go to the root and start from the source in order to make any changes.
If you are not where you want to be, simply ask yourself these questions: What needs to be done in order to get there? What do I have to do in order to get what I want? If the goal is important enough, you will make the changes to reach it. If the goal is not important enough, you won’t.
That is why I emphasize the difference between the inner and outer worlds. If your goal is based in the outer world (by someone else or to meet something on the exterior) it is not important enough for YOU to make a change. Only when your goals are rooted in your inner world are they going to be important enough for YOU to make the changes necessary to reach them. And only when you are able to ask yourself what is important to you in the inner world will you be able to set goals there.
If you can identify what you want, set goals get it and make the necessary changes, you can do anything you want. But if you can’t identify what YOU want or set goals based on YOUR desires, you can do nothing. You can do nothing other than live according to your outer world. It may be easier or feel “normal”, but it is not. In the short term, you may stay comfortable, but in the long term is will be much harder to deal with.
Once you have begun to satisfy your true passions and strived to reach your true inner goals, you have made wellness a part of your life. How important are your goals?
Monday, August 11, 2008
Hello
Hello Blogosphere!
I just wanted to use the first post to explain the context of our blogging. Whether it is me or another health coach posting, this blog will be dedicated to health and wellness. Within it, you will get health information and advice on making changes in your life. You will also get some theories as to why it is so difficult for many of us to make these changes and tips to overcome those difficulties. You may agree, you may disagree. Either way, we want you to share your experiences with us. If you have any questions or would like to discuss certain topics, please let us know.
Enjoy!
I just wanted to use the first post to explain the context of our blogging. Whether it is me or another health coach posting, this blog will be dedicated to health and wellness. Within it, you will get health information and advice on making changes in your life. You will also get some theories as to why it is so difficult for many of us to make these changes and tips to overcome those difficulties. You may agree, you may disagree. Either way, we want you to share your experiences with us. If you have any questions or would like to discuss certain topics, please let us know.
Enjoy!
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