Wellness 101

New to the idea of starting a wellness journey? Well, no pun intended, no worries. Recognizing the need for change and bringing yourself to the right frame of mind, is the hardest step. As a health and wellness professional, I have the opportunity to see clients at all phases of their wellness journeys. Some clients are brand new to wanting to make healthy lifestyle changes, some have been on a rollercoaster for some time and some may just be looking for new and innovative ways to keep the journey interesting. What do all of them have in common? The hardest part of wellness, changing their mind set.
Fitness and nutrition are almost the easy part of a healthy lifestyle. I said almost. No one has ever thought walking lunges for the first time or cutting back on ice cream were easy tasks…but changing your mindset from thinking of health and wellness as a chore to having it as welcome part of life is a primary key to success. Learning to love health, fitness, holistic diet…well that’s then the hardest part.
So now that you know the hardest part, how do you get past it? I focus on a few factors with my clients.
• Know your Motivation – What brought you here? Only you, can motivate you. Making healthy lifestyle choices cannot be for anyone else but yourself. It’s one of the few times in life that being selfish is ok. Finding the internal motivation will keep you focused and driven but trying to change for someone else will make you disappointed if you rely only on their feedback to gauge your success..
• Do What You Love – Health and Wellness…well, can be torturous, if you do the things you hate simply because you think you should. Case in point, if you hate running, why run for cardio? Maybe you’re a biker, a swimmer, a walker or a dancer…do the things you love and you will begin to love what you do. Explore how to incorporate some of your life’s passions into your new search for wellness passion. Many times the lines can cross.
• Support – No man is an island…Getting support for your journey is crucial. Some people fly well solo, but the majority of people need to find that common bond to other people needing to make the same changes they need to make. So seek and yee shall find. Whether a family member, spouse, co-worker, child, friend or pet, form the bond that makes you feel good. But remember while you may share common interests and you may motivate each other, your journey should be unique and special to you to keep the journey personal and on the front burner.
• Lastly - Appreciate Success – What does success look like? How do you know you have reached goal? Well, if you can’t answer what goal is, then how do you know if you have reached it or not? Be specific, write it down, carry it with you and when you make strides toward it celebrate. The wellness journey is a lifelong path, not a destination. So getting healthy and staying healthy is always evolving. Recognizing successes along the path are truly vital. Success can be joining a fitness class, discovering a new healthy food you enjoy or finding some peace during your day to breath. Whatever it is recognize it and truly appreciate that you did something great.
Best of luck & Be well!