Set Your Intentions: Know Your WHY
Hopefully most of us have heard Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why” message, but if not, I encourage you to watch it a few times. If it’s been awhile, it could be time to re-watch it. Then travel on over to a notebook and start writing down all the reasons why you want to be healthy. Not why you want to lose weight, eat veggies, etc. Why do you want to be healthy, feel good, lose weight, have energy, get rid of that sickness, start running, get stronger, etc?
You’ll find that the more you write, the deeper you’ll go. Go as deep as you possibly can. Picture the biggest hurdles being thrown at you (sleep deprived, stressed out, hangry, no energy, no time, etc) and picture what kind of reason you’d need to stay the course when life is the toughest. What would really cause you to say no to that cake and say yes to that broccoli? If you go deep enough, there are things in your life that you desire more than instant gratification and are actually worth it.
How do you “get healthy”?
As a health coach, I hear this a lot: “is this healthy for me?” or “I’d like to be more healthy?”
It’s an interesting question. Many times, we’ve been taught to associate weight loss with health, so we have learned to view weight loss diets as “healthy”, but in fact, many are quite the opposite of healthy. Some weight loss programs actually end up promoting disease internally. Wild isn’t it?
There are weight loss programs that rely on pre-packaged foods and others that require you to eat only certain foods, while others that require only certain macronutrients. None of these are good for our actual health even though they may help you with weight loss initially.
Dictionary.com defines “health” as: “the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor; soundness of body or mind; freedom from disease or ailment.”
While weight can carry with it a host of diseases associated with it, it is not the primary issue. Our primary goal should be to be as healthy as possible. When we do that, the weight will even out, energy will increase, diseases will decrease, and our overall sense of well-being will increase.
Having a Well-Rounded Health System
- Get adequate sleep & rest.
- Increase your fruit and veggie intake.
- Build healthy relationships.
- Move your body daily.
- Have a regular dose of joy, laughter, and fun.
- Reduce the amount of toxic things such as: thoughts, people, stress, foods, environment, etc.
- Find ways to enjoy your career.
- Keep on learning.
- And so much more …
HOW? Simplicity is the Key
So often, when I recommend a shift or a change with someone, the biggest question is how to make that change in a way that is sustainable. Let’s take a look at adding in fruits and vegetables as an example.
Simplicity is the key to sustainable change.
When I mention eating more fruits and veggies, people often roll their eyes, get overwhelmed and check out. I understand. It’s uncomfortable. We’ve likely not had good experiences with fruits and veggies, so we don’t view them as something desirable. I remember thinking as a kid that the veggies were the most horrible thing on my plate. It’s also not something we value in our culture (again, the “SAD” diet). Did you know that the largest consumed vegetable in our country is ketchup? It’s extremely easy to go an entire day without ever consuming a plant. So to increase fruits and vegetables, you have to go counter culture and create an entirely new habit, palette, and craving. It can be overwhelming. Don’t try to overhaul everything at once.
Create smaller habits that are attainable.
For example, with the fruit & veggie Shoot for one more fruit or vegetable in your day. Once you have that down
Focus on what you are adding in…
… and you will have far more success than when you focus on what you’re taking away.
he good news is, you don’t need to give up on the foods that you love. Rather than decrease, focus on increasing the foods that bring health, life, energy, and vitality to your life. It’s a double increase: healthy foods and healthy life. This can be the same with a new exercise routine: rather than focusing on sleep lost, focus on the health and energy gained from working out each morning.
While I definitely have found great benefit from taking a specific time to remove specific things from my diet like: sugar, processed foods, dairy, gluten, meat, etc; I’ve found that most people are actually far more successful long term when they can focus on what they CAN have over what they can’t have.
Celebrate Every Step of Progress
Did you know that the average two-year old falls 38 times a day? It takes falling to learn to walk. This is true of ANY habit, skill, or life-change. Somehow we lose site of this as we become adults. We think that we should now be able to accomplish anything now that we’re all grown up. The problem with this line of thinking is that we tend to quit before we’ve mastered something.
Don’t worry if you don’t “succeed” at transforming your health. It takes time. Just like it took time to learn to walk, write, and do everything else. It takes time to teach your brain, body, mind, and emotions to learn to enjoy healthier foods.
Just as you would celebrate a child’s first step, second step, and so many more after that, you also need to focus on celebrating each step you take towards a healthier you.
For example, if you’re not used to eating any fruits or vegetables in a day, or very few, then celebrate the one that you do have rather than beating yourself up that you didn’t have 5-6 servings. You’ll get there. You will. Trust the process. Celebrate your progress.
One easy step to increasing your health today
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article and in other writings, when you help one area of your health, other areas will improve. For example, countless studies have shown that lack of sleep increases weight gain and vice versa, a healthy sleep life helps with weight loss. This is just one example of many where one area of life affects another.
On your journey to health, don’t start by cutting out foods or things you love and are familiar with. This may sound incredibly counter-intuitive since most diets are about what you can’t eat, but when the brain and body feel deprived, they tend to take over. I’m sure you’ve experienced that. I know I have. You’re going great on that new diet for one week, and then suddenly the urge for comfort arises, the urge for that cake, chips, steak, you name it, comes up and you can’t stop thinking about it. Suddenly you hate this diet or way of eating and you quit. Most people only need one incident to stop a diet or exercise program.
Pick ONE area, focus on it until it becomes a habit.
For 10 ways of integrating more fruits & veggies into your life, see last week’s article here.
Most importantly, Get Creative & Have Fun
These days online searching can inspire a whole new world of possibilities. Get this: you’re no longer stuck with your own brain to filter through. If you haven’t yet learned how to incorporate healthy foods, then someone else out there has. Search for ideas. Then make your own. Have fun. Don’t get trapped in a box. Learn from others and discover the way you work best. I have found that while I love seeing meal plans, I find that I feel incredibly trapped inside of them and end up not following through. They help me understand the big picture, so I love to create them, read them, and even use them as templates. But even simply moving the meals around a little or having a few options to work with, makes me feel like I’ve gotten to make it my own. I might even add one new ingredient or a little extra of something.
– Kirsten
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Kirsten Larsen is a wholeness coach, helping people experience freedom and breakthrough in body, soul, and spirit.
