[The Wellness Shift - as printed in Forza magazine, Spring/Summer 2009]
Making the decision for healthy lifestyle changes is something to be incredibly proud of. It’s a big step - one that requires a great deal of dedication - and is truly one of the greatest gifts you’ll ever give yourself.
The basic ingredients for a long and healthy life are no secret: eat a balanced diet, drink lots of water and get some exercise. It’s a short list of Must Do’s that seem simple, until you really try to implement them into your busy life. For some of us, actually practicing these rules of healthy living can be more challenging than we may have initially expected.
The solution? Change your focus from physical fitness to overall wellness, and suddenly your lifestyle change will seem much more attainable. You’ll find yourself celebrating your successes almost every day.
Wellness encompasses a combination of physical, mental and spiritual health, but it doesn’t have to be as Zen as it sounds. Read on to get a few tips on how to make the shift toward wellness.
Your Wellness Shift
Use nurturing language with yourself. For example, switch your focus from “diet and exercise” to “nutrition and movement.” This simple change of words places a more nurturing and attainable sheen onto your wellness.
Use your intuition. If you’re hungry, eat. Make smart food choices as often as you can, and keep your portions under control. The beautiful thing about intuitive eating is that there really is no “cheating;” so you never have to feel badly about a salty or sweet snack, in moderation.
Listen to your body. Every day your body sends out different signals to you, to let you know where it’s at on the wellness scale. If your legs are sore, skip your run and do some upper body weights instead. If you wake up with a stiff back, make the choice to do some flexibility training.
Acknowledge the balance of food and movement. You need the food to fuel the body. Eliminate the punishment/reward mentality so often associated with diet and exercise. Eating food and moving your body are privileges, ones that you’re entitled to enjoy for the rest of your long and healthy life.
Let yourself rest. Allow your body and your mind to recover and heal. In order to really change your life, your new lifestyle needs to fit in with everything else you do. It can’t leave you run ragged, and it can’t be displacing the other very important elements of your world – family, friends, career, hobbies, passions, social interaction and “you” time.
Celebrate and appreciate. Keep track of all the things you’ve done right on the path toward well-being. Pat yourself on the back for every wellness milestone, large or small.
Shift your focus to your wellness – that all-encompassing feeling of being well, body and mind. It’s a lifestyle change you’ll be happy to make for a lifetime.
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