I am a firm believer that shift happens, in a lot of ways when we least expect it. At the point when “it” happens we sometimes have the adverse reaction that defies logic. Your Healthy Ever After is a state of mindset which is defined as the pursuit of something which you may believe defies logic. The realm of where you are and where you want to be is a logical step toward Healthy Ever After.
Think of it as you, and you alone are 100% responsible with what happens to and with your health. Yes, some things we are genetically predisposed to such as a family history of adult onset diabetes and high blood pressure (the list can go on and on.) Then there are the awful diseases plaguing many people randomly as an unsuspected target. These drastic life health events happen. How we react however in any given situation, can certainly be very understandable. We are not defined by what we have overall, but how we respond to a particular situation.
The quest to be at our most healthiest self has never been more important than it is now. Healthy Ever After is the new Wealthy. Simply said, if you do not have your health, you do not have anything. If you think getting healthy is expensive, try illness. That is the reality of our state of health. How can you transition your mindset? The key to a complete transition is that the healthy foundation is built on the ideology of transforming ourselves from the inside out. This is performed through healthy mindset shifts.
For instance, a great example (if you are a habitual and frequent visitor of fast food and I’ll pick one of my favorite prior ones say McDonald’s), is instead of ordering from the supersize menu and then ordering a diet coke so you do not feel so bad, make a healthy transition of changing your mindset to order a cheeseburger, a small fry and a kid size diet coke (Yes, that is exactly what I did). In my practice of health coaching clients, I refer to this as the “RBM” – Rational Breakdown Method. You have to breakdown your habits and sometimes tear them apart, even if you do not want to, and come up with a solution that works for you. This habitual practice creates a “shift” in your mindset and you will slowly regain and build a healthy solid foundation. You will feel a sense of relief, accomplishment and pride as you move forward each day. As a further result and by-product of creating and moving forward each day with your healthy foundation, amazing things will happen such as: losing weight, having less stress, sleeping better, and so much more.
Many clients that I have coached over the years believe that in order to be successful in their quest to get healthy, they have to have a special kind of willpower to succeed in the ever-changing dieting arena. In my professional opinion as a health coach, if you are creating a negative environment such as “the willpower” to lose weight before you have established a methodology of rationally breaking down your habits, you will in all likelihood fail and justify your behavior for not losing weight, even before you have really thought about how you are going to possibly be successful.
Creating an unrealistic willpower solution quite honestly is a recipe for disaster. I don’t know about you, but I have been in the dieting arena far too often – more than what I want to admit and I am here to tell you, it is NOT about your willpower or going on the next fad diet! It’s the desire to pursue being healthy – all around. Your health encompasses so much more than what you give yourself credit for, which brings me back to what the definition of health really means.
The World Health Organization defines health as, “complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Nowhere in this definition does it mention willpower. We all know what willpower is and it surely does not apply to your physical, mental and social well-being. Going on another diet is not the answer and should not be a part of the solution! How are you going to define or create your Healthy Ever After?
Janis Melillo is a wellness/transformation health coach (Weighs2Health, LLC) and an International Best Selling Author. She provides in-house and on-line coaching sessions as well as in-office coaching at The Red Barn, 352 Main Street in Durham. [email protected] or 386-717-0914.