We are surrounded by information, advice and images designed to
motivate us to improve our health.
In fact, we can barely turn a page or click on a website without a flurry of health tips to promote better eating and exercise regimes.
We can feel trapped and exhausted from our relationship with food so it is vital to heal our relationship with food, learn to trust and accept our bodies. As a result we can spend time on the things that truly matter the most.
However, if maintaining a healthy weight has proved problematic for you or resisting certain foods to keep our cholesterol in check, what can inspire and motivate us to examine our lifestyle choices?
Sometimes, we simply gauge our weight by the fit of our clothes. On other occasions, we know our bodies are not feeling or reacting as they usually do so that alerts us.
However, there are moments in our lives that are pivotal in our taking stock of our health and how we live.
You have experienced ill health that is unexpected and may lead to a more serious medical condition.
For those who have experienced loved ones with health issues. They may have genetic implications for you,
Increased weight issues that might place you in the obese category.
A BMI reading that is higher than desirable
A routine health check reveals unwelcome readings such as being pre-diabetic, high cholesterol or blood sugar, increased blood pressure.
Too much of the pursuit of health is a pointless goal. The idea of better health for the sake of better health. Instead better health should be for the sake of being able to do more, to have better relationships, to pursue your passion, to be able to run around after your children, to be able make a difference.
Health is not the end goal but rather it is the catalyst. It makes it easier for you to do the important things in life. But it’s not a prerequisite. You can have people in the worst state of health that do amazing things in this world, just as you can be completely healthy but are contributing nothing beyond living in your head.
Health motivators come in various guises and can be inspired by a variety of people. You may meet an old friend who is looking particularly fabulous and tells you she has adopted an exercise regime. Perhaps a family member has lowered their problematically high blood pressure by a significant lifestyle change. Whoever or whatever inspires you, the most important fact is you are motivated to make vital changes.
A soulful treat may lead us to make new choices. It may lead to uncomfortable moments, which can be part of change. Who knows.
Needless to say, you do not need to go through a major health scare to deserve a treat and to make change happen, now.
You can start a new piece of your future now. The time will be right, when you feel ready.
Re-evaluating our health can alter our emotional lives too and can be hugely beneficial. It can help shape an inner attitude to ourselves, life and illness that is a source of inner peace.
Running not enjoyable for you? Try cycling or a boxing class to get in your daily workout. And find your inner motivation. Really dig deep to figure out what’s pushing you to live a healthier lifestyle—find your personal, emotional reward. Tap into that motivation and remind yourself on a regular basis why you want to make wellness a more important part of your life.
Jo Wheatley is the Co-author of Deciding to Coach. Jo believes ‘Our health and wellbeing is comprised of both mental and physical health. We need to keep both under review in order to stay healthy. However, in the busyness of day to day life we can often neglect one or both.
There are many things that can wake us up and remind us to pay attention and nurture our physical and mental health. These can include experiencing burnout at work, experiencing a loss such as a miscarriage or death of another family member, sometimes it is comparing ourselves to others or even a previous version of ourselves.
For me the greatest reminder was when I had a cancer scare. It is such a leveller and a reminder to start with health. Of course there is also the New Year as people open a new year of opportunity and make decisions about how they want to progress and live the next year. Being accountable to others or making a contribution to something close to your heart is also a great motivator. In workplaces sometimes you’ll find teams working together to achieve a monthly step count, or individuals may be motivated to raise money for charity and commit to a triathalon or other fitness challenge.
As a coach when I work with clients on their wheel of life we consider their satisfaction with eight key areas in their life and often health is listed as a key area. We consider the satisfaction in the area of health in the context of others such as wealth, family, career etc Over time they notice the interdependence of these areas of their life.
When we feel healthy we can often take it for granted until we are reminded through ill health that this is a critical area for us to invest in. What would you score your mental health and your physical health today? How close to what you want it to be is it? What would one point higher be like? What can you do to achieve that today?’
Jo Wheatley, co-author of ‘Deciding to Coach’ Amazon Best Seller in 15 categories and co-host of The Coaching Crowd podcast.
www.igcompany.co.uk :: www.jowheatley.com.
