Get Some Life Balance! Key Number 1

When I began working in the fitness and wellness industry more than 20 years ago, the general public’s understanding of the term “wellness” was somewhat misunderstood. When I would excitedly tell someone I knew that I just got credentialed as a wellness coach, I typically was met with one of three responses: some would respond by saying, “Oh, that’s nice,” with a look on their face that indicated they didn’t know what I was talking about; another response was with no words, just the classic “deer in headlights” look; and the last response I often received was, “What’s that? Is that like a Life Coach?”

I decided to find out what came to people’s minds when they heard the word “wellness”, and admittedly I was surprised by what I heard. I got responses like, “When I hear wellness, I think of sick people; I think of hospitals, blood pressure, cholesterol, cancer.” Wow, these were the last things I wanted people to associate me with when I tell them I’m a wellness coach.

During the time that I was studying for my credential, I read numerous definitions for wellness, but the one that I related to the most was: “Wellness – A state of physical and emotional wellbeing and balance, achieved through quality exercise, sound nutrition, restorative sleep, and effective stress management.” Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Basically, wellness is the exact opposite of all the things that came to some people’s minds when they heard that term.
So, who wouldn’t want to live with more physical and emotional balance in their lives? Sadly, the things that typically come to people's minds aren’t how great it would be to live with more of this “balance,” or the benefits they would experience from living with physical and emotional well being. What people typically think of is all the reasons why they can’t have more of this balance and well being.

I’m going to introduce to you The Six Keys to living with purpose, abundant energy, and physical and emotional balance. You will then understand that the majority of our day-to-day lives leads to an interruption of living with balance. This situation is what I refer to as “Balance Interuptus.” You read that correctly, Balance Interuptus – a term that grabs people's attention and is good for a laugh.

The first key is… Determining Your Values. There are some important questions we need to ask ourselves to determine what our values are. Question number one: “Who do I want to be?”

I know, you could spend a whole lot of time thinking about this one, but it’s important to clearly see in your mind and feel in your heart the person you want to become. Being able to thoroughly answer this question provides you the target to aim for and is the foundation of your wellness vision. This shines the light on where you are now and where you ultimately want to be.

This is a point where many feel overwhelmed and struggle to take action. Some others may feel motivated and enthusiastically charge out of the gate toward lifestyle changes, but quickly lose momentum or, when inevitable setbacks are encountered, fall off the path altogether.

The next question is “What do I value most deeply about myself and my relationships?”

A personal story and confession: It was after I left behind some very unhealthy behaviors in my early 20’s, namely cigarettes and way too much beer, that I joined a gym and started hitting the weights. My body responded quickly, and I put on quite a bit of muscle. It’s funny how people treat you differently when you look like a weight lifter, and that treatment felt thrilling to me because it made me feel “good enough”. One of my values at that time was to look in the mirror and see a guy who looked physically strong and for others to see me the same way. The truth is, even though I looked like I took care of myself, the food I was eating was garbage.
After hitting the gym, I’d often head over to the Burger King for a few cheeseburgers – big calories for big muscles, after all. I had stacks of bodybuilding magazines, every one containing articles about proper nutrition and recipes, and each and every one of those articles I was skipping so I could get to the “important stuff” like memorizing the weight lifting routines of the muscle heads.

When I decided to pursue a career in the fitness industry, I began adopting other healthy habits, both for my longevity as well as credibility to clients. This was a pivotal shift in my values, and what I deemed to be important. It no longer felt acceptable to look like I was in shape, but huff and puff up flights of stairs because I wasn’t nearly as healthy as I looked. It was also no longer acceptable that the only time I ate a vegetable was when I would go to my mom’s for dinner. It became valuable to me, in my new role as a fitness trainer and ultimately as a wellness coach, that I, along with my clients, viewed myself as someone who practiced what he preached, who walked the walk, and didn’t just pretend to be healthy. To make that happen, I added more cardiovascular and flexibility training into my regimen, cleaned up my diet (yes, more vegetables), and spent less time worrying about how much I could bench press.

For those of you with spouses and children, I know the value you place on them is very high. I imagine that you would place equal value on how your lifestyle habits affect and influence them. Ask yourself, “Am I serving as a positive role model to my family in the way I take care of myself, and in the foods that we eat? Am I honoring them in how I manage my stress, or are they in the line of fire because my stress is being mismanaged?”
The answers to these questions will potentially add tremendous fuel to your fire of motivation for positive change.

Stay tuned for Key Number 2 to attaining Life Balance, "Your Desired Behaviors.”