“The concept of total wellness recognizes that our every thought, word, and behavior affects our greater health and well-being. And we, in turn, are affected not only emotionally but also physically and spiritually.” – Greg Anderson
In 2008, I want to focus on wellness, not weight.
I’m tired of “America’s Next Top Model" and grapefruit diets and, dare I say it, People magazine with its size zero hipless celebrities. I’m weary of our society’s expectations about weight—and our phobias about it—and our discrimination around it. And I’m worried about our nation’s obesity rates. Mostly, though, as I enter the last year of my 40s in 2008, I want to be healthier, more flexible, more strong, not obsessed with a number or a size.
Mark Twain wrote, “I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is that I can’t find anybody who can tell me what they want.” Creating a compelling vision of what we want is tough. But doing it means we own it and can start working on strategies to get there. With help from an amazing personal trainer and wellness coach named Michael Scholtz, I recently created a “Wellness Vision.” Not a Weight Vision or a Size Vision, but a Wellness Vision. Michael pushed me to make it specific, to identify what is motivating me to achieve it, what the obstacles are, and my strategies for overcoming those obstacles—four crucial pieces of information for any type of vision.
I’ll share it as an example. As you read it, think about the kind of vision you’d like to create for 2008. Maybe it’s not about wellness, but about parenting or relationships or work: “I am energetic and flexible; I can feel the muscles in my body as they flex and move. There is no extra fat on my structure as I move through the world. I am lean and athletic, have redefined myself as an athlete, and have slowed the aging process by being fit. I move quicker and with greater ease and confidence; I am active every day and look for opportunities to play outside with Emma and Tess. I love hiking and biking and our weekends are mainly spent out of doors. I am strong and sure of my physicality.”
It is written as if I am there, having arrived at that blissful state of wellness. I am not, but it rings true to me as an aspiration, something I yearn for. A deeper yearning than weight or size. My motivators include setting an example for and relating to my daughters, redefining myself as an athlete as I was when I was younger, and being stronger as I age. My obstacles include setting unrealistic goals, the unpredictability of my schedule, doing for others before myself, and wasting time. My strategies to overcome my obstacles are utilizing “rules” to block out time for work and exercise, and short circuiting my all-or-nothing thinking. My process is to create three-month goals, and weekly plans to get there—and to share those with others for external accountability.
Create your own vision, whether for wellness or work or marriage. Make it specific, make it compelling, and make it your own. Then tell others about it so they can support you—signal your turns.
Intentions: Create and continue to revisit my wellness vision. Then live it in 2008. Focus on wellness, not weight, on healthy thoughts and mind and body.
"Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is." -Mary Anne Radmacher
From the last alphabet challenge: W is for wanderlust
[Artwork by Jim Slatton for the 37days book art challenge – click on it to enlarge so you can read what’s written on the jeans…]
“The concept of total wellness recognizes that our every thought, word, and behavior affects our greater health and well-being. And we, in turn, are affected not only emotionally but also physically and spiritually.” – Greg Anderson
