Big News
I have been hard at work putting together my new group coaching program and I have to tell you, I am VERY excited. I hope to have the program all wrapped up and ready to offer within the next couple of months – ideally, sooner rather than later ; ) It will be a small group program 5 – 10 people. No more than 10 people. It will run electronically through zoom conferencing or a similar platform so open to everyone regardless of where you live. This will allow us to meet virtually but still in person through video. I’ve done this in a couple of groups and love it, very Brady Bunch. I’m getting excited and feel myself getting ready to blab about the whole thing so, HARD STOP. I’ll reveal more about that as the launch date approaches.
My Vision
Putting this new program together has been really fun. I’m enjoying the journey. The journey of developing the ideas, zeroing in on details, day dreaming about my amazing clients and their results. The journey is fun! It fills me with the feeling of possibility. Women supporting women, banning together to be stronger, more confident, more powerful and more joyous of self. My vision is to create a network of on going, positive support where the journey is everything and forever.
Your Journey
The journey is everything. Once you realize this you let go of the idea of quick fixes and short-term interventions. Yes, we want results but those results should come from changes that empower and energize you. Changes that you want to continue with and grow from. The idea of instant gratification mellows into acceptance and joy over the idea of continued, fluid change that creates a beautiful, positive and lasting journey. A journey you WANT to continue on.
When on a journey, you have the ability to invite others. What you do and who you are spreads and grows. The breadth of your message expands. We, a group of people working to improve our health and wellness spread the idea that health and wellness is within every individuals control. Others start to take notice and want to become part of that journey.
The true health and wellness journey is the opposite of the hit and run approach with quick fixes and short-term interventions where true change hasn’t been made, a community hasn’t been created, and there’s no safety net of support.
Lasting, positive change is a result of an evolving, exciting lifetime journey of lifestyle change. Changes that allow you to better understand how you think and what’s happening within your body. You become tuned into body signals and how to manage good health. Your body is never stagnant, it’s always changing. Your health is dynamic. What you choose to do will either improve your health or diminish it. You have the power to control a great deal of your personal health journey, in my world, that comes from food and lifestyle choices.
Lifestyle
Life is fluid, change is always happening. I talk a lot about lifestyle changes, positive lifestyle changes, how and what to eat, sleeping well, cultivating positive relationships, staying physically strong, being mindful of how food-people-circumstances affect your mood. Again, change is always happening and you either drive that change or you allow other people and/or things to direct the trajectory of how you and your life change.
I don’t think of myself as a total control freak, emphasis on the word ‘total’ (I suspect my husband and kids are snickering as they read this). I do like choice. I definitely want to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to things that I can control – what I eat, when I go to bed, how much I exercise, socializing, my inner self dialogue (super hard one), my living environment, the work I do, the clients I choose to work with, my relationships with family and friends. Basically, the things that make up my daily life/lifestyle. It’s a daily journey that morphs into a weekly journey, then monthly then yearly. It’s always evolving and happening.
Success
The most successful clients are the ones that realize the changes they are ready to make are life time changes. They are not quick fixes. These people embrace and enjoy the journey with the full knowledge that the longer they focus on their goal(s) and continue to make positive change the better they’ll feel and truly be.
Life is not without diversion. Staying the course of your journey 100% of the time is unrealistic. The beauty of knowing it’s a journey is that you don’t sweat the detours – that wedding where you drank too much champagne and had 3 slices of cake (oh wait, that was me ; ). You just get back on track. The changes you are implementing are long-term, the occasional diversion or detour should not throw you off course for good. A supportive and like minded community is an important part of getting back on course. Find like minded people who are on a similar journey to yours. Stay in touch, communicate, share your wins and your struggles. We are cursed and blessed with technology. In this case, it’s a huge blessing. You have millions of people at your finger tips. Finding the right people may take some time but they are out there.
Goals, Start Now
Don’t become overwhelmed, remember your journey is daily. Create 24-hour goals. These are tangible, easily achievable goals. It could be as simple as setting a regular bedtime or fasting for 12 hours over night or walking for 30 minutes or trying a new recipe. You also want a giant goal. This is the goal that you look to for long-term inspiration. Something like being healthy and well enough to hike with my kids and grandkids or avoiding gastric bypass surgery or never becoming an insulin dependent type 2 diabetic or feeling good and being strong enough to enjoy my retirement or having the mental clarity and mobility to travel as I age. The possibilities are endless. My goals are to do everything I can to reduce my risk of developing cancer and Alzheimer’s. Have you thought about your health goals? Take some time to think about this. What is your big health and wellness goal? What little goals can you focus on daily that will move you closer to your big goal?
October
The theme for October is CHANGE. Hopefully today’s post got you thinking about long-term change. It’s funny, in the scheme of life, weight loss is a short-term goal. Even if it takes you two years to lose the weight (weight, by the way that probably took 15 years to accumulate – so two years is fast), two years is short-term. What’s your long-term goal, the goal that eclipses a two-year win. That’s right, what’s your BIG goal. You want those short-term goals, you want wins all along the way but keep that big goal out there as your beacon.
I’ll leave you with this as a possible daily goal – plan to have a great day. I heard a great quote this morning on a podcast I was listening to. The speaker said something like, “When I wake up in the morning I know one of two things is going to happen, I’m going to have a great day or if my day isn’t so great then it will end with a great story.” He completed this by saying the best days are of course the days that are great AND end in a great story. I love that. Wake up everyday and know it’s going to be a great day.
Be well,
I’m Amy a board certified holistic nutritionist, certified functional nutritionist and lifestyle practitioner and certified Life Coach. I help women in midlife understand the changing needs of their body so that they can stop dieting and lose weight permanently. At 56 I live what I teach. Don’t believe the story that your best years are behind you. They are not. Your best years are just starting!