Health is such a broad topic and as a health and mindset coach, I often ask my clients: what does health mean to you? And here are some of my clients’ answers. Health means:
–Waking up fully rested
–Not being in physical pain
–Having enough energy to play with my children
–Not needing constant coffees just to get through the day
–Being able to go back to playing my favourite sports
–Climbing Kilimanjaro
–Not having gut flare-ups [due to an autoimmune disease]
–Being a role model to my child
–Longevity
–Growing old gracefully
–Not feeling bloated
–Feeling less anxious and stressed
–Getting a good night’s sleep
–Not being in physical pain
–Having enough energy to play with my children
–Not needing constant coffees just to get through the day
–Being able to go back to playing my favourite sports
–Climbing Kilimanjaro
–Not having gut flare-ups [due to an autoimmune disease]
–Being a role model to my child
–Longevity
–Growing old gracefully
–Not feeling bloated
–Feeling less anxious and stressed
–Getting a good night’s sleep
As you can see, there are many different answers and they often depend on where we are at in our lives. Are we focusing on moving AWAY from disease and pain or are we moving TOWARDS a wellness vision for ourselves that energises and excites us?
Moving away from something can be really helpful in the moment. Think having an acute flare-up of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and being desperate to do anything to feel better in the moment. But then a couple of days or weeks later as we feel better we go back to our old ways. I know this is very common for many people.
Which is why I love having ‘towards goals’ as well. Because once we’ve moved away from pain, low energy or sleepless nights, what would we like to move towards instead? The status quo may be ok for a while but there usually comes a point in our lives where we start aiming higher:
Maybe a friend or colleague is full of energy and always doing fun activities and hobbies and we want some of that too?
Perhaps our teenage children want us to go on an adventure sports holiday together and we notice how excited they are?
Or maybe we’ve realised that so much of our health is actually in our own hands. We don’t have to let genetics or a poor past determine our future.
Some of my clients look at my physical health and say to me: but it’s easy for you, you’ve always been fit! To which I say: It’s true that I’ve always been into fitness because I love adventure, sports and being outdoors. It’s also the best way I know to reduce my anxiety, overwhelm and stress (not to mention managing my ADHD). Plus I sleep so much better and make better food choices too.
However, I have torn my pelvic floor, underwent three hernia repairs in eight months and was born with hip dysplasia which is akin to full-blown arthritis in my hips. So although it may look like on the surface that I’m a naturally fit person, I’ve had to go back from the beginning over and over again to rebuild my foundation and there are still several forms of exercise that I cannot do due to my hips.
But I’ve made a conscious choice to focus on what I CAN do, not what I cannot do. And that mindset shift has been everything to me. And I believe you can do the same. Once we start focusing on all the things we can do to make us feel great, a whole new world opens.
If you need support in uncovering what your own wellness vision looks like, why not book a complimentary call with me – limited spots available each month.
Caroline