It is so often that health goals get attached to the number on a scale or a pant size. Weight loss is a multibillion dollar industry that markets directly to the conversation of getting "thin" with meal replacements, workouts, prescription medications for obesity, surgeries and food marketing geared towards diet trends (hello keto branding).
It is time to ignore all external influences to our health and focus on the why behind now being the right time to make a change towards a healthier lifestyle.
Your Why is the deeply rooted reason that is driving the decision to make changes geared towards health. The process of getting curious about how you want feel while navigating the process of creating habits.
The idea of losing 15 lbs or running 5 km is how we put tangible results on what the end goal should be. The Why is shifting to understand how losing weight or endurance running will make you feel better. Digging deeper than a smaller belt buckle to how these new healthy habits will have a greater impact on life. Once we understand the why, it becomes an anchor when inevitably faced with barriers or roadblocks, keeping us rooted in what is important to our health.
Examples of why a health goal might be important:
- Decrease inflammation and strain on joints
- Improve heart health
- Decrease high blood pressure
- Stabilize blood sugar levels
- To have energy to play with kids / grandkids
- Comfortably walk up and down stairs
- Help manage stress and anxiety
Connecting to the reasons on how creating healthy habits is going to improve life and how you want to feel during the process. An intended feeling is a way embrace the healthy decisions during moments of struggle or defeat. Pausing to check in with Your Why when roadblocks inevitably show up. To stay connected and motivated by shifting the mindset and anchor into the intention as a feeling.
- Healthy and strong
- Energetic
- Grateful for my body
- Confident when looking in the mirror
- Grounded and calm
- Well rested
If you desire to feel energized, yet you find yourself feeling exhausted, it provides the opportunity to ask the "what is going to help me feel energized today?"
Your Why is about getting real with why you want to make a change, getting curious about how it would feel when the goal is achieve and then embodying those feeling.
The Process:
Take some time with the following questions to evaluate why the goal is important and how you desire to feel while navigating. It is an exercise of connecting to what is not currently working and getting clear on the reasons driving now being the time to make a change.
Why now? Has something happened for you to feel motivated to make change?
What are the deeply rooted reasons as to why this is important to you?
How do you want to feel day-to-day and while navigating challenges?
What habits do you currently have that do not align with how you want to feel? How do you want to approach changing those habits?
What are healthy habits that you would like to focus on?
It's not enough to hope for a healthy and happy life. It is a combination of creating habits, routines and mindset working together that will get you there.
The Why is about being mindful of how we respond when "falling off the wagon" and moving through the process to stay connected with the deeper level of why it is important and how we want to feel.
Personal Note:
My why has always been clear and strong, rooted in learning about my bodies inflammatory response with the intention to alleviate pain and live with minimal discomforts. The red flags are easy to feel. With that said, there is an ebb and flow with how I feel connected to the intention depending on physical, emotional and mental influences. Sometimes more of an ebb in struggling to stay connected. That is part of the journey in learning and creating awareness. Learning through the struggle.
- Laura