Some Thoughts On The Wellness Journey

A friend asked me the other day about my wellness journey....

It has been a soul searching experience. What I don't like is how hard it is to eat the food the dietician proscribes. The food is great, it is doable on every level and his support is amazing, but I haven't followed an actual plan in years so to suddenly be accountable has been challenging.

So what am I doing to meet this challenge?

I work at it everyday and I experiment with food. When I find balance in a meal I don't crave food that  makes me feel lousy. This week the mid morning snack was Greek yogurt with agave and blueberries. It was a great feeling of balance.

I took that as a "win". A small victory but a win.

Part of my journey has been becoming aware. It's a simple thing yet so important. It's why the act of writing down what you eat is so important. We unconsciously do so many things that of course we lose track. I made a goal of writing down what I ate so that I could be aware of what I was eating. We are caterers and we taste food all the time. But when I am aware of what I am doing I eat intentionally.

Another part of my journey has been accepting the new "normal" that is my life. I take medication that slows down my heart and makes me so tired....so very, very tired, an offshoot of that is it also  slows down my metabolism also. My metabolism before the surgery was already sloth like, now I take medication designed to put cement in my shoes and you can understand how I feel. I accept I will feel tired, but I do not accept a "tired" life. I lift weights, do push-ups, I sling a heavy ball around and I am fierce with those damn heavy ropes. I do accept wellness is a challenge, but I do not accept it is a challenge I cannot handle.

I admit I assumed a lot of things when I started this, I assumed I was too old and too out of shape. If you feel this way you must find different voices to listen to. I know it isn't true because I am getting better.  Even if this week it is just finding out Greek yogurt with blueberries is better than a bagel you win, write it down and celebrate!

Write down a specific goal for the day.

The do it.

Then feel great about yourself!

When my son was in college he played football for a team that had a very long losing streak...very long. When they hired a new coach his first job was to teach each player how to win again because they had forgotten. He made them race to get water and then enjoy the feeling of being first. They raced on the field, in the weight room, they raced to see who could be first at breakfast, who got the best grades. Nothing was too small to compete over. They began to remember what the feeling of winning was like again along with a feeling of success and accomplishment. I have forgotten what it feels like to be in shape, to be able "to run and not be weary". I have forgotten what it feels like to say, "I'm full." But just like my son's coach made his players aware of what winning/success/accomplishment felt like I can remember what it feels like to make a goal and achieve it, to be aware of what I eat and to set reasonable boundaries. To feel that accomplishment, to revel in success. Those feelings build on each other and you begin to see who you can really be...what you can truly accomplish.

You are way bigger than you imagine, and you can do way more than you ever thought.

Every morning dedicate the day....write a reasonable goal in 3 categories each day for health, mind and spirit. Health could be drinking enough water, mind could be reading something challenging and spirit could be forgiving everyone you come in contact with.

Ponder for a moment before you write your challenge down.....then as you write it down commit to doing it. Then do it.

At the end of the day "return and report". When you succeed, honor it with joy! When things don't go as planned examine what went wrong and how you could have done better. You are the project manager of your life so treat this journey as a job. That idea annoyed me at first but then I realized how seriously I take my work and how causal I was with my health. I have been on this journey for only 3 months and many, many things are better. I am a work in progress and realize I have not taken care of myself for a long time.

But I am getting better.



My wellness center, Xuberance, has been instrumental in helping me regain physical confidence after a very difficult recovery from an aortic dissection. The trainers have been patient, incredibly instructional and never let me do more than I can...but then they never let me do less than I can  either. I feel safe there and that feeling is paramount in my life right now. 
For more information call 702-750-9420