Real Life Wellness: Are you up for this?

By Bill Hemmer
People look at me everyday with a determined look on their face and say, “I’m ready. I know I have to do something to feel better, just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” So I used to spend 10 or 15 minutes talking about good nutrition and fitness and how they would look and feel so much better. Then they would leave the office all pumped up and ready to go conquer their problems.

A week later they come back with their shoulders slumped, their head down and they would feel like a failure. They went like gangbusters for 2 or 3 days and then something in their real life happened. A ball game, meeting, nagging injury, life stress or hundreds of other things that happen in real life occurred, and it rocked their world. So of course, they immediately fell right back into the old patterns of behavior they were used to doing. They went back to eating how they used to eat and not exercising because they don’t have the time.

As the old saying goes, “if I had a nickel for every time this happens.” This is Real Life. You have spent everyday of your life creating and using patterns of behavior that have become who you are. To think you can change these patterns permanently and completely in a matter of 10 or 15 minutes is crazy. It takes just as much time to change your patterns of behavior as it does to make them in the first place.

But in today’s instant world this is not a popular idea. In today’s world of liposuction, gastric bypass and cosmetic enhancements good old hard work and dedication don’t seem to have as much appeal. So how do I expect to combat all of these challenges in my Real Life Wellness program? One day at a time.

The Real Life Wellness Motivational Triangle is made up of fun, facts and follow-through. These are the three key components I have found consistently to change a behavior over the long haul. Is this system perfect? Of course not! As I have said hundreds of times, failure is part of success. You truly can’t have success until you know what failure is like. Use your failures wisely, and it will always lead to a better you. So my system is based on finding the things that are fun for you. Facts you need to become more aware of your life as it is now. These new facts will allow you to make a change in your life for the better then you create follow-through steps that will allow you to stay with your new behaviors long enough for them to become part of who you are.

So when that client came in the second week I explained all of these things to them and they felt much better about themselves. You see, every day of you life is precious and you have the choice of feeling bad about your situation or using your current situation to learn more about yourself to make your situation better. I encourage people to do the latter.

Next week I’m going to do something a little different. I am going to describe some of the scenarios I have seen happen and how to deal with them from a Real Life Wellness point of view. It should be fun!