What It Means To Thrive
As the founder of Renuyu, my hope is that each person we touch through our coaching wellness programs will learn not just how to survive in life but will learn how to thrive; and do so with passion, compassion, humor and style. When we are thriving in life, we are deciding to grow and flourish despite life’s many challenges. We are choosing to interact with the world differently than those who settle or live in a state of survival. Are you thriving or surviving? You decide.
Start With Expectations
What is your optimal vision of health? What are your expectations and goals? What do you want to achieve in your life? One of the hardest things to do in life is to lift yourself out of your current circumstance and step up to the level of life you desire.
Before you start a new health journey, I encourage you to take time out to think about and write down your goals. Decide what you want to achieve and why it is important to you. Research shows that only 3% of people write down their goals, and on average these people achieve their goals 10 times more than those who don’t have written goals.
Our cultural conditioning has taught us things like “don’t get your hopes up” – just in case you might be disappointed. We’ve been taught to aim as low as possible. But I would like to remind you that what you expect with certainty is what you will get in your life. If you want to lift your life and the quality of your health to a higher level than what it is at this present moment, then you will need to start by raising your expectations and standards.
Great expectations create great results! When you expect the best, it will become a directional mechanism that will guide you to seeking out and finding what you expect. The difference between great expectations and weak hopes is nothing but a mindset. A mindset that can make the difference between living a healthy and fulfilled life or one of disappointment, desperation and frustration. You can create the expectation you want by setting inspiring goals and making sincere decisions. Nurture your expectations by never settling for anything less than the best.
Get Inspired To Move
Our bodies are amazing, but they were not designed to be sedentary. Our bodies need to move. Exercise provides a remarkable variety of health benefits, which range from strengthening bones to positive effects on mood and helping to prevent chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. Research dating back to the 1980s has consistently shown that aerobic fitness may help to extend lives. Unless there is a clear medical contraindication, we should all strive to achieve and maintain high levels of fitness.
Current guidelines recommend 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate aerobic activity, such as walking, running, swimming or biking, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or a mix of both. Unfortunately, only about one in five adults and teens gets enough exercise to maintain good health.
As you consider how to increase your physical activity, keep in mind that any movement is good and is a step in the right direction. Start small. Small steps taken regularly throughout the day can make a difference. Consider using a pedometer to count your daily steps, starting with 1,000 to 2,000 steps a day, until you can take 10,000 steps on most days. Incorporate physical activity that you enjoy and consider partnering with a friend or coworker when possible.
To maximize your success in adopting a long-term lifestyle change, plan ahead. Every week, look at your calendar ahead of time and commit to when you will exercise that week. Think of your opportunity to exercise as an appointment rather than, “I’ll get to it if I have time.”
Expect to lose some battles. Keep in mind that realistically, most people will get derailed at some point as they work on a behavior change. Do not let this crush your motivation. Instead, identify obstacles that may have interfered, strategize a solution moving forward, and try again. As long as you keep trying, you will not fail.
Eat Real Whole Foods
Finding the right diet for you and your goals is tough territory to navigate, and everyone has an opinion about which one is best. But the truth is, there is no one-diet-fits-all plan, since every single person has a different metabolism, genetic makeup, health history and goals. However, we know from empirical research that real food has the power to heal the body and highly processed foods have the power to hurt the body.
Highly processed foods are void of valuable minerals and nutrients and are loaded with unhealthy ingredients like saturated fat, salt, added sugars, emulsifiers and artificial colors — all of which can create inflammation and cause disease. Functional nutritionists encourage people to make plant-based foods a mainstay in their diets. Plants are loaded with important nutrients, including many that you can only get from plants. This does not mean you have to go straight-up vegan, though. Eat the rainbow, vary your diet and eat lots of locally grown, seasonal food and you’ll garner plenty of benefits.
Whatever diet pattern you choose, it’s most important to focus on real, whole foods. Optimal health is built on a foundation of getting essential nutrients, found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, quality protein, and healthy fat.
Also, over 70% of your immune system lives in your gut, as such it is imperative that you support the gut environment through food and lifestyle. A diet full of processed foods can wreak havoc on your gut lining, causing leaky gut and leading to a host of health issues, such as bloating, gas, indigestion, brain fog, and chronic inflammation.
Supporting your gut can include eating plenty of fiber, staying hydrated, and being physically active.
Manage Stress & Don’t Let Negative Self-Talk Sabotage You
When it comes to healthy behaviors, how we think is just as important as what we do. Unfortunately, many of us engage in negative self-talk — berating ourselves for everything from our weight to our bank accounts. We often view the world from a glass-half-empty perspective. This tendency toward negativity can have detrimental effects on our health. The good news is that you can quiet toxic thinking and achieve better health and well-being with these 4 strategies:
- Pay attention and breathe. The first step toward positive change is noticing the kinds of thoughts stirring in your brain. Our minds develop thought patterns that become habitual, so it takes some time – and effort – to change default thinking. Pay attention to the things you tell yourself. Are you beating yourself up over every little thing? Criticizing every mistake? Write down your thoughts so you can really “see” the messages you are sending yourself. Even try saying your thoughts out loud and consider whether you would say the same thing to a friend. If not, “rewrite” your thoughts to something more positive.
- Shift your perspective. Instead of beating yourself up for not getting to the gym, celebrate yourself for what you did accomplish. Then surround yourself with positive people who make you feel good about yourself. Become your own cheerleader and post inspirational messages around your house.
- Be objective about what you consider your shortcomings. Distance yourself from your mistakes by taking “I” out of the equation. So instead of saying, “I blew it today,” try “Tomorrow will be better, and this is how ….” You’ll be better equipped to manage negative self-talk by not internalizing. Focus on silver linings!
- Resist the urge to spiral downward. Negative thoughts can easily spin out of control. “I ate too much pizza” can quickly evolve into “I can’t control my eating and I’ll never reach my goal weight.” It’s okay to acknowledge a fact, like that you ate too much or missed a much-needed workout. The key is to leave it at that and adjust the plan for next time. “When I order pizza next time, so I don’t eat too much, I’ll order a small instead of a large and have salad first.” When a negative thought arises, push it aside and focus instead on how you’ll do better next time. Problem-solve challenges with planning and preparation.
Nurture Healthy Relationships
Throughout your life, the number and strength of your relationships can affect your mental and physical wellbeing. The benefits of social connections and good mental health are numerous. Proven links include lower rates of anxiety and depression, higher self-esteem, greater empathy, and more trusting and cooperative relationships. Strong, healthy relationships can also help to strengthen your immune system, help you recover from disease, and may even lengthen your life. The good news is that while many of these benefits can make you happier and more contented, there’s also a flow-on effect, whereby people around you will want to spend time with you. In this way, social connectedness generates a positive feedback loop of social and physical wellbeing.
Conversely, loneliness can have dramatic consequences for your health. Loneliness can lead to disrupted sleep patterns, elevated blood pressure, and increased cortisol, (a stress hormone). It can affect your immune system and decrease your overall sense of contentment. Loneliness is also a risk factor for antisocial behavior, depression and suicide. It’s important to recognize that loneliness is different from solitude. Feeling lonely is a problem but being alone may not be a problem at all. Many people live alone and have happy, fulfilling lives.
There are 3 kinds of connections that you can have with people:
- Intimate connections – with people who love and care for you, such as family and friends
- Relational connections – with people who you see regularly and share an interest with, such as workmates or those who serve your morning coffee
- Collective connections – with people who share a group membership or an affiliation with you, such as people who vote like you do, or people who have the same faith.
Ask yourself: Do you have meaningful, long-term relationships in all these 3 areas? If you don’t, what are you willing to do to strengthen your social connections?
