CLARITY IS POWER
When you are healthy you don’t think about it, but when you aren’t, you can’t think of anything else. Put another way, the good thing about a surprising medical test result or an unexpected health challenge is how it helps you focus. The clarity I got from my test results (as described in the book, EMPOWERED: The Path of Optimal Health) was that I needed to make changes to my diet.
Know Your Outcome
A few months did make a big difference for me and my health, but it may be different for you. This is not a book for medical advice, but whether your intention is as big as running a marathon, or, as simple (ha ha) as eating more vegetables, your level of success is linked to how clearly you know what you want. If you wish to complete a marathon, you have to run all 26.2 miles. Twenty miles will only leave you sweaty and frustrated. Knowing your desired outcome begins with a vision, but is it is only realized with a clear plan.
Brad’s Success Story
Just like with all of the stories of my clients included in this book, I’ve changed the name of this awesome guy.
Brad is not the biggest loser. He didn’t lose the equivalent of a 10-year-old child and he didn’t exercise for hours every day. What he did is change his life in the same, old boring way. He got clear about what he wanted and made better choices day by day…eventually.
He started working out as part of a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and quit smoking. Ambitious, yes, and he made significant progress. He lost over 20 pounds in a little over 5 months, but then he stopped exercising and “got back into some bad habits,” as he said. Luckily, he did not start smoking again.
Brad returned to his workouts at the end of the year, but this time with a focus on his long-term health and wellness, rather than just losing weight.
“I feel so much better when I take care of myself. My clothes fit differently, my face is thinner and I have muscle tone where there was none before.”
The difference this time, was that he was working out with a clear vision of what perfect health was to him. Brad knew how good he felt physically and mentally with each change he made. He was on a life-long path of optimal health.
Brad has continued to eat well, exercise regularly and has even learned to meal prep. He challenges himself by training for the half marathons he runs several times a year. “I’m just getting started. I want to stretch my limits.”
Brad’s story is a good example of reframing the desired outcome. He started working out for weight loss and was succeeding, before he returned, temporarily, to less-than-healthy behaviors. After reexamining his motives, he decided he felt best when he cared for himself with movement and nutrition he enjoyed (see the Create Your Future chapter). This approach is serving him well as he enters his second decade of working out and eating well.
Connect to Clarity
Clarity of purpose is unique to you. You may want to lose weight, but if you are vague about how much and by when and, mostly importantly, why you wish to weigh less, you most assuredly fail. There are four key steps to success in this process, which you may already do without realizing it. Nevertheless, let’s take a look at how you can clarify your vision for optimal health.
Know Your Outcome
Yes, clarity is power. So, a vague goal is not enough to sustain you when you are tired or bored or feel like you have no time to care for yourself. Your vision of what perfect health and vitality is for you is only the beginning. State it clearly.
I am perfect health with 10% body fat.
I am perfect health with total cholesterol of 180.
I am a finisher of the Country Music Half Marathon.
I am able to swim 500 meters.
Each of the above is an example. State it strongly, even if you don’t know how you are going to do it. Write it out, say it out loud, repeat it to yourself in the shower, post it on your refrigerator and whatever else you do to remind yourself of your clear, strong vision for optimal health.
Know Your Reasons Why
You’ve already examined some of the reasons why you wish to be in good health. Maybe take a moment and reread some of your answers you wrote earlier. Why do you want to be healthy?
If the clarity of your answers to the questions has dimmed, you can always answer them again. However, the big reason for your healthy actions can be rediscovered with this:
Write down the healthy step you wish to take. With each step ask yourself the question “Why?” Write your response and ask the same question again, again and again until you reach your big reason for taking the step you know you need to take.
Take Action
Or, as Tony Robbins says, “take massive action!” It goes without saying, all of the inspiration and planning in the world is meaningless, if you do not take action. Even if it scares you, take the first step toward your desired goal of optimal health. This might be as simple as trying an online spin class or using that cookbook you have to make a vegetarian meal. If you know you need someone to hold you accountable, enlist the help of a friend or find a good personal trainer. When you move, even with a small step, the momentum of your life begins to move in that direction. That makes the next step and the next easier.
Adapt
Once you begin moving down your chosen path of wellness, you’ll begin to see results. Your clothes may fit different and you may realize brussels sprouts are pretty tasty. Moreover, if benefits like sleeping better, losing weight and having more energy are what you want, great! On the other hand, if after weeks or months of consistent effort, you don’t see progress toward your goal, it might be time to adapt (again).
Your choice to change is the alchemy for your action and you can always change your approach. If you find yourself going to a boot camp class you hate four times a week, be honest with yourself and do something you enjoy instead. I promise you that engaging in activities and eating food you dislike will not lead to long-term success.
You have to trust yourself in this process. You are the master of your life. You are the guru. You are the one who gets to choose what optimal health looks and feels like. If juggling oranges while riding a unicycle is your idea of a fun way to workout – do it! – and send me a video J What you are doing must empower you.