Prioritizing Wellness and Overcoming Self-Limiting Beliefs

Whether you’re looking to enhance your sense of self or make necessary changes towards improving your nutrition and overall physical fitness, there is no better time than now to make your health a priority. If you’re reading this, this is your sign—this is your now.

While weight loss and muscle gains are often used as measurements of success during one’s health journey, there is also a psychological component to consider. The fitness industry often overlooks this piece of the puzzle, which frequently leaves us feeling stuck, or let’s be honest, bargaining with our demons as we circle the nearest fast-food drive-thru. Yes, most of us have been there before.

To truly change, we must be vulnerable. We must get real with ourselves.

Ask yourself:

• How do you feel about your health status now, and how would you like to see yourself in the future?
• What is holding you back from being the best version of yourself?
• How can you push through these self-limiting beliefs so that you can crush your goals and feel confident when you look in the mirror?

To accomplish our short-term goals and continue our health journey for the long-term, the mind and body must coexist—the two systems must be in sync. The journey to improved health and wellness will not always follow a steady course; there will be times of triumph—pushing limits, shredding fat, setting PRs—but there will also be times of stagnancy, moments where we need to reassess. This is all part of the process. It’s what we do in these critical times that will ultimately set the foundation for our health journey. How we handle setbacks and embrace challenging moments will set our journey apart from previous ones.

While it’s tempting to push the state of our health and well-being to the backburner, falling into old habits of thinking we aren’t good enough or capable of such life-changing, mind-body transformation, I’m here to tell you that you are capable. You are worthy. And believe me…you are ready.

Let’s take a quick glance at what it means to adopt a fit lifestyle and how you too can get on track to a healthier, happier you.

Eliminating the One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Health

Health is a broad term that embraces a whole-body approach and is constantly evolving with research and science.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

Good health is often comprised of:

• Eating a balanced diet of nutrient-rich foods
• Implementing adequate amounts of exercise and physical activity
• Maintaining a healthy BMI
• Focusing on our emotional well-being
• Addressing harmful habits (e.g., quitting smoking and tobacco use, limiting alcohol consumption, paying mind to sun exposure, and practicing safe sex)
• Keeping up with doctor’s visits and preventative screenings

When it comes to physical fitness, experts suggest it can be understood as one’s ability to execute daily activities with optimal performance, endurance, and strength while managing disease, fatigue, stress, and reducing sedentary lifestyle. Physical fitness can be broken down into two main categories: health-related and performance-related. The former encompasses how an individual’s day-to-day lifestyle impacts their overall health status and bodily systems; the latter focuses on athletic skill and performance.

Measuring the physical fitness of one individual alongside another is difficult because we all possess a unique, optimal level of physical fitness suitable to our individual bodies and needs, on all sides of nutrition, exercise, and self-care practices. Just as some of us enjoy engaging in outdoor activities over forms of creative expression (think dance and gymnastics), what works for one body may not work for another.

As a result, we mustn’t assume a one-size-fits-all approach to health and wellness when starting a health journey.

Creating a Plan Tailored to You

Now that we’ve shared some key information on health and fitness, let’s bring it back to action and accountability. You must be ready to take responsibility for your future. You have to find your reason—your why. What motivates you to take charge of your health and enter a state of transformation? Write it down. Keep it with you.

As you create a nutrition and fitness plan tailored to your individual needs, you’ll be able to breathe easier knowing the guesswork is done for you. You’ll be able to focus on your nutritional goals, fitness goals, and personal growth aspirations. You’ll also feel confident knowing that you are far from alone as you embark on this new journey to enhanced health and wellness.

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References

1. American Academy of Family Physicians. (2020, August 3). What you can do to maintain your health. familydoctor.org. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://familydoctor.org/what-you-can-do-to-maintain-your-health/.
2. Campbell, N., De Jesus, S., & Prapavessis, H. (2013, January 1). Physical fitness – home – springer. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-1-4419-1005-9_1167.
3. World Health Organization. (n.d.). Constitution of the World Health Organization. World Health Organization. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution/.