The 3 Health & Wellness Lessons I Learned in 2020
December 29, 2020 // Fitness
Q4 2020
The Important Takeaways of 2020
During a year with many unprecedented challenges, we all found ourselves having to adjust our normal health and wellness routines like never before.
Gyms became off-limits. Living rooms became gyms.
Trainers learned how to teach through a screen.
Clients learned how to make a workout anywhere.
Nutrition plans disappeared. Stress eating exploded.
Comfort foods and treats became regular coping mechanisms.
It was not easy for anyone this year, that’s for certain.
As a seasoned fitness and nutrition professional, I had to learn to adapt my coaching strategies, and even my own habits, to accommodate a year of disruption and uncertainty.
Here are the three (3) health and wellness lessons I learned in 2020:
If You Stay Ready, You Don’t Have To “Get Ready”
It can take up to 28 days to make a habit become automatic. That’s almost a month of consistency and mental effort! Once you put in all that work, wouldn’t you want to keep those gains?
Consistency is the engine of long-term success. Within health and wellness, consistency (not intensity) yields progress.
When stresses mount and mental energy is zapped, fall back on your hard-earned consistencies to help you endure the challenges. By leaning on your good habits, you are unconsciously declaring where to focus your energy: on what you can actively control.
Proper hydration, daily walks, bedtime schedule, etc. These matter! A strong foundation will help you cope with any stresses because it’ll help you retain control.
Take-Away: In times of stress, trust your good habits and consistencies; These are within your direct control.
To Stay On Track, You Cannot Go At It Alone
Why has Weight Watchers been so successful for all these years?
(Hint: it’s not because of their patented food-points system)
It’s because they promote such a strong support community!
When you have someone else actively involved in your health and wellness routines, you are more likely to be consistent than if you were to go at it alone.
A trainer. A coach. A friend. A sibling. A group chat. An online group. A livestream workout class.
All of these options are real-life examples of a support system, which serves as a tool to keep you both accountable and a part of something larger.
Take-Away: Make sure you have a support system for your health and wellness pursuit(s), especially when times get difficult.
Today Is A Great Day To Have A Great Day
We just came off the weirdest, most unpredictable year in recent history.
Of all lessons learned, can we all agree to not take today for granted?
I, for one, hit my limit of doom-and-gloom news earlier this past summer, and vowed to find some positivity in each subsequent day. If I’m being honest, I would say this habit has been the most important of all others for my personal health and wellness.
Similar to the other aforementioned lessons, your outlook is within your direct control.
“Life doesn’t happen to you; it happens FOR you.”
Resolve to making sure to find something great about today.
Take-Away: While you cannot control what happens around you, you hold the cards on how you respond. Find the opportunity and focus on the upside.
Note:If you missed any of the previous emails, you can find them all here on my newly updated websiteunderBlog.