Do you ever feel overwhelmed with the abundance of information on the internet regarding exercise, eating, and healthy living in general? You are in fine company if your answer is yes. Even though my field is health coaching and personal training, I get weary and uninspired by the tidbits of information that are available for free on even highly regarded, well researched, and prominent professional oriented websites.
This is not to undermine these sites, as I use them quite often as a resource. It is to suggest however, that we need to focus more thoughtfully on what matters most for us as health oriented individuals. Let me explain.
Reading But Not Doing the Work
Here’s what I believe is happening with the wealth of information we have access to on the internet. As consumers, we consistently look for the big breakthrough in losing weight and keeping it off. There’s nothing new about this. With our desire to lose weight, we put our energy into reading material about healthy living and weight loss, but without actually doing the work of cleaning up our eating habits and increasing our energy expenditure with exercise. Why this happens, I can only surmise. One reason that stands prominent in my mind is that we become numb to all the tidbits of information floating in cyberspace, and consequently find it difficult to focus on an actual plan for becoming healthier and leaner. Further, this vast amount of information available to us has the effect of numbing us. This sea of information intended to increase consumer awareness and motivation often times causes the opposite effect. And, it comes at a bad time to the consumer, considering that unhealthy living and obesity are at epidemic proportions.
We Need to Make Sense of Information
As people we are cognitively driven to make sense of the world and so we succeed best when information is integrated systematically into our own lifestyle needs. We have an innate desire to live a healthy life. If you doubt this, ask yourself how many times you have stopped and started exercise and healthy eating programs? We want purpose, meaning, and a sense of systematic planning when it comes to most things that are important to us. Unfortunately, for most people who are aiming to lose weight or become healthier, these small bits of information only serve to distract them from carrying out a more thoughtful strategic plan that is necessary for long lasting behavior change.
What To Do?
What to do is the question. Many of us are good at what we do. We are driven, motivated, and have a system for succeeding at whatever it is we choose. So the question that you may have as a “dieter” is, “Why can’t I succeed at losing weight when I am competent in most other areas of my life?” This is a question worth taking a few minutes to analyze. Think about this – What makes you successful? It does not need to relate to money or fame, but only in what is important to you. If money and fame are important, that is ok of course, but what I am striving to have you analyze is the idea that there is a strong correlation between smartly strategized effort and success. Rarely does anyone succeed if a thoughtful plan is not put into action.
So Why Can’t I Lose Weight?
These tidbits of information that we have been flooded with for years now is just that- tidbits of information with no plan – no overall strategy – no meaning – and no real life changing purpose! Designed to help us? Of course! But prioritized and individualized for our unique motivations, strengths, weaknesses, and lifestyles – hardly.
We all have areas that we excel in and that comes easy and more natural to us. We still of course have to work strategically hard, but it is work that gives us purpose, energy, and meaning in our lives. In these strength areas of our lives we’ve found value in goal setting, planning, strategizing, implementing, assessing and reassessing. But why haven’t we valued the significance of such thoughtful planning in designing our own healthy lives?
We Stopped Believing
Somewhere in our society’s timeline we stopped believing that smart effort was required for being healthy. Regardless of why or how we came to believe this is really not important. As a health and wellness coach I prefer to look forward to what can be, and only reflect on the past to bring a sensibility to our future aspirations. It is my hope and desire to bring the energy I have in my work, to help you transform the vision you have of a leaner healthier body, and happier life, into the reality you deserve.
A Surprise
Here’s what I would like to do for my readers…
OK you gotta stay tuned. I think it is a really good idea, if I do say so myself. It is in the early stage of development but I am thinking I can play it out here on the blog if you all are up for helping me along. I can only tell you that I think it will be helpful, not only to the chosen person, but to all of you that are aspiring to become lean, mean and strong. Well maybe not more mean. Stay tuned! I can’t wait. Reality blogging is on its way. Meet me back inside this article in two weeks. That’s Monday December 6th at 6 p.m. Until then best to you!
Kim M Miller – Kim Miller, Bodysmart