Karl from Vitruvian Health shares some insights into the different directions you can take on your health and welbeing journey.

As 2020 comes to a close, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on the year that was, and plan for the year ahead.  This year was many things for many different people, but we think it’s safe to say the events that occurred were unexpected.

What has however remained consistent is the choices you make in relation to your health and welbeing.

Whether you had a plan, or didn’t, the key question to ask yourself is: are you getting the results you want?

If your answer is..

“Yes” – then keep it up!

“No” – its time to change something.

“I don’t know what I want to achieve” – read on to find out more!

What results can you strive for?

The great thing about our health and wellbeing is that the results you can strive for are so diverse.  At the end of the day your goals depend on you as an individual – your current lifestyle and what your want to achieve.

In this article, we skip over the process of goal setting, rather we look at the results you can aim for. We find that having an idea of where you want to go can actually help you get there.

Health and welbeing results generally fall into the following categories:

1. Create a physical change:
   1. Weight / fat loss
   2. Increase strength
   3. Build muscle
   4. Improve posture
2. Optimise the body’s day to day functions:
   1. Increase energy
   2. Improve digestion
   3. Reduce brain fog and improve mental clarity
   4. Reduce inflammation in the body
   5. Increase libido
   6. Sleep deeper, wake rested and not craving coffee
3. Improve mindset and lifestyle:
   1. Attain a structured approach to training and nutrition through the implementation of a routine that is sustainable and reflective of your lifestyle
   2. Gain clarity as to your purpose
   3. Feel grounded
   4. Improve your confidence 
   5. Reduce anxiety and depression

We find that there is generally 1 overarching goal that drives a person to want to make a change to their health and wellbeing.  Whether this goal is in category 1, 2 or 3, we generally see improvements to the other categories as a by-product of the focus on the initial category.  

So how do you figure out what you want to achieve?

You need to find your ‘why’. 

What is that, you ask? 

Your ‘why’ is the reason that underpins what you want to achieve.  Usually we find this reason is a deep dark secret that a person is reluctant to share unless they feel comfortable opening up about it. 

It is this deep dark secret that actually defines the way a person lives, is what drives them day to day and is sometimes what they most fear.

For example, a person might say ‘I want to lose weight’.  This goal is vague and doesn’t give a specific amount of weight to lose, a timeframe in which to do it, nor a connection to why they want to achieve it. 

If a person then sets out to lose the weight based on this goal, it is likely they will only last a few weeks on their weight loss journey and then succumb to a late night or emotional eating craving, undoing their hard work in the previous few weeks. It’s then unlikely that they’ll restart their weight loss journey. 

However if this person connected with their why from the outset, their experience would be different. That is, maybe their ‘why’ is that they want to lose weight because their partner is cheating on them, but rather than end the relationship they want to lose weight so they feel more confident about themselves, their body and in the bedroom, such that losing the weight will snap their partner out of their phase of looking elsewhere. 

Once a person connects with their ‘why’, it provides the connection to the main driver, which then makes it much easier to define their goal and prepare a strategy to set them up for success. 

Your ‘why’ will change over time, but then so too do your health and welbeing goals. The importance in the process is connecting with it throughout this time. 

This article was provided by Vitruvian Health.