Blog & Resources
If there’s one thing I’ve learned throughout my years of caring for my own health and the health of others, it’s that mindset is everything. As we move toward the start of a new year and a new decade, I wanted to share some important lessons that I’ve learned on my own health journey. Sharing those lessons starts here today.
We’re all born with an innate desire to stay healthy and strong.
Little kids don’t naturally overeat or fill up on junk food if they’re provided with healthy options. Even what often appears as pickiness in kids can often be tied back to their instinctual knowledge of which foods and nutrients their body needs at any given moment.
Given the right nurturing, we can hang on to these healthy instincts throughout our lives. So why, then, do so many of us get thrown off track? Because there’s too much disruption to these instincts in today’s world, from desk jobs that keep us sedentary to processed food products masquerading as nutrition.
I know how easy it is to get off track because it happened to me.
I grew up with a very healthy role model in my grandmother. She taught me about the importance of exercise and even encouraged daily protein shakes. She was a farm wife and a mother of six kids, and she knew the importance of whole foods and small meals to stay healthy and energized.
I had a very active childhood. As a kid growing up in Minnesota, I played hockey as often as possible and would help my teammates and friends with their physical training. I dreamed of playing for the NHL and even got a chance to play at the college and junior professional level. When my hockey career didn’t pan out the way I had planned, I felt lost and I struggled with not feeling good enough for many years.
Like so many others, I let these feelings get in the way of my health and fitness. In fact, in 2009, a full 8 years after starting Individual Fitness in 2001, and a full 16 years since walking away from the game of hockey, my lifestyle had caught up to me. I was overweight, lacking energy and struggling with my health. I was also training clients and I felt like a complete hypocrite.
Eventually, between the booze and the attempted suicide, enough was enough. I went to rehab for alcohol addiction, focused on making my own needs my priority and was able to regain my health.
My own weight loss and fitness journey showed me that often times, there is one simple thing that holds us back from being healthier and more fit…and that’s what I’ll be talking about in next week’s email.
Over the next week, as you celebrate the holidays with family and friends, I challenge you to consider what may be holding you back from being as healthy as you’d like to be. And if you’re not already working with us and are ready to start making a change today, I encourage you to reach out to discover which of our programs is right for you.
I’ll be back next week for the next part of my story. Happy holidays!