WELLNESS HEALTH
H O W
T O
S U C C E S S F U L LY
Control Your by Elizabeth Phinney, Little Compton, RI
No question about it—by the time you hit 45, your body is changing. You’re a little stiffer when you get out of bed in the morning, that extra hour of tennis you played resulted in sore legs for days, getting in and out of the car is a bit more of a challenge…are you with me? What is happening is exactly what you suspect—you are getting older! But, increasing your age and physically aging are two different things. The former you have no control over. The number of years you live continues to increase each year, but how your body ages is very much under your control. Preventable illness makes up 80% of all illness and 90% of all healthcare costs. According to the Center for Disease Control, “Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. Chronic diseases and conditions—such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and arthritis— are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems.” That means that none of these diseases have to happen. You have control over whether you get them or not. So, how can you steer clear? You most likely know the components: a good diet, smart exercise, proper hydration, good sleep and a technique to control stress if exercise doesn’t nip it. You can search the Internet and find endless information to guide you in one direction or another. Problem is, how do you know the exact components for your body? And, how do you get the motivation to do it?
Let’s tackle the second question first, because if you have the motivation, the rest will be easy. Here’s a goalsetting tool I use in my F.I.T. Workshop (Fitness Inspiration Transformation) that will get you going in the right direction. Before you approach goals for your physical future, it is important to know your goals in general. To start, sit down with a blank piece of paper and write at the top “My Goals by the Decade,” and depending on which decade you are in, plan accordingly. It is time to think outside the box. This plan involves your wants and needs in relationship to YOU, not your spouse, not your children, not anyone else but you. This is not a bucket list. It is an outline of your life, ten years at a time. To start your dreaming, here are some topics to consider: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Your career Your family Your home or living space Your “stuff”- what you have accumulated throughout your life Your friends Your love life Your dreams for traveling Your volunteerism Your spiritual growth
Keeping these topics in mind, start to think of your goals decade by decade. Play with this and let your mind run free! There are no right and wrong answers. These are your dreams, no one else’s, so there can be no judgment and no limitations. The important part of this exercise is that you discover what it is that lights you up. What gets you the most
Before you approach goals for your physical future, it is important to know your goals in general. 44
RIFIT | Fitness, Health and Wellness