Home   >   Feature   >   WHAT IS THE PURPOSE BEHIND YOUR HEALTH GOALS?

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE BEHIND YOUR HEALTH GOALS?

By on February 13, 2017
health

By Karen Gallagher

When meeting a client for the first time I always focus on asking questions about their health history and their goals going forward. This helps me determine if their goals are realistic and what motivated them to reach out and to talk to me for support. Within a few minutes of the conversation I can tell how dedicated this person will be, the steps we will need to take to achieve these goals, the energy and time involved and whether they will actually achieve these goals that they mention.

The reality is, not everyone has the drive, self-confidence, dedication and purpose driving him or her to make the changes that they want. Just because a person has taken the steps to meet with me does not mean that they will make the life transformation that they envision.

I can coach a person to nourish themselves, become more active, improve their quality of sleep, stress less, and to create balance in all areas of their lives but it is ultimately up to them to put the daily work in to create new lifestyle habits.  Establishing a new habit takes 21 days however anything harder takes longer to develop and maintain. In my past experience of over 20 years it takes approximately 6 months to completely transform your lifestyle for sustainable results.

KarenGallagher_216The clients who do practice patience for the process and who stay focused on accomplishing daily new health habits see incredible results. It’s the consistency of daily actions that adds up to a complete life transformation. The clients who say “I don’t have the time” or “this was a bad week” or “I had a social outing” etc.…are only making excuses. They have not made their health and self care a priority.

So what is the difference between the people who see great results and those who always seem stuck? The secret I will share with you is that getting healthy and fit is not easy for anyone. The reality is it takes work, patience and dedication. If it didn’t then we would all be walking around in perfect health and 70% of North Americans would not be on prescription medications and considered over weight.

When it comes to hard work and dedication there are only a few people who are willing to change their priorities to become more dedicated than others. As well, the purpose can be a driving factor to those who succeed compared to those who do not.

If you are not one of those naturally super dedicated people then it is important to have a strong purpose driving your health and wellness goals. Otherwise waking up early to exercise or heading to a yoga class after a long day of work will rarely happen. When I’m working with an athlete, or someone with an upcoming event such as a wedding, vacation or photo-shoot, I tend to see incredible results from them. They have a very specific purpose, they are driven and their emotion is attached to that final purpose.  Each day they make healthy decisions so that their actions have that purpose driving them!

Creating health and lifestyle goals are a great place to start but they need to have purpose behind them. If you are not one of those super dedicated people, who love the gym so much that you wake up at 4:30am to workout and make your food for the day kind of person, you will need to take small action steps and exercises to help get you focused.

Let’s try this exercise…

I want you to write down three goals and three reasons for those goals.

I want specific goals and not “I want to be less stressed out” or “I want to lose weight” EVERYONE wants these goals!

Instead, you need to write down what you want and the reasons why. The WHY is your purpose.

Use a blank piece of paper or even write it in the notes section of your phone so that you have it with you always to refer to.

For example:

1. Goal: I want to lose 15 pounds.
Purpose: I want to fit into my old “your butt looks amazing in those” jeans and I want to have the energy to play sports with my kids.

2. Goal: I want to be in the best shape of my life in six months.
Purpose: Because I want to look amazing on my wedding day…. and I want to feel confident in my bikini on the beach.

3. Goal: I want to stay strong and maintain my sugar free, gluten free whole foods diet.
Purpose: I really want to get off my cholesterol and blood pressure medications that are causing me all kinds of side effects. I want to have more energy for my grandkids.

Your purpose could be for your health reasons or vanity related. Everyone’s purpose can and will be different, as long as that purpose is strong enough and important enough to you so that you are focussed each day. The weaker the purpose the less focus and drive you’ll have. When you achieve those health and lifestyle goals …make new ones! This is how you become a better person in all areas of your life.

Now that you have determined the driving purpose behind your health and lifestyle goals you should have a fresh focus going forward. Keep dedicated and persistent and you will accomplish your goals!

 

********

KarenGallagher_350As a fitness expert, nutritionist and holistic health coach, Karen brings a unique blend of experience gained working in the health industry for over 20 years. Her holistic health coaching offers an individualized process to help you move forward in life and to end the diet/binge cycle for good. She provides coaching tools and assists with strategies to promote self-discovery and the exploration of different perspectives to help inspire you to reach your health and wellness goals. She has had great success with her clients by taking a holistic approach to health. Karen believes every individual requires support, knowledge and compassion to achieve great health and wellness.

Website: www.karen-gallagher.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenriedelgallagher/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialKarenGallagher

About simply...woman!

We encourage spreading the message of knowledge and wisdom. We appreciate and thank our featured partners for their articles. All information provided on Simply…Woman online magazine is for reference only; the content is based on the authors’ experiences and therefore is not intended as a substitute to the services of a fully qualified professional. Although every reasonable effort is made to present current and accurate information, Simply…Woman makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information.