THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A MEANINGFUL HEALTH VISION (AND HOW)

A health vision helps you see the big picture of your well-being. It describes your ideal state of physical and emotional health or your “best self” and what it would look and feel like. It also helps you stay on track and focused as you work towards making behaviour changes.

As a Kinesiologist and Exercise Physiologist, I get asked ALL sorts of questions in regards to making health changes, such as “how do I lose weight?”, “how can I lower my blood pressure?”, “how do I get more active?”, "why can't I stick to an exercise routine?" and the list goes on!

So what do you think I tell them?

• To move more and sit less?
• To eat more leafy greens and less refined sugars?
• To drink more water and less pop?
• To schedule their workouts in?

Absolutely! These are things that are generally part of my response but let’s be honest, did you find any of those tips shocking or groundbreaking? Probably not because most of us know that in order to live a healthy life, we need to exercise regularly and eat well (no surprises here hopefully 🙊). 

So if we all know WHAT to do, then WHY don’t we do it?

Quite simply, most of us don’t take the time to think about our Why - our purpose, the REAL reason you want to change, which is a fundamental step to creating lifelong change (and sticking to it).

Having a clear and concise Why or Health Vision will give you deeper purpose. It will be the FIRE 🔥 (i.e., your motivation) that you need on the days you don’t feel your best, when you feel lost or when you feel like giving up. It's also what's going to take you much further than those that are trying to make similar changes around you. Having a meaningful health vision is truly the key ingredient to lifestyle change that unfortunately many people are missing. It's like forgetting to add cocoa powder to your chocolate brownie recipe, it just wouldn't be possible without it 🤪

How do I discover my Health Vision?

Finding your Why is MUCH deeper than just saying, “I need to lose weight" or “my doctor told me to start exercising”. Once you find your Why, it should strike an emotional cord inside of you 😢 I'm asking you to DIG DEEP. If healthy weight-loss is a goal of yours, that's totally fine but WHY is losing weight important to you? What significance will this add to your life? I can guarantee you that it's so much more than just "losing weight". 

Think of yourself as an onion - you need to peel back the layers till you discover your why and deep purpose.

Here are a few snippets that members have shared with me in the past, which may even resonate with you:

"To prevent taking medication for diabetes and high blood pressure."

"To have more energy for my kids."

"To be happy with what I see in the mirror."

"So I can live a long, healthy and vibrant life"

"To improve and manage my mental health"

"To feel confident in my own skin."

"To be able to walk up the stairs without losing my breath."

YOUR TURN!

Your health vision can be as a long or as short as you want, as long as it's meaningful and inspiring to you. So grab a pen and paper, get cozy on the couch and start writing out your why.

Things to think about when creating your Why:

Who do you want to be 1 year from now? 5 years?

What hobbies are you doing?

How do you feel?

Who are you with?

What are you most proud of?

What are the consequences if you don't change?

Once you’re finished (and this is something that will forever be evolving), I want you to print it out, keep it by your bedside, stick it on the fridge, on your mirror or wherever you will see it so you don’t ever forget WHY you’re on this journey! I even had a member print it out, laminate it and leave it right by her jewellery box so she saw it every morning!

In Summary

**Reading this blog is a great first step towards positive change but to fully reap the benefits, you need to fully DO THIS ACTIVITY, do not skip it. This "stuff" works but only if you do it!!**

At MOVEHAPPY, getting people moving and exercising is the easy part! What we truly love to do is help people build and create healthier and happier relationships with exercise and ultimately with oneself. If you'd like to be part of a supportive community that focuses on moving and feeling good and learning how to create sustainable and healthier habits, then we'd love to have you! You can start by taking our classes today or for more in-depth help with healthy habit formation and personalized exercise programming, then click here to get started with 1-on-1 coaching.