MY MAP WAS WRONG....

I came across a social media post that was essentially blasting the generalization of the health, wellness, fitness, and nutrition industry as a whole.

If, as a health and wellness practitioner, you are someone who takes the one-size-fits-all approach and then places the blame on the person trying to follow your approach when it doesn’t work for them, then this post was correct.

But there is one caveat I will touch on here – sometimes a generalized approach is all you can do as a practitioner unless you can get deep-down, one-on-one with a client.

Taking a generalized approach is a good starting place for a health and wellness journey, but eventually, you’re going to have to dial-in and figure out some specifics for your situation.

I had to travel this past weekend for a memorial service.

And while I knew the GENERAL area I was going to, I didn’t know the exact location of the chapel. So, I knew I was traveling west. I knew the interstate I needed to travel for a few hours. I knew the major city where I would eventually need to get onto another highway to reach the town where the service was being held.

But I had no clue where to go once I reached that city. I needed an address. I needed a map.

My map was WRONG! (yes, it actually tried to take me to the wrong location)

I had to look at the address again, drive around a few blocks until I eventually found the correct location.

My generalized approach got me MOST of the way there. It got me into the town where the service was being held. But I had to dial it in, use Google maps for the location, and it still didn’t take me DIRECTLY there!

There were obstacles. There were turns. There was stopping, backing up, turning around, going back again, there was even some yelling at Google for STILL trying to take me to the wrong address until I turned it off.

My point is, until you’re ready to home in on your target, there’s nothing inherently wrong with starting out with the basics. Having a broad approach to what you want to accomplish can take you a decent chunk of the way.

It can tell you that you need to move more. It can tell you that you aren’t getting enough protein each day. You’re not drinking as much water as you should. Your sleep schedule needs to be adjusted. Having time to de-stress after a long day is important to you.

But, as this social media post pointed out, there is only so far a generalized approach can take you. Eventually, if you really want to get all the way to your destination, you’re going to have to find a way to focus in. AND THAT IS GOING TO LOOK DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE!

This is why, no matter how “broad” or “general” your approach is, it’s ALL going to look different for YOU than it does for someone else. You might not be able to afford a gym membership like your friend can. Or you might have dietary allergies that make your food choices more difficult. Your family might not be on board with healthy eating choices you’re trying to make, and it’s causing strife in your home life.

Whatever the case may be, just know that:

• No one should expect “THEIR WAY” to work for you, whether that’s a health & wellness person (trainer, coach, dietician, etc.), your mother, your co-worker, or the neighbor across the street. It can be a starting point, but not a "given" that it's going to work for you the way it did for them.

• Trying different things is going to be important on your journey. It might look unconventional or “weird” to someone else, but finding health changes that fit into your schedule could be life altering. (the neighbors don’t need to know if you took up pole-dancing to get in more cardio!)

• Things WILL go wrong – and it might have nothing to do with YOU. Google led me astray, even when I was following the directions to the letter. You may develop a food allergy later in life that you’ve NEVER had before. Or your hormones may get wacky and you didn’t do a thing wrong.

• When you’re ready and able, it might be time to look into that deeper dive into your health. Seeing your doctor. Visiting a dietician. Meeting with a trainer or a health coach. Just make sure whatever approach you take, it’s the right one for you. And if your “healthcare team” isn’t looking at YOU as an individual, they probably don’t need to remain on your team anymore.

Taking the generalized approach to your health, wellness, fitness, or nutrition isn’t inherently a bad thing. A practitioner starting you on a generalized program isn’t always wrong, either.

Everyone has to start somewhere.

But eventually, that approach needs to be dialed in to fit YOUR schedule and lifestyle. It’s the “team’s” job to help you make it work. Not your job to make the “team’s” approach work for you.

Explore. Have fun. Find your way. And you’ll meet your goals.

www.thehiddenpoweroffood.com