Skip to main content

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


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A LITTLE HELP MAKING HEALTHY MEALS....aka COOKING WITH MY SON

This is a completely common scenario. You only have so much time to get dinner together before you have to be out the door again, everyone is “starving”, etc. Or, in my son's case, you're a young, broke recent graduate learning to cook more because (shocked Pikachu-face) mom was RIGHT , and it IS cheaper to cook meals at home. (also forgot to get a picture while we were cooking dinner, so added this one instead!) But I digress.... You’re torn. YOU’RE trying to eat healthy, the kids need something at least semi-healthy , and your spouse may or may not care either way. What do you do? There are so many meal kits, pre-packaged meals, frozen dinners, etc., that you can heat and eat, or throw together in a minute. And when you’re also trying to save money or cooking on a budget, these meals are USUALLY still cheaper, per person, than eating out. However, when your budget is super tight, even those convenience foods can be too expensive. You may not have the time to coo...
Post a Comment
Read more

BITTERSWEET MOMMA POST....

 My sons graduated college on Saturday. I'm still trying to process how I feel about that. On the one hand, I'm incredibly proud of them! Their major is Statistics (both of them), and it was not an easy degree to complete.  On the other hand, my "little" boys are grown up and about to face the world as adults. Everyone jokes about how time flies and don't blink or you'll miss them growing up. I never really cared for those sayings, as during that time I was eyeball deep in activities, work, and stress. I needed them to mature, as I felt I was going insane from the pressure. Now that they are grown, I realize how truly blessed I am. For many parents, this day never comes. They would give anything to see their child graduate from college. I'm beyond fortunate to have that opportunity. And I'm sad, too. I knew I was MOSTLY guaranteed school breaks with them, or at least large chunks of those breaks. That is no longer true. Their jobs and lives will be hea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Another Personal Blog Post – Perimenopause Warning….

I usually write posts for ALL busy moms because I know no matter what phase of motherhood we’re going through, there is a universal acknowledgement that we are all working on our own health and wellness while also dealing with everyday life struggles. But today’s post is specifically about dealing with the difficulties of perimenopause while also trying to handle everyday life. I have never been this out of control with my emotions or my body in my life! I’ve gone over the list of symptoms, and I swear, it’s the weirdest collection of nonsense ever. EVERYTHING is a symptom! Fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches, joint pain, heart palpitations, night sweats, headaches, insomnia, mood swings ( SEVERE! ), inconsistent menstrual cycles, cramps, weight gain, water retention, itchy ears! Like, what?! No lie, I am in some kind of pain every single day. There is no such thing as a good night’s sleep anymore. My emotions are fluctuating all over the place and I’m bouncing from anxiety to ...
Post a Comment
Read more