Dive into another enlightening episode of Healthy AF as we delve deeper into the power of your physical environment. Join Amy as she unveils three transformative steps to turn your living space from a mere shelter of survival into a nurturing ground for personal power and thriving. Discover how to curate an environment that not only supports but amplifies your journey towards a healthier, more empowered you. Get ready to transform your abode into a petri dish of positivity and growth!
Trying to get healthy and stay healthy is f-ing hard! Everybody struggles with some aspect of it, no matter what they look like or what they tell you. There is no magic formula - a healthy lifestyle is a choice we need to make daily. Join Amy as she supports, informs, and entertains you on your journey toward health.
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[00:00:02] What you want, when you want it, where you want it. This is The MESH.
[00:00:09] Hey, I'm Amy Chang. I'm a nationally board-certified health and wellness coach and this is Healthy AF.
[00:00:16] In this podcast, I'll be bringing you all things health, from the newest health strategies to how to tackle those personal roadblocks that just will not let you move forward.
[00:00:27] So buckle in. We're going to be inspired and instructed and dadgum, we're going to have a little fun on Healthy AF.
[00:00:36] Hey everybody and welcome to another episode of Healthy AF.
[00:00:40] This month, we are focusing in on physical environment and how it impacts your health.
[00:00:46] So for me, there's those tiny little things like my unicorn and there's great big things like your water quality.
[00:01:02] But today, I'm going to talk about the tiny little things.
[00:01:05] It's the things that stay in your house that you interact with on an everyday basis that bring you joy, center you to who you really are, and empower you in whatever way you need to be empowered.
[00:01:23] Okay, so three things. We're going to talk about three. You got three things today.
[00:01:29] The first thing I wanted to talk about are things in your home that center you to your commitments.
[00:01:37] Center you to your commitments.
[00:01:39] Here's the first one for me, and that is my personal mission statement.
[00:01:49] So this little guy I made up, I don't know, five, six years ago when I was in a moment of transition, and I had an artist draw it up for me.
[00:02:00] There was an assignment that said, make your personal mission statement.
[00:02:04] I didn't really want to write it out.
[00:02:07] I felt a lot just sort of blocked on what my personal mission statement would be, what would be important to me, and like writing it in some big flowy thing.
[00:02:18] But it was easy for me to make one of those visuals that sort of had circles.
[00:02:23] What was in the middle and what was connected to what?
[00:02:27] And so I actually had an artist draw this up for me.
[00:02:31] She also drew it in the form of a oak tree.
[00:02:34] So right in the middle of my personal mission statement is love.
[00:02:38] And from there, I have integrity, gratitude, compassion, acceptance, and service.
[00:02:47] And each of those larger petals also have little petals off them, which are more descriptive.
[00:02:55] So off of my compassion petal is open-mindedness, forgiveness, and seeing the good.
[00:03:03] Because I believe in seeing the good in all people.
[00:03:07] Sometimes that's challenging.
[00:03:09] But these are the things I'm committed to.
[00:03:13] Okay.
[00:03:14] You hear that's big overarching themes.
[00:03:17] Right?
[00:03:18] Now, that could look different ways.
[00:03:23] But this keeps me grounded to like, at the end of the day, when everything else is stripped away, who do I want to be committed to being?
[00:03:33] I want to be committed to being loving, compassionate, accepting, living in service, having integrity, and being grateful.
[00:03:43] That's who I want to be at the end of the day.
[00:03:45] So when I'll tromp through my kitchen, and I see my personal mission statement, if I happen to be having a moment, this is very centering for me.
[00:03:55] So when you want to create an environment that truly supports thriving health, not survival, but supports thriving health.
[00:04:07] I find that having that centering for who you really are and what you are really committed to, very helpful.
[00:04:16] Okay.
[00:04:17] So then there's, well, how does that commitment show up?
[00:04:20] The everyday actions, the fun stuff, the stuff that brings you joy.
[00:04:24] And that's where my unicorn comes in.
[00:04:28] So I keep this little unicorn.
[00:04:30] I used to have it actually on a little kind of nook on a grandfather clock.
[00:04:38] And that grandfather clock sat in my den.
[00:04:43] And I discovered that when the neighbor kids would come over, because I was almost an empty nester at the time, they would play with this little unicorn.
[00:04:52] I don't even know where I got this thing.
[00:04:54] Like, I don't know, probably a remnant of something that was in the playroom long ago.
[00:05:00] And when everything else got packed up, it got left out or something, and I didn't have anywhere else to stick it.
[00:05:05] So I just stuck it on that clock.
[00:05:08] Well, now this unicorn means a follow through action on one of my commitments.
[00:05:16] One of my commitments is to be loving.
[00:05:19] So when those little kids come over to play, I have this to play with them.
[00:05:26] And that's the way I can love on those sweet little kids who come into my house, because really, my house is a 50-year-old lady's house, right?
[00:05:34] I don't have any toys out.
[00:05:36] But I've got this little unicorn.
[00:05:38] And we play with this little fella, and we talk about where he lives.
[00:05:43] And sometimes he goes on adventures.
[00:05:45] And hang on, wait for it.
[00:05:49] I also have a little Dotson.
[00:05:51] I have a little Dotson.
[00:05:53] And the unicorn and the Dotson sometimes, you know, like, hang out.
[00:05:57] They're buddies.
[00:05:57] And I have a little Dotson.
[00:05:58] So they all have different names.
[00:06:00] And every child's story is different.
[00:06:04] It's really a way I can be with that kid and relate to that kid.
[00:06:11] So that's one way in action that I keep my commitments alive, right?
[00:06:19] All right.
[00:06:20] So the last thing is, I told you I was going to give you three things.
[00:06:26] The last thing is, what do I need to do to keep myself supported?
[00:06:32] Because there are going to be days where I want to throw these commitments plumb out the window.
[00:06:38] Maybe I'm angry.
[00:06:40] Maybe I'm tired, lonely or hungry.
[00:06:44] Maybe I'm angry.
[00:06:44] There are going to be times where, like, I don't really want to have these dumb unicorns out anymore.
[00:06:50] I'm sick of looking at them.
[00:06:52] So how do I keep myself empowered to make sure that I'm living the life I want to live and thriving?
[00:07:02] Well, let me move the camera just a little bit.
[00:07:05] But for me, I like to have lots of things around my house that remind me that I'm loved.
[00:07:16] And this picture here over my shoulder was actually painted for me by my across-the-street neighbor when I moved.
[00:07:27] Her name is Sarah Eckert, and she's in Hickory, North Carolina.
[00:07:32] And those flowers are forsythia.
[00:07:37] We had big forsythia bushes in my yard.
[00:07:40] And when I moved, she painted me that.
[00:07:44] Also, one of her daughters made me a little putty cat in like a little cat bed because I have cats.
[00:07:52] And her other daughter made me like a big construction paper cat.
[00:07:56] All of those things are around my house.
[00:08:00] Because to be the best me, I need to be empowered with, Amy, you are so loved.
[00:08:09] So refocus on the times that you're tired and hungry.
[00:08:13] Look at what you're really committed to being.
[00:08:16] Pull your head out of your fanny.
[00:08:19] Pick up a unicorn and pass that love on to somebody else.
[00:08:27] Because that's who you're really committed to being.
[00:08:30] I hope that gives you something about your physical environment.
[00:08:33] There are lots of things about my physical environment that I use to empower me.
[00:08:40] I've got a banjo hanging on my wall.
[00:08:42] And sometimes when I'm nervous, I just pick it up and play with it a little bit.
[00:08:45] I've got a ping pong table that stays out almost all the time.
[00:08:49] That is an invitation to play.
[00:08:52] Do we play it every day?
[00:08:53] No, but it's over there and it's waiting for me and it's ready.
[00:08:57] That's a way I can connect with people.
[00:09:00] If you ever have given me a note, it's probably stuck on the bulletin board in my bathroom or the dry erase board at the entryway or on the side of the fridge.
[00:09:13] I need the encouragement.
[00:09:15] I need to see the encouragement so that I can recommit to who I am and go connect with people.
[00:09:23] I hope that this gives you something.
[00:09:25] I just had a conversation this morning with my virtual assistant who's in the Philippines and like 20.
[00:09:31] So I really appreciate his perspective.
[00:09:34] It's so different from mine.
[00:09:36] And he said to me, I really like the content you're putting out.
[00:09:40] It's really helpful.
[00:09:42] And actually, people of all ages can benefit from it.
[00:09:45] I've really benefited from it.
[00:09:47] So I thought, oh my gosh, okay, great.
[00:09:49] So if no matter who you are, if you're in your dorm room, if you're in your kids playroom, if you are redecorating from that empty nest, find a way to recenter your commitments.
[00:10:07] The big ones, the theory.
[00:10:10] And then find some things that remind you of how that theory plays out in your life.
[00:10:15] Hopefully fun.
[00:10:17] It can be tiny.
[00:10:19] And then support yourself and have those things visual too so that you can remember who you are when the shit gets hard because it's easy to be who you want to be when it's easy.
[00:10:30] But it's not easy to be who you want to be when it's hard.
[00:10:33] And give yourself some grace when you flub it up.
[00:10:36] Thanks for joining me on Healthy AF and follow, like, subscribe.
[00:10:41] We're going to be talking about physical environment all month long.
[00:10:44] Thanks and I'll see you soon.
[00:10:48] Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Healthy AF Podcast.
[00:10:52] I hope that it has helped you create a new possibility for your health and sets you into action to go get it.
[00:11:00] If you want more information or if you want to connect with me, visit my website at myhealthylife.coach.
[00:11:07] And don't forget to hit the subscribe button so that each new Healthy AF episode will be sent directly to you.
[00:11:14] Let's take you from where you are to where you want to go.
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