Embark on a transformative path with this inspiring episode of Healthy AF, where Amy unveils the four essential steps to achieving sustainable and joy-filled lifestyle changes. Whether you're navigating this journey solo, alongside a friend, or with the guidance of a coach, breaking free from stagnation is possible. Discover the roadmap from your current state to your desired destination, all within four manageable steps. This episode is a treasure trove of practical advice, motivational insights, and the encouragement you need to make those changes stick. Don't let yourself be stuck in a rut; there's a joyful and achievable path to where you want to be, and it starts here.
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.
[00:00:11] 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
[00:00:21] to how to tackle those personal roadblocks that just will not let you move forward.
[00:00:27] So buckle in.
[00:00:28] We're going to be inspired and instructed and dad gum we're going to have a little
[00:00:31] fun on Healthy AF.
[00:00:36] Hey everybody and welcome to another episode of Healthy AF.
[00:00:40] I know it's sleepy time September and I will go ahead and talk about magnesium and melatonin
[00:00:47] but not for this episode.
[00:00:50] For this episode I wanted to just take a page out of the playbook here and talk
[00:00:58] to you about what happens when clients work with me at Healthy Life Health and Wellness
[00:01:05] Coaching.
[00:01:06] It's a four step process that everybody goes through and I'm sharing it with you because
[00:01:13] you can do this on your own.
[00:01:15] Will it be as effective?
[00:01:16] Probably not right because we are stronger synergistically okay it's just how we are
[00:01:23] built but can you make headway?
[00:01:27] Absolutely and this will help you get there.
[00:01:32] So the way I designed this four step pathway was through a coach of my own.
[00:01:39] She asked the question what do all of your clients go through when they work with you
[00:01:46] and I took some time and sat down and wrote out everything that happens when a client comes
[00:01:56] to work with me.
[00:01:57] And pretty soon it was easy to see that there were four very distinct steps that everybody
[00:02:04] goes through and then everybody seemed to get similar results in that they made behavioral
[00:02:14] changes and they reported that it was easy and they found joy.
[00:02:22] I didn't expect that so if you follow these four steps that's the result you're going
[00:02:31] toward.
[00:02:32] First step discover.
[00:02:35] Discover what you want and why you really want it.
[00:02:38] You know this is not anything new or different.
[00:02:43] All coaches everywhere talk about your big why.
[00:02:47] You know you can hear it in all the motivational things.
[00:02:51] It's your big why you got to know your why you got it and you do.
[00:02:57] Here's the little caveat in there.
[00:03:02] It's easy to dream about where you want to be in 20 years or what you want them
[00:03:10] to say about you at your eulogy.
[00:03:14] That part is fun.
[00:03:17] Keeping it present when you're late for work, you haven't packed your lunch, your workout
[00:03:23] clothes are still dirty.
[00:03:26] That's tough.
[00:03:28] Okay so part of that discovery process when you're really looking at really when you
[00:03:35] strip it all down what do you really want in your life and who do you really want to
[00:03:41] be?
[00:03:43] Presencing that and learning how to presence that on easy days and hard days and during
[00:03:51] decisions.
[00:03:54] That's the juice right there.
[00:03:56] So the first part we do is discover and then we learn how to presence that discovery
[00:04:03] and keep it close.
[00:04:06] There's another part in discovery that sometimes takes weeks to get through and that is the
[00:04:14] shame and guilt that we feel when we realize we've been living and making choices that
[00:04:25] don't align with who we really are and what we really want even though we've been saying
[00:04:34] that we really are these people and we really do want these things.
[00:04:42] It's recalibrating how we feel about ourselves and giving ourselves the grace that we need
[00:04:52] to forgive all the choices that have completely betrayed our own selves and that happens in
[00:05:01] that discovery phase.
[00:05:04] Discovery can take a week, it can take six weeks.
[00:05:12] It's a process, it's an onion and it's that time that you really get straight with
[00:05:20] yourself.
[00:05:22] Who you are, what you want, what you've been doing, how it lines up, how it does not line
[00:05:27] up.
[00:05:28] First step is discover what you want, why you want it.
[00:05:32] Sometimes I say to people okay you want to lose 25 pounds, great if we cut off one of
[00:05:36] your legs you'd probably lose 25 pounds would that be okay with you?
[00:05:39] They're like no, I'm like okay then there's something other than just losing 25 pounds
[00:05:43] that you really want to have.
[00:05:46] Two, set goals.
[00:05:48] Now I'm not talking about just random goals.
[00:05:51] I'm talking about goals that work for you now.
[00:05:55] I'm not talking about goals that are way too big, that's what we usually do.
[00:05:59] I'm gonna have an exercise in five years but I'm going Monday through Friday next week.
[00:06:03] No you're not.
[00:06:05] No you're not.
[00:06:06] That's not a good goal to have.
[00:06:09] A goal that you're disconnected to, a goal that doesn't really hit you where
[00:06:14] you are.
[00:06:15] A goal that you made up when you were 20 but now you're 55.
[00:06:18] That's not a good goal okay.
[00:06:21] That's a goal that's designed to have you fail.
[00:06:25] I always say we start making goals that work for you instead of working against you.
[00:06:34] So we really tune up and make those goals align with our big why and our discovery.
[00:06:41] Then we go into action.
[00:06:45] Many times I say to people okay what action do you think you need to take?
[00:06:51] Now quarter it or eight it.
[00:06:55] Again I'm not talking about the actions you took when you know you are 15 pounds lighter
[00:07:03] and 10 year younger.
[00:07:05] I'm not talking about the actions that that guy at the office is taking.
[00:07:10] I'm not talking about the actions you think you should be taking.
[00:07:15] I'm talking about real actions that fit into your life today and sometimes they feel small
[00:07:21] and that's okay like if one of your actions, I'll tell you one of mine, one of my actions is
[00:07:27] that by the time I'm 55 I totally want to be on a Mediterranean diet.
[00:07:32] Sounds easy.
[00:07:33] I do not eat fruits and vegetables.
[00:07:36] So now Mediterranean diet sounds real tough.
[00:07:40] So the first action I may take is like look up a Mediterranean diet,
[00:07:45] choose one item on that diet that I can eat now and eat it once this month.
[00:07:54] That might be the action to take.
[00:07:57] So small actions that work for you and line up with getting you to the goal
[00:08:03] that you really want to have that supports who you really want to be.
[00:08:08] All right last piece and I love this piece reflect and repeat.
[00:08:15] See the ticket to changing your behaviors and changing your health in your life
[00:08:24] is to stay in action.
[00:08:28] That's why your actions are so important to align with your goals and line with your
[00:08:33] discoveries because your actions are actually what creates what happens here in the world.
[00:08:42] So if your actions aren't on point you're going in a different direction.
[00:08:48] What happens sometimes is we take one action and it doesn't work
[00:08:55] so we stop.
[00:08:57] Here's an example.
[00:08:59] This week my action was I'm going to set an alarm every day at 6 a.m. and I'm going to be
[00:09:06] out the door at 6 30.
[00:09:09] I'm either going to go to a meeting, I'm going to go get on my bike or I'm going to go to the gym
[00:09:15] every day I want to be out the door at 6 30 and I have this action set up for myself.
[00:09:23] Well it didn't work.
[00:09:25] It didn't work because a couple of days I was just tired.
[00:09:29] It didn't work because the class that I thought was at 7 a.m. at the gym was actually at 8.
[00:09:36] It didn't work because one of the days I scheduled a breakfast with a friend and it
[00:09:41] didn't fit into that schedule so I've learned a lot of things but I can't say
[00:09:49] the plan I set forth was 100% accomplished.
[00:09:54] This is where we sometimes get stuck and then we say this thing.
[00:10:00] Well I mean I guess that just getting up at 6 and getting out the door at 6 30 just isn't
[00:10:05] going to work for me.
[00:10:07] No no there's just things to learn like maybe you need to look up the schedule for the
[00:10:12] CrossFit class and then there's other things too outside of the do-wing
[00:10:21] and inside the being and that's my favorite part of the reflect and repeat.
[00:10:29] We stay out of shame for one thing when we don't accomplish the results or even the
[00:10:35] actions we wanted to accomplish we stay out of shame we do that together
[00:10:41] and we stay in information gathering and that information is the physical and the
[00:10:48] doing like did you do it?
[00:10:50] Yes sometimes when my clients come to session that's okay let's just break down the list.
[00:10:55] Did you do it? Yes no I don't want any reasons I don't want any excuses I don't
[00:11:00] want any kind of story I just want the yes no okay and there's no judgment over here
[00:11:04] we just need to be flat about that we need to be straight you know there's power in being straight
[00:11:12] so did you do it yes no and then there's more doing like well how did it make you feel
[00:11:20] you know did your did did your body actually get up and go to the gym
[00:11:24] did you feel good at the gym were you able to do the working out at the gym
[00:11:29] or did your body say like hey I'm not warmed up enough this does not work well for me
[00:11:34] and then there's other stuff like how'd the rest of your day go
[00:11:41] what was the experience of yourself on the days you got up what was the experience of
[00:11:47] yourself on the days you didn't one of the days that I didn't leave the house at 6 30
[00:11:53] I had a lovely morning I put in some journaling I had some meditation
[00:11:59] and read some of my daily devotionals I sat with my dog and my cat
[00:12:06] and I had the screen door open I could hear the birds and it was lovely
[00:12:13] and by reflecting on that I uncovered something else that I needed in my week
[00:12:19] you know that maybe that getting up and out at 6 30 was
[00:12:23] one day a week maybe getting up and out to the side porch to have a cup of coffee
[00:12:28] you know and to have some gentle time and then go and do my movement
[00:12:34] so that reflect and repeat step that last step is the steps that has us squeeze all the juice
[00:12:44] out of all those actions both the doing of the action and the being of the action how was I
[00:12:52] being what did I feel about myself what else did I go and feel inspired to do that day or that week
[00:13:02] or you know whatever that was and that's how we keep that train churning
[00:13:09] so when people come to work with me in health coaching I want to explain to it's not like well
[00:13:17] we've got three months so we're going to spend you know like six weeks on the discovery and six
[00:13:22] weeks on the action six weeks no no we glide through it gracefully sometimes it's trudging
[00:13:31] through it gracefully sometimes it's speeding through it gracefully the discovery can take a bit
[00:13:40] so if you're on your own and you're going through these steps give yourself some time
[00:13:45] and some support and some actions inside your discovery your action may be like
[00:13:52] talk with a friend about what you really want or write down a few things on your church bulletin
[00:14:00] as they come to you in your church service and you're really dialed into who you really want to be
[00:14:06] right and getting that straight but get that straight before you set that goal of well I just
[00:14:14] need to lose 25 pounds I'm just gonna you know eat salads every day I don't like salads but I'm gonna eat
[00:14:20] them every day because that harsh grinding just do it put your big girl panties on may get you
[00:14:34] somewhere but it won't be sustainable and it won't be with ease and it most likely will not
[00:14:40] be with joy so I hope that's been helpful to y'all when I look at behavioral change and
[00:14:48] frankly the empowerment of people which is what I really get my heart wrapped around
[00:14:54] you can do it you can do it and there is a structure that you can use there's so many
[00:15:03] structures you can use this is the one that I like discover what you want why you want it
[00:15:10] set some goals that work for you not against you create actions that align with your goals
[00:15:18] and your discovery and keep reflecting and repeating reflect repeat a new or tweaked
[00:15:26] action reflect and repeat a new or tweaked action stay right there that's all I have for you
[00:15:34] I hope that that gives you somewhere to go to and something to be inspired by or maybe
[00:15:40] something to chew on and in all four of those steps big heaping helping spoonfuls of grace as
[00:15:49] always it's never a bad idea to throw some grace on top if you love this podcast please like it
[00:15:58] subscribe it share it drop me a line see y'all next time on healthy a have a good one thank you
[00:16:09] so much for listening to this episode of the healthy a have podcast I hope that it has helped you
[00:16:14] create a new possibility for your health and sets you into action to go get it if you want more
[00:16:21] information or if you want to connect with me visit my website at my healthly life dot coach
[00:16:27] and don't forget to hit the subscribe button so that each new healthy a have episode will be
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