Healthy Life / Part 1: Create Your Vision - Emily Runyan | Tennessee Mental Wellness

A sustainable approach to healthy living begins with a clear goal in mind that considers all the complexities that encompass your life. The first step is to envision your “map”, or all the details of what your life will be like when you’re at your health potential. Read on to learn how to create a clear vision of your destination. [Check out Part 2 and Part 3 of this series on healthy habit change.]

When we go on a road trip, or when we’re traveling in a new country, we make a plan of where we want to go, then we use a map or GPS system to guide us to the destination. We wouldn’t think about setting off cross country with only the stars or our intuition to guide us–that would be foolish.

Similarly, when endeavoring on a healthy lifestyle journey, we need a clear picture of where we’re going. Typically with health-related goals, our destination is dictated by a number: lower cholesterol or blood pressure, or a lower number on the scale…you get the picture. The problem with this approach is, a single number does not accurately represent the complexity of what the destination will look like. For example, a number does not tell us how we’ll overcome low motivation to achieve that number, what our relationships will be like when we achieve the goal, what hobbies or activities we’ll be engaged in, or how we’ll be able to maintain the lower-number goal.

A more sustainable approach to healthy living begins with a clear goal in mind–a goal with all the complexities that encompass your life. The first step is to envision your “map”, or all the details of what your life will be like when you’re at your health potential.

So if you’d like to join along, take a few moments and imagine:

• What does “healthy living” mean to you? What will a healthy lifestyle look like for you?
• How will you learn more about how to live a healthier, more vibrant life?
• When you are living a fulfilling healthy lifestyle, what will your day look like? What will you be doing first thing when you wake up in the morning? What healthy habits will you practice throughout the day?
• What ways will you move your body? (Not just exercise, but other forms of movement throughout the day)
• What will your approach to food be? Will you have food ‘rules’ or a food ‘template’? How will you eat your meals (standing, sitting, in front of TV, with friends/family)? What will your snacking habits be? What will you be doing to comfort yourself instead of emotionally eating?
• What will your relationships be like?  How will you connect with friends and family? What will you be doing thenthat you’re not doing nowwithin your relationships?
• How will your nourish your spirituality (or connectivity to yourself and others) when you’re at your most fulfilling level of health? How will your spirituality contribute to your healthy lifestyle?

If you want to make long-lasting health changes, take time to really think about, and even put into writing, the questions above. This can help you more clearly envision yourself living in a world where you have achieved your health goals. This practice can also help you more clearly define what those goals should be. So, before you makehealth-related goals, first create a vision of your destination: your most healthy and vibrant you.