Let’s check in - Identifying our health values

The year is truly underway, and we hope you are starting to feel the benefits of any lifestyle changes you have made. This could be increased energy, improvements in sleep or clearer decision making around your food and nutrition choices. As we move into spring, it is important to take some time to reconnect and remind yourself of the reasons for trying to improve wellbeing.

Undertaking a change in lifestyle can be difficult, and at times can feel overwhelming. Life is always happening around us, and we can fall back on old habits. Grounding ourselves can be a way to create a solid base from which we can then make our everyday decisions. Simply put, when we truly understand the reasoning behind our decision making, we can gain motivation to continue making informed choices that are supportive of our overall wellbeing. Sounds simple - but how can we put this into practise?

We begin by understanding that creating sustainable change must come from a place of intrinsic motivation. This means that we are making choices that align with our internal values, rather than external values put on us by outside pressures. While we may all ‘know’ that our health is important, have you ever taken a step back to think about why this is true for you?

These core values are specific and personal to you and you alone – Patience, Knowledge, Kindness, Balance, Humour…the list goes on.

Good health and wellbeing should be for everyone, in whatever form that takes. Everyone has competing demands on their time, so Enrich is here to help you prioritise and develop an understanding of what good health could look like in your life. This can help you to feel that living a healthy lifestyle is not only more approachable, but maybe even enjoyable. Using this intrinsic motivation, which is totally personal to you, is backed by science as the most effective way of making lifestyle changes. Putting our focus on identifying our true values can help to empower and support us on a journey towards true wellbeing.

So, here is a simple Grounding exercise to get you on your way. Take some time to sit with yourself and think about the questions below. They can act as a guide towards your own values on your health and wellbeing, forming that solid grounded base from which you can move forward.

What does a healthy lifestyle give to you?

Rather than seeing healthy choices as punishment or something you ‘have to’ do, try a reframe and focusing on all the positives that they can add to your life. More energy to do the things you love, the internal satisfaction of knowing that you are prioritising your own wellbeing, a feeling of empowerment that you are taking charge of your health…this will look different for everyone, but let’s shift the focus to the positives.

Are you tying yourself to a specific picture of what a healthy life will look like?

Remember, a healthy lifestyle looks different for everyone. There is no one size fits all when it comes to health and wellness. Take your focus to the next positive step and do what you can. This is not a race, so you can take things at a pace that feels right for you.

Health does not look a certain way. True health is not about aesthetics, despite what we may see on social media. By focusing on ourselves and how we feel inside, rather than trying to achieve a certain type of body, we can make longer lasting changes that will actually support our health long term.

What would embracing flexibility, curiosity and enjoyment look like in your healthy life?

Health is a journey and a practise, not a destination. You can’t mess it up, you can only learn. Be curious about what feels good for you and your body and do more of that. Sounds simple, but too often we overcomplicate things and lose sight of this.

Health can be flexible and enjoyable. This is a mission to take care of your body, to create a life for yourself that feels nourishing and wholesome. It is not prescriptive. Flavour, enjoyment, and fun are key elements of Enrich, and we encourage you to remember that.