"Being in"

Has anyone heard of the concept of ‘being in’ when it comes to making health changes. I know in the business world, companies are always trying to get their employees to ‘buy in’ to changes that are being made in a company.

'Being In' with health and wellness changes is not commonly talked about. I know that at my visit with my family doctor, she talked about how I was the one with the power. And that is key to know and realize when making changes you are the one in charge when it comes to your health and life changes. It is not your spouse. It is not the doctor. It is not the dietitian you go to visit when you want to lose weight. They do not have a magic wand to wave and the change happens and stays with you. It is you that is ‘driving the car’ and you are the one who decides where you end up for the destination.

I was talking with a co-worker and he was saying that staying with healthy eating was difficult to do. He loved sweets. So he would go into the typical mode ‘I need to lose weight, need to eat healthy and move more’ for a short periods of time. He would lose some weight, and then go back to the former way of eating. He would gain the weight back and then feel bad about not having stuck with the plan.

I looked at him and asked the question are you ‘in?’

He looked a little surprised, then said, no. I know I should do things differently and stay with it but not really in with heart and soul to making this a lifetime change.

What would be motivators or a motivator for you to ‘be in?’ What gets in the way? What are ways to fix those issues so being in is a way of life. How to get ‘in’ and not just tipping the toe in the water, but rather choosing healthy ways of eating as a way of being. Not being tipped over and just saying “Oh, well. It really wasn’t going to work anyway.” But truly to get ‘in.’

It is not a simple answer. There is not a single way for everyone to commit to health changes. It is a process. Knowing that there may be times when it just doesn’t work the correct way and boy that was a fiasco. That also is a place to learn from.

I know from personal experience that making changes takes time. Some days everything goes swimmingly as they say. I feel so ‘in’ that my name is in. There are also times when the best laid plans just don’t work at all. But the most important thing about a change is the concept of ‘being in’ and even when the change hasn’t stuck yet, thinking about how to regroup and how else can this be done so that better health can be achieved.

A person who is successful with a change may not always be successful 100% of the time. A success is when you have committed to embrace healthy changes, even small changes, and staying ‘in.’

Juanita