I got thinking about the core value here at Wellness and You. What is it that we most want to do? We want people, everyone, to be healthier. In our view, the way that happens is by eating clean healthy foods that nourish you and by having a lifestyle that doesn’t exhaust you, a lifestyle that makes you eager for every new day.
Do you think about that too? What could our families, our communities look like when more people are healthy and vibrant?
My major focus is on women because whether it’s Peter and Jennifer Buffett or Bill and Melinda Gates or Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s work around the world, or our own microcosm, it turns out that when women make positive changes, it has a ripple effect on everyone, and it can be either profoundly positive or negative. I believe that too.
The Quest for Perfection
Women who have grown up in the past 50 years have been pressured to be a perfect weight and many have suffered inordinately to attain that goal, only to fail on each and every fad diet. They have failed not because they lack discipline, but they fail because the diet is unrealistic, trendy and not honoring who they are and what their bodies need to be healthy and energized.
What would it look like if women abandoned dieting for good and instead began to eat simple whole foods that actually nourish them? Here are just a few of the things I’ve seen them experience:
- gradual weight loss
- reduction in body aches
- more energy
- better sleep
- improved mood
- improved appearance
- more confidence
- more productive
- more resistance to disease
Look at that list for a moment. When women build habits of consistent nourishment through simple whole foods, they bring much more of themselves to the day. That in turn affects everyone around them - family, co-workers and community.
Cathy's Story
I’m thinking of Cathy, a young woman who came for health coaching after giving birth to her first child. She first came because she wanted to lose her “baby weight” in a healthy way, but our work together became much broader. The changes she made had a ripple effect on her child, her husband, her home and even her community. As she changed her food, she became aware of the negative effects of foods filled with chemicals and additives. She began to buy fresh whole foods and avoided hormone and antibioticlaced meats. She switched to glass food containers and organic fertilizers for her lawn. She bought a compost bin to enrich her vegetable garden. She volunteered at community events that promoted healthy clean living. That’s what I call the ripple effect.
The core value at Wellness and You is to support women in making healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices. Having more healthy women can literally change the world for the better.