Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from our Building Wellness from the Inside Out workbook and training program. If you like what you see here, download a free copy of the workbook to see if you would be interested in providing the Building Wellness book and training program for employees at your facility. 

Building a Wellness Plan

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blue print, and then begin to build.”

~Robert Collier

Building Block #1: Face the Truth

When I enter a final destination address into my GPS, it first calculates my current location before it gives me the directions and road map. Considering where we are and where we want to be is an important initial step that we must not overlook. Taking an “inside-out” approach to my personal health means to start first with myself, to take responsibility and remove the excuse list that serves as a barrier to my improved health and wellness. Only after the “excuse” and “blame” factors are identified and eliminated can I go to work on building a better plan for my health.

Some may be afraid to get moving in another direction because of past failure. I understand that feeling, been there and done that. But friends, we can do absolutely nothing about the past. It’s over. Done. May I suggest that you bury your past today? Do it, and this will allow you to take control of your future. You can make changes that will stick, changes that will have a great and positive impact on your future. You can make changes in your life and lifestyle—just give yourself a chance.

Building Block #2: Identify the Reasons

The next question to address is not “How?” or “What? It’s “Why?” Having a powerful reason to make important changes in your lifestyle is something that no one can give you. I encourage you to take time to identify some powerful reasons to make changes in your lifestyle. When you identify reasons that are important enough, you will be better equipped to handle the inner battles that will inevitably take place as you seek to form new habits.

Like me, maybe your “why” is that you are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. Maybe it’s being there for your family. Maybe it’s keeping your job. Living longer and healthier. Looking better on the beach. Here’s another important “why.” We are living longer, but we are not living healthier. We are aging prematurely in this country, and the decline in health that we see around us is not related primarily to chronological age. Abnormal and early loss of functional health is caused by lifestyle diseases.

Early aging leads to a lower quality of life in the last years of life, which is very sad indeed. One of the most important reasons to build a good wellness plan is so that we can live a longer, healthier, and happier life. Lifestyle determines the aging process, not merely the number of years that we’ve lived. There’s an important difference between lifespan (how long you live) and health span (how long you stay healthy). It’s very important to keep the difference between the two very small, a good wellness plan will help us do just that.

What are your reasons?

Building Block #3: Decide

The next step toward positive change is making a clear and definite decision that you are determined to do something, or to stop doing something. Back in my days as a professional football athletic trainer, our coach was Marv Levy who later led the Buffalo Bills to four Super Bowls. I’ll never forget what Coach Levy frequently told our team. He said, “It’s not enough to have a desire to win, guys. Everyone has the desire to win, but not everyone is willing to do what it takes to win. Are you willing to do what it takes? That means doing the simple things, the daily disciplines needed to become a winner.

You need to do the little things in the fitness center, at the dinner table, in every practice, and on every play. The little things aren’t that hard to do; it’s just easier not to do them.” A desire to be healthy is not enough—desire is not what gets you there. The question we all need to ask ourselves is: Am I willing to do what it takes? It’s easy to do something when you feel like it. When you don’t feel like it, you need to draw upon the power that comes from having made an “all in” decision.

Based on the strong reasons you’ve identified and the decision you’ve made, you’ll force yourself to do it even when you don’t feel like it. I’m telling you, this attitude can change the whole direction of your life. So, here’s the question I had to ask myself. Am I willing to develop the simple daily disciplines needed to be healthy? It’s an easy question, with a simple “yes” or “no” answer. Decide today that you are going to take action toward your better health and say, “Yes, I am ready to do this now. I’m all in.”

Building Block #4: Study Wellness

I would encourage you to become a serious student of health and wellness. If you have a strong desire to be healthy, then you need to study health. Building Wellness from the Inside Out is only one person’s viewpoint. You need to gather from a wide variety of viewpoints, and then make informed decisions for yourself. Here are some ways that you can learn from others:

• Learn from others by reading books, articles and blogs about wellness.
• Learn by listening to the wisdom and folly of other people.
• Learn by observing the habits of healthy and unhealthy people.

Make it a habit to capture all the knowledge you can. Make it a daily goal to take at least a few minutes to build your wellness  knowledge base. This will help you stay on track and keep you motivated. Study with discernment and consider the source, and then use all the information that you’ve gathered to build a wellness plan that will work best for you.

Building Block #5: Set Goals

Now is a great time for you to set a better sail for your boat. I believe that setting clear goals is vital. Perhaps the biggest reason that most people fail to change lifestyle habits is that they don’t clearly define any goals. Success comes from knowing exactly where you are going, how you are going to get there, what you plan to do along the way, and who will be coming along for the ride. We need to have very specific, written goals and objectives when it comes to building a better plan for our wellness.

Work on setting specific goals today. Begin with the end in mind. What exactly do you want? Write it down. Then, set a deadline date for accomplishing your goals.

When the deadline date arrives, you’ll either wish you had or be glad that you did.

Building Block #6: Plan for Wellness

Investing the necessary time to properly plan for wellness is essential. If you grab the cart in the grocery store with no healthy meal plan in mind, you will be tempted to just grab whatever looks good to you even if it is not the healthiest choice. Likewise, if you don’t have an exercise plan it’s very easy to let it slide.

For me this is a weekly and daily habit that is done with pen and paper, actually writing down my plan for each week and each day on paper. I spend some time on Sunday evening to plan my week in advance, and then each evening during the week I make my “to do” list for the next day. Included on this list is my plan for meals and exercise, in addition to the other things that I need to do for work and home. This technique helps me see exactly what I will be doing in advance, and the process keeps me focused and very intentional about my choices.

When I determine my day in advance, I find that I’m much less likely to make poor and impulsive choices. I know what I’m going to do, and I simply execute the plan. At the end of each day, I can easily take inventory of my performance by comparing my plan with my actual choices.

Building Block # 7: Keep Score

I highly recommend that you use the journal that we have included in the next section of this book. Try it for the next 30 days, and see if you don’t find it to be very valuable. Journaling is a great way to keep track of what you eat and how much you exercise, and will really help you stay on top of your goals. It’s a vehicle for daily self-accountability.

It’s fun to use a journal as a scorecard, checking off the items accomplished on the list throughout, or at the end, of the day. At the end of each day… I know the score.

Building Block #8: Win the Inner Battle

A constant battle is going on inside of us which determines the choices that we make. Which will we choose…a doughnut or apple, the couch or exercise, Mountain Dew or water, ease or discipline? The path of immediate gratification and least resistance pulls hard on us. Each day we encounter choices that will lead us toward good health, or alternatively toward disease. We know deep down that we need to fight our tendency to take the easy road, and become disciplined instead.

The building blocks for wellness that we’ve discussed previously in this chapter will help you win this inner battle and make good choices. But there’s one more important building block that will help you win the daily inner battles that you will undoubtedly face.

It is this: Don’t go on this journey alone. Recognize that you need help from others to keep on track. Don’t be afraid to ask others to help you, and bring them along if you can. It’s more fun than going at it alone, and I believe you will find inspiration and motivation from being a part of a united effort.

If you have a belief in God, I would encourage you to ask for His help. I realize that this is a workplace taboo, and I certainly don’t intend to offend anyone or impose my views. My desire is to tell you what helps me stay on track, and then you can take it or leave it. I believe we are made with a mind, body and spirit that are interrelated, inseparable and work together in an amazing way. Our health has an effect on our spirit, and our spirit has an effect on our health. Scripture encourages us to treat our bodies like a temple, with the utmost respect and care, so it makes sense to me that God will help us with this when we ask.

Building Block #9: Execute the Plan

The process of changing your health begins and ends with action. Action is the ignition switch, the spark that will bring to you inspiration, accomplishment, and improved health. Our goals determine our actions, and our actions ensure the desired result. The fact that you are reading these words tells me that you are ready to take action. The end of this book is the start of your journey. I’m thrilled for you. You are on the way toward building wellness from the inside out.

Now, I urge you to take the next step. Grab a pen and let’s go to work.

“We must all suffer from one of two pains, the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces…regret weighs tons.”

~Jim Rohn