by Kim Miller | Feb 19, 2014 | Uncategorized
Back in 1960, the U. S. Navy coined KISS as an acronym for “Keep itsimple, stupid“. It was their design principle during a time when the world was becoming more complex. The KISS principle was a reminder that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complex.
More recently, Steve Jobs reaffirmed the KISS principle. “You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple”, he quoted in an interview for ABC news on October 6, 2011.
I think about Steve Jobs’ quote often. I relate it to things I have and have not done. I understand exactly what Steve Jobs means. I understand that he is saying that it takes effort to reap the benefits of simple. I understand that it is difficult to get to simple in many areas of our multi-tasking lives. I think about my own difficulty with obtaining simple when it comes to skills that do not come naturally to me or that I choose to ignore. I think about the lack of motivation that I may have in implementing things that are not fun or of little immediate interest to me. And I think about my clients and know I share the commonality of aiming to make things simple. Albeit their desires for simplicity are aimed at healthy living simplicity through better eating and exercise planning and adherence, mine are aimed at those tasks of daily living that do not come so simply for me.
Ask my CPA. For years he has been trying to get me to simplify my record keeping for paying Uncle Sam’s taxes. He knows I need help. I have an incredible block about keeping track of my receipts. For a few years I was diligent about maintaining all the information I would need for preparing my taxes – I did change. I was organized. But then, as is the circumstance with many people striving to develop better health skills and habits for the next third to half of their lives, I started slacking. I know better. Old habits slowly creep in and before I am even fully aware, instead of having a shoe box full of receipts, I have them all over the place . . . and with no organization!
The only good that can come out of this lack of continued organizational effort is that I can tell my clients that I understand! And I do… simplicity is a process. Keeping it simple is not something we usually achieve overnight. Yes, it can happen quickly if we are highly motivated. But it will still take a concentrated effort to stay on task if it is not something in our DNA or natural upbringing. It is why Steve Jobs says it takes hard work to get tosimplicity. It is why out Navy coined KISS.
Moreover, do not most of us aspire to simple living? Simple makes our lives freeing. Simple allows us to engage in what really matters to us.Simply opens up the possibility of becoming who we really are, and most importantly, who we can become as the years unfold.
However there is still no easy route to simple for many areas of our lives. In fact, when we think we finally have it in one area of our lives because of hard work and diligence, it often vanishes into thin air. So what do we do? Since this is a health article, the question becomes, “What do we do to create good habits that will last a lifetime, that will give us the best opportunity to live vigorously on our own terms well into the last half of our lives?” And, what exactly are the habits we need to start implementing now in our 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and beyond to give us the healthiest mind, body and spirit of which we are capable?
A recent study reported in the British Medical Journal shows one can never be too old to reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Exercise, eating right and avoiding harmful habits like smoking could help elderly women happily live five years longer and elderly men happily live six years longer. Specifically, the researchers found that exercise seemed to have the greatest association with survival. People who simply exercised whether it was swimming, walking or even doing just stretches — survived two years longer, compared with people who did not do these activities.
For most of us, however, we know we need to do a little more than just easy walking, swimming or stretching for survival. This kind of understanding is where most of us are at. To be comprehensive in our fitness routines we need to include cardiovascular activities that cause us to sweat a little and raise the heart rate. We need the muscular strength and endurance to carry out not just our daily tasks of living, but our daily tasks of living vigorously for all the things we love such as travel, golf, tennis, hiking and even just playing with the grand children. Additional, we know we need the ability to move our bodies with ease and to stay limber for a lifetime of enjoyment and less arthritic pain.
And lastly, we are clear on the importance of not just feeling good from exercising consistently daily, but on seeing the relationship between eating more wholesomely, exercising more smartly, and keeping a cool – clear head on how much we can expect from ourselves in trying to exchange bad habits for good habits in a predetermined length of time. Motivation is key. Awareness is key. Being properly aligned with those that can help are key. And keeping it smartly simple are key!
Regardless, we are all in this thing called change for the next third to half of our lives together! What will we do to get to simple?
by Kim Miller | Feb 19, 2014 | Uncategorized
People often ask me what a health coach does. Usually I give them the text book version. I help people implement strategies to enable them to achieve more than what one could achieve on their own. Today I thought it would be more interesting to show my readers what a typical conversation in health coaching may look like. If you read the conversation below you’ll see that it is a first meeting with a client’s husband who is interested in improving his life, by improving his tennis game. As you will see, the conversation opens up some interesting insight into exactly why Paul is failing at his tennis game.
The goal in the following dialogue is to assess where Paul is at regarding the stages of change and what he actually would like to change. It’s also designed to assess gaps in information regarding his health that he may not be aware of. The questions are open ended to give the most latitude to the person being interviewed. Open-ended questions allow the person being interviewed to speak more freely creating a relaxed atmosphere that is conducive to finding out where, and if, there is a starting point for change.
“Hi Paul, it’s nice to meet you. I am enjoying training and coaching your wife. She tells me you are a tennis player?”
“Yes. Yes, I play a little. At one time, I thought I was pretty good. But lately, not so much so, however I still enjoy the game.”
“Yes, I enjoy tennis a lot as well and play some myself.”
“Well.” said Paul, “It’s a little complicated. My wife is concerned to a degree that my energy level has been low lately. And it has been. My guess is that it that I am just getting older that causes my lethargy.”
“My weight is a little up, but frankly that does not bother me. I think I look pretty good anyways. My doctor says my blood sugar is up somewhat, but advises that we will wait and see what it is next time and to watch the sugar intake in the meantime. Nothing serious. The same with my blood pressure. A tad high but not alarming.
“I guess the reason why I am really here is that I am lethargic a good part of the day. My energy seems low and my tennis is failing because of my decreased energy. I don’t feel old but I wonder if something could be done to help me play better tennis and increase my energy during the day?”
“How great!”, I said, “Increasing energy levels is one of my favorite things to help people with! Everyone thinks I specialize in helping people lose weight and get fit, but really all I want to do is help people feel their “old self again”
“Sometimes,” I said, “feeling better is about losing weight and sometimes it has nothing to do with losing weight. It often has more to do with movement patterns and implementing just a few better eating habits. Everyone is different.”
“What do you think is causing you to lack energy and not play tennis as well as in days gone past?
“Well. I am not certain,” Paul replied. “My job is stressful and sometimes I don’t even want to play tennis because I can’t compete at the level I did before. Guys I used to beat handily are beating me now. I don’t mind losing but it just seems they are not playing any better, but I am slower or something.”
“Yes, slower is seldom a winning strategy on the tennis courts. It is especially tough when you believe your slowing up is not due to aging but rather, as you say, due to lack of energy. However, energy level can be improved. We can get to specifics later on this aspect of tennis.
“You mentioned that your doctor said your blood sugar and blood pressure are both up. Are you aware that there is a corresponding lack of energy that tends to take place when blood sugars and blood pressure are up?
“Really? I did not realize that”.
“Yes! It sounds contradictory, but that your blood pressure and blood sugars are up, in a way, is actually good news. It makes my job a little easier. If you came to me after a great physical with your health numbers and weight perfect then I would have little to work with. Your lack of energy and deteriorating tennis game would be a mystery to solve. Your situation seems to call for a straightforward fix. Fix the blood pressure and the blood sugars watch your energy soar. How does that sound?”
“It sounds great! What do I need to do?”
“Well here are a few questions I am wondering about. They are kind of cut and dry but they will help me to move you forward more quickly if that is what you choose to do of course. And if not, that’s ok too. Would it be ok for me to ask you a few questions regarding your desire to change?”
“Sure that’s fine.”
“On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being highly motivated, how motivated are you to increase your energy levels?
“Well from the little I know now, reducing my blood pressure blood sugars seem doable. Unless you are going to have me running five hours a
day or something like that? What do you think I need to do to decrease these number and how long would it take?
“Those are good questions. It makes sense to know what you are getting into before you decide on how motivated you can be.
“My experience says to give us three months of weekly coaching conversations on lifestyle changes and exercise habits. The weekly conversations will help you determine what changes, changes that you will want to maintain, such as eating more vegetables, will move you towards a better tennis game and health numbers.
“Weekly, we’ll progress your exercise habits taking small incremental exercise steps that will pay off over the 12 weeks. It is finding out what you are doing now exercise-and-eating-wise then tweaking it towards your ultimate goal of more energy. It is an interesting and intriguing process because unlike a personal trainer who tells you exactly what to do, you set the stage for improvements and exercise with a little help of me at our discussions. You will be the captain of this team because that is the way that change is best made. You do not have to be concerned that you will have a will of steel to do this. You will do just fine. I am certain.
“Ok, so do you have a number between 1 to 10, regarding your on the level of motivation to make changes for increased energy?”
“I feel like a 9 or a 10 now.
“Great. I want you to feel like that. In my mind, how we feel is what it is all about- so bring on the tennis boys and give us 3 months for a better game too.
“I am curious though, why a 10 and not a 5 or 6?”
“Well, what you are saying makes sense. I would have never thought that the levels of my blood pressure and blood sugars were hurting my tennis game and causing me to feel lethargic. I thought it was just me getting older. And I have to confess, I did not tell you, but my doctor said I should lose weight and get on a diet. Right now, with your help, I feel I can do that too. They must be all connected, right?”
“Yes absolutely, we can view it that way. Personally, I dislike the word diet. I am glad you came to me more focused on improving your tennis game as opposed to losing weight. When we focus on what really matters in our life the good stuff begins to happen. This is how I see us structuring our time together. Let us not focus on weight, although the weight will come off, and yes, you guessed right, the blood pressure and blood sugar will then come down and because of that, your energy skyrockets and your guy tennis-playing friends get slaughtered! It’s my answer to all the people out there who are just focused on a number on their bathroom scale. I like your thinking. It is the right approach. Oh and by the way, I think this will really be a positive force in you and your wife helping each other to be the best you can be. What do you think?
“I think you are right. Pamela and I enjoy each other’s company. We do a lot together but we never really have been able to exercise and eat better together. I am wondering if that couples coaching would work for us?
Although the above conversation is not exact, it is typical of how I begin to help people explore the possibilities of becoming even more happy, healthy, lean and fit!
by Kim Miller | Jan 19, 2014 | Uncategorized
Exercise is about who you are. Take it up a notch this year by training for a lifetime and participating in a sport/activity that reflects your unique personality.
Happy New Year Everyone!
I hope you enjoy this article. It was a fun one to write and I hope you benefit from it. Let this new year be a fun filled year for you, as you strive to make improvements in your own health and happiness. All my best.
Thanks for reading. It makes all the difference.
As a junior in high school I wrote a paper on the psychology of the female athlete. As an aspiring athlete I knew how important physical training was in preparing for any athletic event. What I did not know was how important the psyche is in training the whole person to perform at peak performance. Today, good coaches emphasize the psychology of sports in training their athletes.
“Just Do It” Is Outdated
Whether you are training for better fitness, weight loss, improved health numbers, to look and
feel better, or for an athletic event, taking cues from top sports psychologists/coaches can help you reach your goals. The day of the “just-do-it” fitness guru is outdated. Smart fitness coaches know that enjoyment and fun is a more sustainable option than the “grit-it-out” without complaints mentality. For those of us in athletics, there are some things we must simply gut out, but unlike people who are endeavoring to obtain health and fitness for a lifetime, gutting-it-out is not the smart way to train.
Today’s savvy fitness professionals, by turning to the psychology department, are doing well in converting wanna-be-fit-and-healthy people and sport amateurs, into lifelong recruits. This perspective is in stark contrast to days gone by where coaches prescribed fitness regimens based on current physical abilities with little regard for the nuances of personality traits or individual likes and dislikes. Grant Leitma Ph. D. in his article “What is the Right Exercise for your Personality” writes, “One of the reasons many people fail to maintain an exercise regime—or even get started with one—is the failure to match their personality with an exercise pattern they will enjoy. If you are having trouble with the whole idea of exercising, it may be because you have not found the right match between your personality type and your exercise type.”
What Kind of Personality Do You Have?
Consideration of personality traits, as well as likes and dislikes, can shape a more sustainable healthy life style. The best strategy is to have a mindset that exercise, like fashion, must be ‘tried on’. Not all exercises, similar to fashions, are going to be one size fits all. Understanding this in a practical sense is where many want-to-be fitness people fail. This is not to say, however that we never change our routines/environments or activities, but it is to say that being cognizant of sustainability, likability, and the fun aspects of training is a hugely important aspect in being committed to a healthy body.
Discover the Nuances of Your Life!
Staying in the game of fitness is about awareness and knowing oneself while recognizing how we may be changing in interests and motivations as life cycles evolve. What once was appealing may lose its appeal as one journeys through life. Accepting this is an important aspect of a lifetime of staying lean, strong, happy, and fit. Months ago, a savvy recently retired traveling business gentleman consulted with me to brainstorm why, upon retirement he lost motivation to work-out. He was mystified explaining that he was avidly anticipating retirement so he could “play” a good part of his day. For years he would rise early and train at the hotel’s gym. He enjoyed it, explaining that for him doing the elliptical trainer for 25 minutes daily, 50 push-ups, 50 sit-ups, and 10 minutes of stretching gave him energy and kept his work day focused. “I really enjoyed doing this routine,” he said, “waking up and starting the day with exercise. Now, I just seemed to have lost all desire to move like this again. And ironically I have all the time in the world now.” Fortunately, through a few conversations he came to understand that people change. Motivations change. Personal engagements with various activities change. With this realization, boom – the lights went off! And we preceded to find several activities that he found to be fun and matched his new retired lifestyle.
Where to Start
Taking cues from our childhood is one of the best ways to begin the process of finding activity we connect with. What was your style of play as a child? Were you the jock who loved team sports? If so. joining an adult sport league may keep you motivated to move more. Undoubtedly, some sports, such as football, are unsuitable for lifetime fitness. Often, however, the culture of camaraderie and competitive play keeps many personality types healthy and active for a lifetime rather than the actual sport. For these people, finding another transitional sport such as tennis, handball, Frisbee, volleyball, or tandem biking that offers teamwork, camaraderie and an element of competitiveness can make the difference between growing older prematurely and growing older with vitality.
Not all people are drawn to team sports and competition. For some people a challenging solo activity is “fun” to them. Yoga, distance biking, weight training, running, and biking are examples. All these activities can be fun with or without groups depending on your personality type. It is important to note if you consider yourself extroverted or introverted. Typically, people have a mix of both personality types so experimenting with these activities both in group or solo form, as well as competitively or non competitively, is an important aspect to consider before deciding whether a new activity will be fun and sustainable.
What’s Right For You Is The Question.
Many other variables contribute to finding the right activity for you. What is fun or enjoyable for one person may cause another to quit on day one. Personality variables such as achievement needs, stress management, self esteem, desire for life meaning, general mood and tension, and playfulness of the person can all contribute to sustainability of an activity and in turn make or break the direction one takes in being fit, lean, healthy, and happy! Experimenting with various types of activities or sports, while considering your individual personality is vital for sustaining health and happiness throughout our lives. Best advice: Keep an upbeat perspective as you find the perfect activity. There is no hurry – fitness and vitality is for a lifetime. To get you jump-started this New Year; follow these 10 Guidelines for a healthy, happy, and successful 2014!
Gotta Do Guidelines
1. Accept the perspective that fitness should be fun and enjoyable.
2. Seek a sport or activity that offers you fun and enjoyment
3. Be active. It makes your outlook on life better.
4. Play daily while you pursue your unique activities.
5. Influence others positively including loved ones by engaging in healthy living activities.
6. Partner with a friend, coach/ trainer, or solo if you are so inclined.
7. Be consistent and persistent in your pursuit of finding the right activities for you.
8. Get started. You will be physically, mentally, and emotionally better next year than you are today.
9. Enjoy the process of seeking an activity that suits your unique personality characteristics.
10. Celebrate this time next year knowing you are better today than you were in 2013.
This year is for you! Rely on your own unique personality traits/lifestyle and never feel compelled to follow someone else’s training and fitness style. Follow these guidelines and know that finding your fitness style and enjoying exercise will have you looking good and feeling great!
