Healthy. Living healthy. This is all the rage these days – especially at the beginning of the new year.

Think about all the fitness centers and gyms popping up on every corner. What about all the new and fashionable diets you can find out there? Have you ever checked out the health/fitness section at the bookstore?

Crazy full of cookbooks, the latest diet plans and all those must have exercise books.

But really, do people really care about “true health”?

Sure, people don’t enjoy being sick, overweight or laden down with disease. They don’t enjoy getting up everyday lacking energy and drive. This really isn’t a way anybody would want to live – but I wonder how many people really long for true and genuine health.

This is what I see – people want something quick and cheap. They want something that can drop numbers on a scale super-fast, but doesn’t require them to put much effort into it. People are looking for a diet that will allow them to eat however they want and justify that it’s somehow healthy. They want to take care of their body without finding out how their body was created to function to truly understand what it needs. Then when they find out what it needs, they find any way they can to make them exempt from those natural laws of science.

I have worked with many, MANY people over the past 7 years and I have found many of these ideals creep up in our sessions, in my classes or in personal conversations.

Does this make people bad? Absolutely not, but I do think it’s fair to say that people aren’t fully educated on what it really means to be “truly healthy”. Because of this lack of education and understanding, my job as a Certified Wellness Coach has become harder over of the past couple years.

I found that for the most part, people have a sincere desire to be healthy, but don’t always have the drive to go about it the genuine way.

Are there any supplements I can take that will make me lose weight? Do I have to pay attention to what I’m eating? What’s on the labels? Where my food comes from? Do I have to start cooking at home again? Do I have to make meals from scratch? How much exercise do I need? Do I have to give up soda? It’s not necessary to give up fast food, is it? Aren’t protein drinks and shakes just as healthy as eating a meal? I can’t afford to eat healthy? Is organic really better? Sugar isn’t that bad, is it? Do I have to give up my late night snacks and desserts?

See my dilemma? I teach people food education. I show people how to prepare healthy meals at home so they can eat real food that tastes good and is healthy for them. I demonstrate how easy it is to feed your kids and family healthy meals without taking out a loan each month. I teach people about the art of planning and the joy of being in the kitchen again.

I don’t teach pills, shakes, meal replacement bars and crazy diet plans.

I am not very popular in many circles, which has brought some discouragement, but I have decided that I will remain solid on my foundation of health and continue to coach the way I always have.

The genuine way.

I’m still of the belief that your body was created with certain needs in place – needs in the form of nutrients, rest, exercise and more. When those needs aren’t met or if they are met in a synthetic manner, the body suffers. Not necessarily immediately (although sometimes this is the case), but little by little the body and it’s systems begin to weaken, become unbalanced, are overworked and eventually get to the place where they can’t function right or on their own.

How do we avoid this cycle?

We avoid this cycle by taking care of our body the right way. We feed it foods that it can recognize and assimilate. We supply it the nutrients it needs in the form of foods and liquids and when necessary, supplements. We move our body everyday. We challenge our body with resistance to build, tone and strengthen our muscles. We give our body plenty of productive rest and sleep. We learn how to handle situations in life without the need for stress and anxiety.

None of these can be supplied in a pill, daily shake, replacement bar or insane diet.

In 2016 I will continue to teach genuine health. I will teach the importance of eating the right way. Choosing healthy foods and preparing them in the way that will provide your body maximum amounts of nutrients. I will continue to teach that exercise and daily activity is important. I will teach that compromising your health with yo-yo dieting, replacing meals with man-made powdered drinks and expecting supplements to give your body all the nutrition it needs – is wrong thinking.

I will teach how to love yourself enough to take care of yourself. I’ll show you how learning the “why” for your life can bring clarity to the importance of a healthy lifestyle. I will teach how to value your life, so that taking care of you and your family is an investment – not a waste of money or a waste of time.

May 2016 be a fresh start for you! Remember the past is….well, the past. Don’t let past failures or mistakes stop you from moving forward or trying again for the 47th time! It’s not always easy, but it’s doable and I plan to walk with you throughout this year imparting as much wisdom on this subject as I can.

Keep your eyes open for information for our 28 Day Total Body Reset that starts on January 11th! It will be the first of four challenges that we will be hosting this year and we’d love for you to join on as you begin this amazing journey!

Until then,

Laugh often. Love deeply. Live on purpose…everyday!

xo Kari