1) Mindset
One’s mindset must be centered around a desire for growth and development and elevation in every aspect of your life. In order to do the things it takes to get the things you want, one must clearly identify their values, take the time to develop clear, concise goals, and commit to the PROCESS. Change is hard. Change is uncomfortable. Change is necessary. As one of my coaches always says, “Get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” That happens in the mind. And when one can make that kind of mental shift, the world of possibility opens up as wide as the mind can see. Then, continue to use your strengths, and discover new strengths, to get what you want while being rooted in your values and guided by your goals. It is imperative to stay positive throughout the journey to wellness, and know that it takes time.
2) Movement
Our bodies are built to move! The old saying, “Use it or lose it.” is a gold standard! Muscles atrophy, bones degenerate, tissues and cells die without physical stimulation and blood flow. Anything from a walk in the park to hard-core iron man training, the spectrum is wide and limitless! It all depends on a person’s goals. For example, developing a training regimen to run a 5K might include seeking the guidance of a running coach (like myself ;^) to create a plan that caters to your body’s needs and goals, which might look something like this:
- combo of steady state running and speed work 4x weekly
- strength training 2x weekly to strengthen core and lower body muscles necessary for efficient running, as well as to develop integrity in the tendons and ligaments of the ankle, knee, and hip joints
- yoga or a deep stretch routine 2x weekly for focus and lengthening, releasing, and repairing tightly bound and overused muscles
Everyone’s goals and bodies are different. Maybe you’re not an athlete, and you’ve never worked out a day in your life, but you’d like to build to a thriving and sustainable level of health and wellness. Your daily regimen could look like this:
– 20 minute walk in the park or around your neighborhood 4x weekly
– hike once a week
– dancing a couple of times a week
The point is that you must develop a plan of action and regimen that is custom fit for your goals and what makes you feel good. In general, movement is necessary for life. It connects us to our natural selves and is absolutely required for health maintenance and can utilize the body in phenomenal ways to reach our goals.
3) Nutrition The foundation of good health is nutrition. Period. It supports everything we do. Nutrition fuels the body to enable all the systems in our body to function properly at its base foundation. The foundation of everything is nature. Our bodies are of nature, so it would only stand to reason that we put as much of nature in our bodies, specifically plants and water, every single day. Since our bodies are made up of anywhere from 50-75% water (largely depending on age), it’s important to drink as much water as possible. A simple way to evaluate whether or not you’re drinking enough water is to check your urine. The color of healthy urine should be pale yellow to almost clear, if not, you need to consume more water. The more you move and exercise, the more water you need. If your goal is to consume 3 liters of water per day, a great measurement tool is to put 3 rubber bands on a 1 liter bottle of water to represent how many liters you need to drink, once you have completed each bottle put the band on your wrist. This way you have completed your goal and have a way to monitor your success.
Eating the rainbow is another great nutritional strategy to wellness. This will ensure that you are getting the variety of nutrients from nature needed for optimal health. Every color in nature has a specific purpose in the body, and they all work synergistically with one another to allow the systems in your body to thrive! Ideally, focusing on consuming a variety of colors from whole plant-based foods is a much better and enjoyable plan of action to provide the body with great sources of energy, rather than thinking about numbers (calories, ounces, grams, etc.).
Also, we want to get to a place with our nutrition and mind-body connection where we can listen to our bodies and know what it needs. Then, you’re able to indulge in the things you want (that may not be part of your base regimen) because you’ve built a strong foundation and are consistent in making healthy choices that positively serve your mind and body.
4) Breath
Breath is life. Be present and intentional with your breathing. Sometimes, it’s important to tell yourself to inhale and exhale throughout the day to make sure you’re staying connected to your body and letting go of stagnant energy. You can think of it as a sort of “reset button” in the middle of your day! Take a couple of minutes to start and end your day with a body scan–do some deep, intentional breathing, and assess what’s happening in your body from head to toe. Inhale into that particular area, exhale out flowing energy.
5) Play
Make it a point to enjoy life! Take the time to indulge in your favorite pastime that gets you into the fun zone and allows you to let it all go and rejuvenate yourself. And if you can do it out in nature, even better. Just as I mentioned with nutrition, the body is of nature, so immerse it in the elements as much as possible. Also, see if you can find the fun in your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities; who knows what you might discover!
Focused mindset, movement, nutrition, and breathing practices will allow you the opportunity to do all the things that you love with ease. Our discipline to achieve foundational wellness has the ability to transform every area of our lives.
Tilita Lutterloh is an award-winning competitive athlete. For over 20 years she has dedicated much of her life to competing in track & field with the hopes of one day becoming an Olympian. She has ranked 8th in the nation in triple jump, and of course wishes to go above and beyond that. Tilita has recently packaged her knowledge and skills to launch #TILITAFIED, a wellness movement dedicated to building people from the inside out through strength & conditioning programs, nutrition, and values-rooted goal-digging.
Tilita Lutterloh is an award-winning competitive athlete. For over 20 years she has built a career competing professionally in track & field, competing in the Unattached Olympic Development Track event where she ranked 8th in the nation in Triple Jump. Tilita recently packaged her knowledge and skills to launch #TILITAFIED, a wellness movement dedicated to building people from the inside out through nutrition and fitness programs.
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