I was listening to a podcast and the man speaking coughed not once but twice. I sat up straight and I was so uncomfortable because he was coughing through my headphones.  

Not only that, it seems like every morning that I wake up with a dry throat I’m convinced I may have Covid until I drink some water. 

I know I’m not the only one because I saw a tweet from a woman who Twitter said she thinks she has Covid every morning until she has her coffee.

We are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic so we’re all on edge about getting sick with a contagious virus, but I think we’ve become hyperfocused on illness which isn’t healthy.

With the Colder weather and the traditional season for illness upon us, the alarm of illness is only going to grow louder.

I decided that instead of being hyperfocused on illness I am going to become focused on wellness. I am going to promote health instead of fear.

I am not going to join LaLa land and pretend that there’s no virus but I am going to place my focus on being well instead of spending all of the time worrying about getting sick. (For the record worrying and stress is definitely NOT good for your immunity)

Here are some things that we can all do to promote wellness:

  • Eating more Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (This is at the top of my list)
  • Get out and Get some Fresh AIr and Sunshine while you can
  • Staying Hydrated
  • Using Wisdom and Taking Precautions in our interactions
  • Not overconsuming news about the virus.
  • Finding an Outlet

I know people personally who have had the virus and I do know of people who have passed away from Covid so I am definitely not minimizing the seriousness of the virus but this thing isn’t going anywhere any time soon so we better start developing strategies on how to deal with it.

My Mission is Health and Wellness and that’s what I am going to pour my energies into: Releasing the Fear and Promoting Hope in Action

Release The Fear and Hope in Action

When the man coughed on the podcast and I got uncomfortable bis while that was silly, the truth is that it was spurred on by fear.

Fear is big business because it’s easier to weaponize than promoting lifestyle and environmental change for wellness.

When it comes to the roles of Health and Wellness professionals in this pandemic, I think it’s important to empower people with wellness and health strategies

As I wrote earlier this year, as Fitness/Wellness professionals we have a specific role to play in the time of the pandemic.

It is our responsibility to:

  • Coach the Growth Mindset
  • Evangelize and spread the proactive gospel of Boosting Immune Function
  • Advocate Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors with Practical Application
  • Be Credible and Trusted sources of information
  • Be Lights in the darkness

We should not be:

  • promoting fear of weight gain during the sheltering in place,
  • fear of contracting the virus
  • encouraging people to participate in reckless behaviors.
  • Selling Garbage Supplements

As a Health and Wellness professional, I have been thinking lately about how I can help people get their mindset together for the Winter.  How can I help to promote hope instead of fear?

I’ve decided to:

  • Encourage people to not hyperfocus on illness
  • Promote Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors and  Health-Based Environments
  • Share FACTUAL information about the virus and not propaganda or politicized information
  • Promote hope through practical actions not just talk

The last point is my Mission for this Season.  If you have real hope, then your actions will point to that.  Hope is not sitting around waiting for something to happen or burying one’s head in the sand.

Hope is taking actions that reflect what you hope to see!

Let’s all make this our mission in the days ahead!