Triage Your Health

Triage is a medical term defined as “the process of determining the priority of patients’ treatments based on the severity of their condition. This rations patient treatment efficiently when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately.”

This idea can transfer easily to thinking about your health and fitness. Have you ever said to yourself “enough is enough” now is the time for me to get in shape once and for all?! And then, feeling motivated and proud, you simultaneously cut all carbs, sugar, alcohol, and “foods that are bad for you” out of your diet, sign up for a gym membership and work out for a couple hours a day in an attempt “work off” months (maybe years) of unhealthy decisions.

How long did that last? Were you able to sustain that extreme diet and exercise routine consistently for a long period of time? Or after a few days were you so exhausted, sore, and generally unhappy that you decided that maybe you were doing just fine before and go back to your old ways?

Instead of that all or nothing approach, use the “triage method” to do an analysis of your current health.  Pick the health concern of the highest priority to address first to help you slowly change your lifestyle, one aspect at a time until you eventually become a healthier, happier person. Doing this will set you up for success by making changes gradually so that you can create habits before adding in additional components.

It’s normal to feel frustrated when changes don’t happen quickly, but keep in mind: it took you months, maybe years of living an unhealthy lifestyle to get here, so positive change is not going to happen overnight. But, it definitely CAN HAPPEN, with some commitment and perseverance. And SPOILER ALERT: anything worth having in life doesn’t come easy. So now is the time, let’s get started making small steps in the right direction

1. Get a handle on your nutrition. We happen to have an amazing nutrition coach on our staff who helps her clients make healthy lifestyle changes that avoid things like crash dieting, expensive supplements, or feelings of being deprived. Even better, she is kind enough to share some of her secrets through our free blog each week.

2. Get up and move! Even if it is walking down the street 100 feet before turning around to come home. Get on your feet and walk. Each day, walk a little bit further. Maybe you add in a bit of jogging one day. Maybe you do some jumping jacks during commercial breaks while watching TV. The point is you do SOMETHING. And each day you do that SOMETHING just a bit longer until you can’t imagine not incorporating movement into your daily routine.

3. Start adding simple strength movements. Body weight lunges, squats, push-ups, and sit-ups or leg raises are all great exercises and involve ZERO EQUIPMENT. You can get a quick workout in before you jump in the shower in the morning or during your lunch break. It only takes a few minutes, and since you have already generated a strong foundation of cardiovascular strength from completing step 2, adding some resistance training will be a great addition to your other exercise. If you would like us to send you two weeks of absolutely free workouts to your inbox that you can do at home, sign up by clicking here.

If you have successfully mastered those three steps and are ready for more, get in to the gym! Our experienced team of coaches can help you pick up where you left off and continue seeing results. Plus, our welcoming community is like having your very own built-in support team. Starting in the new year, we will be offering a limited number of six week journey packages which includes varying levels of personal training, group memberships, and nutrition coaching, depending on your level, budget, and specific goals. Click here to schedule your FREE no-sweat intro (as always, there is ZERO sales pressure), and let us show you how we can help you get strong and healthy, and finally create the lifestyle you have always wanted.

Some takeaways:

• Trying to change every single aspect of your life overnight isn’t healthy and isn’t sustainable.

• Decide what is the most pressing concern for your health: nutrition, movement, etc. and consider the “Triage method”. Change ONE THING AT A TIME until habits are formed before adding in something else.

• Think about how long it took you to get where you are today. Change (and results) don’t happen overnight. It isn’t going to be easy, and it will take a lot of commitment. But we promise it is 100% life changing and worth it to make your health a priority.  

• If at any time you would like our team of coaches to guide you step-by-step through this process, click below to schedule your no-sweat intro.

Further Reading

1. Why Your Shouldn’t Wait Until January to Begin Training