Gut Check: What's Your Motivation to Get or Stay Healthy?

A close friend of mine has worked in the health promotion world for several years now. She acts as a wellness coach for her company's clients, who are mid-sized to large companies with a large pool of employees. While she loves her job, she used to struggle to get through to many of her clients and create lasting change beyond the standard insurance loopholes and contests. The problem was, her company trained her to either preach to the choir (the client already wanted to lose weight or live a healthier life), or her advice would fall on deaf ears (the client had no interest in changing their lifestyle, no matter what benefits were promised).

The tide turned when she started asking clients what they wanted on their tombstone. She wasn't being morbid, she was digging for what mattered in her clients' lives.

Rather than only focusing on eating healthfully and adding exercise, this tactic moved many of her clients to action. People told her that they wanted to live long, healthy lives so that they could support and enjoy their families. If you can find motivation in this way as well, you can take heart that there are plenty of small changes that add up to longer, healthier years. Standing at work instead of sitting is one, choosing fresh fruit over a piece of cake another -- but you won't do these things for long unless you keep your motivation fresh in your mind! What motivates you to get or stay healthy?

More information on how to get healthy at work is at TheHumanSolution.com.