Use the player below to listen to the discussion:
Our July YPN Breakfast
– Lifestyle & Wellness
– explored how REALTORS® can maintain healthy lifestyles. Some of the topics our panelists discussed included: eating habits, building a workout regimen and the importance of establishing a routine. A recap of June’s YPN Breakfast
is available here.
This month’s panelists included:
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- Jordan Pyle, Keller Williams Chicago-Lincoln Park, moderator
- Gideon Akande, Fitness & Wellness Coach
- Tiffany Louise, Lifestyle Coach
Stories Block Your Progress – Move Past Them
Jordan Pyle said it best: in an industry consumed with building our professional resume, we often forget to take care of ourselves along the way. When trying to find a healthy, happy lifestyle alongside the hustle of your career, the most important mindset is to treat self-care as a non-negotiable.
Tiffany Louise said what she looks for when helping people change behaviors is what is sustainable, unlike the weight loss competition show
The Biggest Loser.
“The truth is, that type of motivation doesn’t work very long term,” she said. “You see these people return to the stress and behaviors — oftentimes, though not all the time — following the show.”
Louise said all of the issues we’re working to create change in can find a root in mental health. Sometimes fear and competing values can get in the way of those changes. Whenever you’re struggling with moving towards a positive behavioral change, she said to ask yourself, “What is a story about the discomfort of the change?”
“If we want to start working out more and we’re telling ourselves a story of ‘We will be embarrassed when we go to the gym, I will be humiliated in this Zumba class, I’ll never get there,’ it’s just a story that’s blocking us,” she said.
She said parents can tell themselves stories, too, and their progress can be impeded by conflicting values. Parents who want to put their family above everything else may feel guilty about using some of their limited free time to exercise.
“It’s very difficult when those are their operating values, so we have to find a way to ensure those values do no compete so we can find movement,” she said.
A solution: Take your child with you on a walk or find other ways to incorporate them into your exercise routine, which Louise said also works to educate your child on the importance of physical health.
Establish a Routine
Pyle said there’s a misconception that a morning routine has to be long.
Gideon Akande, a fitness and wellness coach, said that with his first client appointments at 5:45-6 AM, he has no time or interest in doing anything in the morning besides showering and getting out the door. Akande said morning routines are more likely to stick if they’re tailored to the person following them.
“As REALTORS®, it’s all about the energy you give,” Akande said. “You always have to be on, don’t you? Your smile has to be there. And even though they’re thirty minutes late, you have to pretend like it’s no problem, right? Exactly. So, establishing a routine that will give you the most energy and allow you to give the most energy will be the most successful.”
He prepares the night before. He plans what equipment he’ll need, what clothing changes he’ll need to make, what meals and snacks he may need to pack— and packs them. That way, his morning and the start of his day stays stress free.
The same strategy can be applied to your day. Prepare the night before, like Akande, or the morning-of with snacks and a lunch. You can put a cooler in your car to keep a sandwich cold and study the menus of your usual fast food stops so you know what your healthiest options are in a pinch!
Be A Mindful Eater
When it comes to the many diet trends sweeping our social media feeds — Keto, Paleo, Whole 30— your ultimate goal should be to discover mindful eating habits you can sustain.
Akande tried the Whole 30 diet earlier this year. He said the most impactful part of the diet was in the supermarket aisle.
“I had to read the nutrition label on everything,” he said. “And I got a very quick understanding of what is in everything and started to feel what everything does to me.”
Akande and Louise said they can’t recommend a specific diet as a magic bullet. Louise said if we believe we have to subscribe to a certain plan in order to trust ourselves, we’re in a tough spot.
“We get so into ‘right’ or ‘wrong,’ and I think that mindset is really creating a lot of sickness in our culture,” Louise said. “Food is not bad. Macaroni and cheese is not bad… I don’t feel great after I eat it, so I only do it a couple times a year.”
Stay true to your operating values.
Louise doesn’t work out to get a specific outcome, because they’re not “in line” with her values. She said she’s watched others toil toward toned abs or legs and “they’re still miserable, it’s funny how that works out.”
When she works out, she makes sure it’s something she likes to do and that it always honors her operating values – in other words, the things that are most important to her.
“When I go to workout classes, I know the people and the people know me,” Louise said. “That point of connection pulls you in.”
Akande said your body understands physical stress such as muscle contractions, but it doesn’t know if you’re in a Zumba class or Cross-fit – so do something you enjoy doing.
“So if you want to dance, dance your heart out,” Akande said. “If you want to lift heavy weights, throw them all over the place – but do something that will allow you to consistently do it, because that’s going to take you to that point of success.”
Join us next month for
YPN’s August Breakfast – Building Your Team on Wednesday, August 29. Registration is complimentary for CAR members.
