There are AT LEAST three reasons to include a “health and wellness” component with your personal (and professional) development plan. When you press “PAUSE” and reflect on WHY you’re studying your health habits, mindset, and results, you’ll find immediate benefit. Here are 3 reasons to make the most of this month’s Get Momentum Leadership Academy Theme “The Wellness Advantage.”

1. Weight Loss

The easy one to point fingers at, and the hard one to control. Weight loss is about a good many factors, this month we’ll address all three: Nutrition, Movement, and Rest. After you’ve met with a doctor/wellness professional, and have the clearance to start working on this stuff, work on your weight loss methods.

In January, here’s what I did (Jason): took alcohol out of my diet completely for a month; ate a minimum of 5 servings of fruit/vegetables a day; worked out a minimum of 75 minutes, more than 4 days each week; went to sleep when I was tired, and got up without an alarm clock. It was a month-long reset…Oh, and I lost 7 pounds between December 23rd and January 31st.

2. Stress Relief

This month’s focus is on wellness, and that includes our minds and our hearts as well. Stress doesn’t just go away on it’s own. And, it doesn’t show up on it’s own, either. The BEST thing I (Jason) can do to identify my stress is to make a list of things that are “stressing me out.” Big, little. Personal, professional. Long term, short term. I’ve got to see it, so I can feel it. Make sense?

Again, check with your doc to make sure it’s ok to work out BEFORE reading the rest of this…studies have shown that intense workouts produce cortisol, “the stress hormones.” So, if you’re not in a place of wellness - mind, body and spirit - then suddenly starting a workout routine will just continue to weigh you down…and stress you out!

3. Socializing

Call someone and invite them out to for a walk. Sign up for a local 5K walk, and post it on Facebook. Do a google search for “hiking group” in the city you’re traveling to next. Stop by a running/outdoor store while you’re on a work trip. Bottom line: If you want to go far, and get better, go together. Joining a group, signing up for an event, or even hosting an outing (think a group walk at lunch at work!) is a great way to meet and expand your circle of friends.

What Do the Pros Say?

Heather Kampf is a professional runner from Minneapolis, MN. At not even 30 years old, she’s won gold medals and even won three races in three days back in January, 2015: the Bermuda Invitational Mile, 10k, and Half Marathon. This year, 2016, she won the mile race for the FOURTH time, finishing in less than 4 minutes and 43 seconds! She gives some advice here:

Go Long. Go Hard.

I found this comment she made, “Even while training for the mile, I do weekly long runs of 12 to 15 miles.” For those of us who won’t ever run a competitive mile, here’s my thinking: “There are things you do in sprints (lead challenging meetings, have difficult conversations with your partner/spouse, handle incredible stress and overwhelm) and the long, hard work you do prepares you to be able to do all of that…better.

Go up. Go down.

Heather has talked about doing “plyometric drills” in an article I found in Runner’s World. I love this quote, “Besides giving me a stronger, more powerful stride, they reinforce good running form…” Here’s our question, “What are the ‘drills’ you need to do, so that you’re ready to perform when it’s time?”

Go out. Stay out.

Heather has been quoted many times on staying out there a “little more” than what’s comfortable. If she’s consistently running 4:35, 4:45, 4:55 miles, why should she spend hours a week running? She says that she has a workout that “grinds on you like a race; you have to focus on trying harder just to keep the same pace.” I happen to know MANY of you need to do this kind of mental AND physical training to be ready when the time comes.