Foundations Over Fads 

In our ongoing BE-coming journey, it is simple (even exciting!) to get sidetracked regarding the “coming” element, and in the process disrupting our BE-ing. Let’s put an end to – or at least tap the brakes on – that this week. If you’ve missed the BE-Coming columns leading up to this week or want to look back, they’re available here. 

One of the intriguing aspects of health & wellbeing is the shiny object syndrome. Dramatic claims with little to no evidence garner all the attention (I won’t mention the many sacred cows here – we’ll save that for another day) while the most powerful, established, evidence-based strategies get pushed aside in favor of these shiny, but flimsy plastic, objects.  If, instead, we focus on the 4 foundational elements (which we refer to as the Catalyst Cornerstones), we’ll be controlling 95% of the controllables. THEN, if we’ve mastered those 4, then playing around with the plastic toys can provide some fun variety. But when we push the cornerstones aside, we throw away time, money and energy on things that – at most! – have a 1-5% impact on our health, wellness & life.  

Move – Am I consistently active? We’re not talking running marathons – we’re talking about consistent, daily activities, ranging from walking to dancing to gardening to running, weight training, swimming. Whatever brings you joy – and consistent movement (preferably with a notable portion spent outdoors) qualifies here.  

Fuel – Am I satisfying my body’s broader nutrient needs related to veggies, fruits, lean protein and other core elements? Eating satisfies the tongue. Fueling satisfies the body. The goal is to combine the two, but putting the biggest emphasis on our body’s needs over our tongue’s (often nutrient lacking) requests.  

Rest – Sleep and recovery. Simple… yet game-changing in every aspect of life when applied. Sleep literally influences everything we do, and those influences are far from minor. It may be far from shiny, but the closest thing to magic in this world outside of love… is sleep.  

Connect – Speaking of love, we need one another. Relationships matter. Connections matter. That’s why we emphasize the relational component of our coaching model at Catalyst Coaching 360. It makes a difference. Life is difficult – and regardless of how much we value “rugged individualism,” we’re also reminded the personal application about a 3-strand rope being 50% stronger than two strands and many times over that of a single strand. When we first started our wellness company, we emphasized Move, Fuel & Rest. We’ve learned (and the research clearly now supports) how important that 4th cornerstone truly can be. 

We get that. Nothing I’ve written up to this point is a surprise to you – and yet in 10 minutes some influencer or click-bait article will draw you into a new supplement, weight loss plan, breathing technique, detox or some other marginal (or outright illegitimate) claim. We don’t know everything about everything. Maybe some of those things can make a slight difference. But why spend our time on the 1% tweak when the 95% foundational components are staring us in the face?? It’s our choice – and our opportunity…