We are part of The Trust Project.
ROCHESTER, Minn. — What's the one thing in your everyday life that you've always wanted to do, but haven't? I'm not talking about jumping out of an airplane or hiking the Inca Trail. I mean the thing that you know would make your life better, but you haven't taken the time to do it. Or maybe you don't know how to start.
I have two of those things. One is getting physically strong enough to be able to lift and move heavy loads of soil, rocks and other gardening objects by myself without hurting myself.
The second is to finally organize my house in a way that's actually sustainable. Why (I wonder every single day) do I repeatedly allow myself to get annoyed, stressed out and irritated every time I drive into the garage and see boxes of stuff sitting there that we don't need? Or why do I feel like I'm constantly cleaning up after my own messes, especially in the laundry room and kitchen? I know the answer has something to do with the fact that each item does not have it's own proper place, but I've never succeeded in developing a storage system that works for me. Even though I've tried zillions of times.
Those situations are the types of "things" that Goal Getters are going to help you accomplish. And in the process, make your life better and healthier. My wonderful husband (the innocent bystander who gets to experience my frustration when I'm crabby about the mess I made) can vouch for the fact that my blood pressure likely goes up when the house isn't picked up. Stress can erode your physical and mental health.
Over the next several months, I'll introduce you to people who want to accomplish certain health and happiness-related goals. Next, we'll bring in the right experts to help develop game plans and strategies for success, including identifying the tools needed to make the goals happen. Then we'll follow each person through the process. Some of the areas we'll target include fitness, organization, healthy eating, sleep, mindfulness, pet training, gardening and getting those numbers (cholesterol, blood pressure and weight) moving in the right direction for better heart health.
ADVERTISEMENT
Our first project is about getting fit. Not just to look better (that's definitely a major side perk), but to feel better so you'll be able to do the things you want and need to do safely. Wouldn't it be great if you could grab a bag of water softener salt and take it to the basement without having to bug someone else to do it? Or maybe you'd like to be able to reach up and put something that's a little bit heavy on the top shelf of a closet without straining your shoulders.
Rochester, Minnesota, residents Renata Newcomb and Leah Sichler Hearle signed up to be the first people featured on the Goal Getters project. Newcomb is super active with her career and family and wants to be in great physical shape so she can perform at her best in all aspects of life. She teamed up with physical therapist and trainer Sichler Hearle, who assessed Newcomb's current strengths and areas of improvement. Then they identified reachable goals and developed a realistic pathway to success.
You can follow their journey in my weekly columns. Plus, every Tuesday and Friday we'll post a new video and podcast so you can see how our Goal Getters are progressing.
If you want some incentive in order to reach one of your goals, let me know! The Goal Getters might be able to help.
Follow the Health Fusion podcast on Apple, Spotify and Google podcasts. For comments or other podcast episode ideas, email Viv Williams at vwilliams@newsmd.com. Or on Twitter/Instagram/FB @vivwilliamstv.
