End the Cycle

“My dad has to take insulin for the rest of his life. I really want to avoid that.”

“My mom had a stroke a few years ago. I don’t want that to happen to me.”

“It was incredibly hard to watch my uncle go blind from type-2 diabetes and die before his 25^th wedding anniversary.”

“I never knew either of my grandmothers. They both died of heart attacks before I was born.”

Many of my clients come to me eager to make lifestyle improvements so they can avoid the fates of those who came before them.

They often describe the familial patterns they’ve observed. How many of their ancestors struggled/struggle with their weight. How junk food was/is used to celebrate, to soothe, and more. How watching television and other forms of sitting all day were/are the norm. How smoking and drinking were/are all-too-common ways of coping.

As they start to tell me why they want to make lifestyle improvements, they usually start with themselves. Powerfully, they want to add years to their lives and life to their years. There’s so much more they want to experience.

As they go on, they often talk about others too. How they want to be there for their spouses, kids, grandkids, and others. They know the pain of losing someone too soon, and they don’t want to be that pain for their close ones. They usually get a little emotional when they talk about this.

It often goes even deeper. They often talk about wanting to pass on good habits. They want their kids, nephews, nieces, and grandkids to get off to better starts than they did. They know how hard it is to struggle to take great care of themselves, and they want to make it easier for those who’ve come after them. They wisely know the kids in their lives are watching—and absorbing—their every move, and they’re ready to take on the role of role model with great care. They view this like a legacy: “What habits will I leave them?”

It becomes more than about them.

It becomes about breaking generational cycles.

With this powerful why in their hearts, very good things happen.

About Jason Gootman
Jason Gootman is a Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach as well as a certified nutritionist and certified exercise physiologist. Jason helps people reverse and prevent type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other ailments with evidence-based approaches to nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, holistic wellness, and, most importantly, lasting behavior improvement and positive habit formation. As part of this work, Jason often helps people lose weight and keep it off, in part by helping them overcome the common challenges of yo-yo dieting and emotional eating. Jason helps people go from knowing what to do and having good intentions to consistently taking great care of themselves in ways that help them add years to their lives and life to their years.