Hi! My name is Karl Henry and I have one goal in my work life – that goal is to share 26 years of health and wellness experience with as many people as possible.
This is to help everyone live better, live longer, live healthier and to make it so simple that each person feels empowered to make simple changes that work in the real world.
I am so delighted to welcome you to my new weekly column in Irish Country Living.
Every week, I will be bringing you different aspects of health and wellness, breaking down the topic with what you need to know and sharing simple ways to make some changes that will help you become healthier and well.
You see, health and wellness often scares people. It can confuse people and make them feel that it is something that is incredibly hard to accomplish or that it is expensive to do so.
I hope to prove to you that it is the very opposite – simple, doable and something that can be improved upon. With some really simple changes in your day or week, you can dramatically change your health for the better.
Answer this question
My first question to ask you is: what does health actually mean to you? And not in a really flippant way, but why do you want to be healthier? What would it improve in your life? What would improve in your day or your week as a result of being healthier?
For some, it is having more energy, for others it is sleeping better or being able to lift the shopping out of the car. What about helping you deal better with the stress of the world around us? Or needing less medication or even saving money on your food shop?
Surprised yet? You see these are all aspects of health and wellness. It is not just weight and waistlines, though they can be important, as I will be telling you all about in the coming weeks. But real wellness is broader than that.
It is one of the main reasons people fail at improving their health and wellness, they try to change without creating a strong reason first. The stronger the reason, the greater the chance of change
By identifying what it means to you and why you want to get healthier, you are creating a deep rooted reason that means something to you. When something is important to you, you are far more likely to make those changes.
It is one of the main reasons people fail at improving their health and wellness, they try to change without creating a strong reason first. The stronger the reason, the greater the chance of change. When you have that reason, they why not make it visual? Having a picture, poster or image to represent that reason and seeing it every day can have a powerful impact on your motivation. Commonly called a vision board or action board, imagery will help you stay focused and keep you working towards that goal.
Karl Henry preparing for his swim; below, Karl swims 20km from Baltimore to Fastnet.
I will tell you mine. I injured my back a few years ago and made the switch from running marathons to long-distance sea swimming. One of my fascinations is lighthouses and over the last few years I have swam the Galley Head lighthouse 10k swim in west Cork and the 21km Fastnet Lighthouse swim from Baltimore. Lighthouses make me feel safe and I just have a grá for them. This year, I plan to swim the 42km Baltimore-Fastnet-Baltimore swim.
How to find your lighthouse
Why share this with you? Well in my wellness centre in Clonakilty, west Cork where I work from, I have three large pictures of Fastnet Lighthouse on the wall. I see them every day, filling me with fear and awe in equal doses. Seeing them helps me to stay motivated, to go to the pool when I really don’t feel like it, to lift weights when I’ve had a tough day and to stay focused on my goal.
So this week, I am asking you to have a think about your goal, your lighthouse. Spend some time thinking about it, curate it and make it visible.
I am so happy and feel so lucky to be able to take you on a journey to better health and wellness each week. Until next week, slán.
NEXT WEEK: Karl reveals the four simple tests and exercises to assess and improve fitness.
SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW:Introducing Irish Country Living’s health & wellness coach – Karl Henry
QR code.
Hi! My name is Karl Henry and I have one goal in my work life – that goal is to share 26 years of health and wellness experience with as many people as possible.
This is to help everyone live better, live longer, live healthier and to make it so simple that each person feels empowered to make simple changes that work in the real world.
I am so delighted to welcome you to my new weekly column in Irish Country Living.
Every week, I will be bringing you different aspects of health and wellness, breaking down the topic with what you need to know and sharing simple ways to make some changes that will help you become healthier and well.
You see, health and wellness often scares people. It can confuse people and make them feel that it is something that is incredibly hard to accomplish or that it is expensive to do so.
I hope to prove to you that it is the very opposite – simple, doable and something that can be improved upon. With some really simple changes in your day or week, you can dramatically change your health for the better.
Answer this question
My first question to ask you is: what does health actually mean to you? And not in a really flippant way, but why do you want to be healthier? What would it improve in your life? What would improve in your day or your week as a result of being healthier?
For some, it is having more energy, for others it is sleeping better or being able to lift the shopping out of the car. What about helping you deal better with the stress of the world around us? Or needing less medication or even saving money on your food shop?
Surprised yet? You see these are all aspects of health and wellness. It is not just weight and waistlines, though they can be important, as I will be telling you all about in the coming weeks. But real wellness is broader than that.
It is one of the main reasons people fail at improving their health and wellness, they try to change without creating a strong reason first. The stronger the reason, the greater the chance of change
By identifying what it means to you and why you want to get healthier, you are creating a deep rooted reason that means something to you. When something is important to you, you are far more likely to make those changes.
It is one of the main reasons people fail at improving their health and wellness, they try to change without creating a strong reason first. The stronger the reason, the greater the chance of change. When you have that reason, they why not make it visual? Having a picture, poster or image to represent that reason and seeing it every day can have a powerful impact on your motivation. Commonly called a vision board or action board, imagery will help you stay focused and keep you working towards that goal.
Karl Henry preparing for his swim; below, Karl swims 20km from Baltimore to Fastnet.
I will tell you mine. I injured my back a few years ago and made the switch from running marathons to long-distance sea swimming. One of my fascinations is lighthouses and over the last few years I have swam the Galley Head lighthouse 10k swim in west Cork and the 21km Fastnet Lighthouse swim from Baltimore. Lighthouses make me feel safe and I just have a grá for them. This year, I plan to swim the 42km Baltimore-Fastnet-Baltimore swim.
How to find your lighthouse
Why share this with you? Well in my wellness centre in Clonakilty, west Cork where I work from, I have three large pictures of Fastnet Lighthouse on the wall. I see them every day, filling me with fear and awe in equal doses. Seeing them helps me to stay motivated, to go to the pool when I really don’t feel like it, to lift weights when I’ve had a tough day and to stay focused on my goal.
So this week, I am asking you to have a think about your goal, your lighthouse. Spend some time thinking about it, curate it and make it visible.
I am so happy and feel so lucky to be able to take you on a journey to better health and wellness each week. Until next week, slán.
NEXT WEEK: Karl reveals the four simple tests and exercises to assess and improve fitness.
SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW:Introducing Irish Country Living’s health & wellness coach – Karl Henry
QR code.
SHARING OPTIONS