Breaking Through Wellness Barriers

A Guide to Embracing Your Best Self, Seriously.

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, our wellness journey often takes a back seat. It's not because we lack the desire to improve our health, but because obstacles and challenges seem to tower over our best intentions.

At Odd Balls, we understand these struggles firsthand—not just in creating a snack that's as nutritious as it is delicious, but also in embodying the resilience and commitment it takes to live well. As a cancer thriver, the wellness journey and it's challenges can seem insurmountable at times. (Read our Thriver's Guide to Exercise post)

Everyone's wellness journey is unique to them.

This guide is for anyone who's ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or unmotivated on their path to wellness. It's for "Joe Six-Pack" who just can't get down to 5 beers a day...

Let's explore together how to break through these barriers and make wellness a joyful and integral part of our lives, rather than just another chore.

Wellness Barrier 1: The Time Crunch

Life's pace seems to only quicken, and finding time for wellness activities can feel like trying to squeeze juice from a dried-up lemon. Yet, the essence of wellness is not in grand time-consuming gestures (like reading this blog) but in the simple, consistent practices we embed into our daily routines (like eating Odd Balls😉).

There's always enough time for wellness. It's non-negotiable.

We all have the same amount of time. It's how we choose to use it that separates those of us that do, from those of us that don't.

Regardless of work or other responsibilities, the onus is on YOU.

Action Steps:

• Prioritize with Precision: Choose one small wellness activity you can commit to daily. It could be as simple as swapping a sugary snack for something more nutritious, walking for 10 minutes during lunch, or drinking a glass of water before your morning coffee. Start small and work up. Wellness doesn't have to be 8,000 meter peaks or marathons. Keep it simple.
  

• Efficiency Overhaul: Look for activities that kill two birds with one stone. Listening to an inspiring podcast while walking, for example, can feed both your body and mind.
  

• Non-Negotiable: Treat it like you would a doctor's appointment, or picking your kid up from school, or a meeting with "le toilet". Your wellness is an appointment you cannot miss, it's non-negotiable.
  

When's the last time you missed a meeting with "le toilette"?

Change Image

• Never
• Once when I was...
• I'd rather not say

Wellness Barrier 2: Information Overload

In today’s digital age, we’re bombarded with conflicting advice on what to eat, how to exercise, and ways to unwind. This overload can paralyze our decision-making, leaving us to tread water in a sea of uncertainty.

What happened to getting our information from a library book we checked out weeks ago with stacked up late fees? Now we resort to blogs written by cancer thrivers who love dad jokes...

Action Steps:

• Streamline Your Sources: Identify a few trusted wellness experts or sites and let their voices guide you, rather than the cacophony of the internet. Simplification is key to clarity. Doing a little bit of everything will yield little results. Doing a lot of one thing will be a game-changer. Focus on nutrition and fitness. Rather than search for a "magic" do-it-all pill, simply put that energy into "you are what you eat" and "sitting is the new smoking" mantras.

• One Goal at a Time: Focus on a single wellness goal each month. This could be improving sleep quality, increasing water intake, incorporating more plant-based foods into your diet, or adding mushrooms to your supplements.
  

• Achievable Goals: Keep it light to start with and you'll be successful. Don't start with running 20 miles a day, but instead make it 20 miles a month. Smaller achievable goals are great motivators when you hit them.

Wellness Barrier 3: Missing Motivation

Finding the drive to stick with wellness activities can be tough, especially when results take time to show. Yet, motivation often follows action, not the other way around.

The more you run, the more motivated you'll be to run. If you've been on the couch for 20-years and are still waiting to be motivated here's your news flash: It's not in another bag of potato chips (a wellness barrier for many...)

Action Steps:

• Find Your Why: Connect your wellness activities to deeper personal values or goals. Whether it’s having more energy to play with your kids or creating an objective to work towards so that everyday exercise doesn't feel so mundane. Let these motivations fuel your journey.
  

Mine is skiing. It was my motivator throughout chemotherapy: to get on a stationary bike when I felt like puking, to walk to the end of the driveway when all I wished was for a good nights sleep, to drink ginger and eat tons of veggies in hopes it would create an inhospitable environment for the cancer in my body.

The simple act of skiing brings me so much joy, that it kept me motivated when darkness set in.

• Make It Enjoyable: Choose activities that you genuinely enjoy. If you love being in nature, opt for hikes or bike rides. If music is your thing, dance workouts could be your go-to. If it's cooking, even better! You can spend hours in a kitchen cooking food that's so healthy it's likely to stop climate change.

• Repeat Often: The more you indulge in the thing that brings you joy, the more motivated you'll be to keep at it, over and over again. When you take a break, you forget the feeling of happiness and instead focus on the pain.

Odd Balls energy balls are more fun than a bar...

I believe that wellness should be enjoyable, not a chore. It should be fun, not intimidating.

That’s why I created Odd Balls energy balls, to be a delightfully tasty, fun, and healthy for when you need a pick-me-up.

I'm the one who loves potato chips... So I created an alternative, that's just as delicious, but also good for my health.

Check them out here if you're interested.

Wellness is a personal journey, unique to each of us.

The absolute worst thing you can do is to compare yourself to others. There's never a better time to start than right now. It's actually the perfect time.

I just double checked, yup, starting now is better than if you had started earlier... So what are you waiting for?!

By tackling the common barriers of time constraints, information overload, and fluctuating motivation, we open ourselves to a life where wellness is not just an afterthought but a joyful, integral part of our daily lives.

At Odd Balls, we're committed to supporting you on this journey, offering not just a snack, but a beacon of health, hope, and humor. Together, let's embrace the challenges, celebrate the victories, and thrive in our quest for wellness.

Remember, every small step is a leap towards a healthier, happier you, and a small step is the absolute best step you can take.

Keep thriving, Odd Ball Jon