If you are someone whose New Year’s resolution to get in shape didn’t make it to February, you are not alone. So much of fitness, nutrition, and wellness culture in the United States today focuses on extremes that, for many, lead to burnout and disappointment. But what if we’ve got it all wrong?
On Monday’s show, Megyn was joined by Colleen and Jason Wachob, founders of mindbodygreen and authors of The Joy of Well-Being, joined to discuss how their relationship with health and wellness has evolved over time and how “micro-moments” can transform your day.
A Change of Perspective
The Wachobs may have built a very successful wellness business in mindbodygreen, but Jason was the first to admit that he was not always the picture of health. As he explained, he was flying upwards of 100,000 miles a year as the founder of a startup when an old college basketball injury flared up. “I’m 6 foot 7 inches, so a coach seat is not good for me or the person in front of me,” he quipped. He visited two surgeons about his cranky back and both recommended surgery. While he was not opposed to it, he wanted to try lifestyle modifications first. “Colleen and I were dating at the time and she had a yoga practice, so I said I’ll try it,” Jason shared.
Within six months of doing yoga for 10 minutes a day, he saw an improvement. He also took it a step further. “I went from a guy who consumed way too much meat and alcohol – so much so my face is on the wall of The Palm steakhouse in Midtown Manhattan next to Joe Namath and Adam Sandler,” Jason joked. “I still eat meat but not as much and try to make sure it’s grass fed.” He also prioritized his sleep and worked to get his stress levels under control, which led him to be “completely healed” – sans surgery.
All of this led Jason to reevaluate how he thought about his health. “It was very clear to me that true well-being was this fundamental physical, spiritual, emotional, and environmental well-being – they were all connected,” he shared. “That was a big part of my healing journey.”
Embracing ‘Micro-Moments’
Today, the Wachobs focus is “longevity” and making sure people know that the simple changes are often the most effective. “What’s been so exciting about the science is so much of it points to practices, protocols, and modifications that are low cost or zero cost and require minimal time and effort,” Jason explained.
This is important, he said, because people often feel like they don’t have the means to make changes. “There’s good news,” he said. “There’s so much you can do if you have minimal time or minimal resources.” In fact, it’s about practicality. “It doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think,” Megyn noted. “You say, ‘Oh, eat keto,’ and… my eyes glaze over because I don’t know how to do that and I don’t know if I have the time to even find out – but you have practical recommendations along this route.”
Megyn shared that she’s actually been able to make some small adjustments to her health and wellness routine lately that have already yielded results. While she’s at the beach this summer, Megyn said she has started to incorporate long walks into her fitness regimen. “I’ll walk three blocks and then I’ll do a light jog for three blocks,” she explained. “At first I was kind of ashamed to go from the jog back into the walk… but now I wear it loud and proud because this is my interval training, this makes this whole thing possible for me because I could never go for just a straight jog… and I’m really enjoying it.”
Both Jason and Colleen that Megyn’s approach is the right one. ”I think we’re almost brainwashed into believing we need to add into our existing day to day when the reality is we can integrate these practices into our life,” Jason said. That could mean going for a walk while you make a phone call or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. “These little ‘micro-moments’ add up during the day,” he said. “You don’t have to do much… the benefits are unbelievable, and you can figure out how to integrate that into your existing day.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Wachobs by tuning in to episode 584 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.