Spain’s win was had by a single goal in the 63^rd minute by Golden Boot contender, David Villa. The forward took a shot, which rebounded to a teammate who then slipped it back to Villa with a quick dig of the heel. Villa chipped it in to the goal before Portugal’s valiant goalkeeper could recover from the prior launch.

So graceful, and yet so happenstance, the perfect sequence of actions and reactions which lead to success.

From the viewer’s perspective, it seemed like a complete accident, a pretty high stake for such an important match.

And it got me wondering about probability and success and our lives beyond sports.

For example, the relevance of a soccer game pales in comparison to the significance of our health. How good we feel is the crux around which our entire lives pivot.

Think about it, when you’re exhausted or in pain, getting through the day is a chore, and there’s little energy left big projects or inspired thinking. Yet when your body’s dialed in and your mind is clear, you can enjoy life much more sweetly.

Professionals practice over and over until mistakes are minimized, and the ability to spontaneously adapt to the circumstances at hand results in a favorable outcome.

Likewise if you consistently effort to listen to your body and act accordingly, heeding its warnings and taking good care of it, you can reduce costly slip-ups and avoid a lot of suffering.

And beyond that, a secondary benefit emerges, a magic that happens only through that constant “training”—your body begins to deal with unexpected circumstances in much more skillful ways.

When the ball gets blocked, you can immediately fire in for another shot. If you happen to get sick, your body can rebound quickly and efficiently.

In the U.S. the health trend is reaching obsessive levels as a counteraction to a culture with minimal body awareness.

But by consistently working towards the end in mind, good results become effortless, and health becomes an accident.

The perfect goal is opportunistic, unplanned, but perfectly responsive in the moment. We can train our bodies to be like that, resilient yet adaptive to their environment.

Take a look at some of the recent press around Health Coaches:
• Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks on CNN about the need for health coaches in America.
• ABC News reports on health coaching – what it is and how it can help you.
• Dr. Andrew Weil’s Self Healing magazine reports: “When athletes want a competitive edge, they hire a private coach to monitor their progress. When it comes to your health, using this mindset could also be beneficial. Health coaches are increasingly being hired by corporations to help employees stay healthy and by individuals seeking to improve well-being. For some, these coaches offer assistance in managing dietary constraints (due to conditions such as celiac disease or diabetes), and for others, they might focus on teaching stress-reduction methods. In some ways, the health coach picks up where your physician left off, helping you implement wellness strategies suggested after a check-up or diagnosis.” In the article, Integrative Nutrition graduate Christi Collins recommends finding a coach who has received training from a reputable program, and whose personality resonates with your own.
• CBS News reports: “Congress will miss the boat if it ends up perpetuating a system that reacts to illness rather than preventing it. Chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes wreck our quality of life and cost a fortune. In recent years, a new and intriguing concept has emerged in the prevention and treatment of chronic illness: the health coach.”
• NY Times article on coaches.

Last night I went to my gym around 8:30 pm and the place was packed, as it has been since early January and far more than it’s normally modest levels in November and December.  I was lucky to find a cardio machine.  It is, of course, the surge in members because of well intentioned New Year’s resolutions: This year I’m really going to lose weight, get in shape, etc.

Give it until mid-February, or so, and the gym will be well on its way to far more limited and typical crowd levels.  I’m as guilty as anyone of letting those resolutions slide.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what why it is so difficult to change habits and what makes for sustained change.  One thing I’ve noticed in myself is that it’s helpful to have an emotional support component in place when trying to change old habits. 

Last year, I used the nutritional coaching/counseling services of my friend Megan Groves.  I had known for a long time that a gluten allergy was likely exacerbating my eczema.  But even with that knowledge, my attempts at eliminating gluten fell half-way.  Megan was the first person to help me to actually go off—and stay off—gluten more or less completely. 

I’ve used various forms of coaching for other habits I’ve tried (and am trying) to change and I’ve thought a lot about why I find it so helpful.

I think this type of coaching/counseling works on a few levels:

1) The first level is informational.  Getting access to information about the topic you are dealing with. You can’t begin to make changes until you know what you are dealing with. (E.g. What foods contain gluten.)

2) The next level is developing a strategy about how to implement this information into one’s life in way that actually works.  (E.g. Realistically, I’m never going to bake my own gluten free foods because of lack of time, so what are some alternatives that work within my schedule.)

3) And then there is a more nebulous level of emotion.  And this is where, in my opinion, the real magic happens.  There is something very special about having someone that holds you accountable to changes you want to make. And having that someone listen to your struggles in a supportive way and give acknowledgment when you succeed and support when you don’t. It’s like having someone in your corner. For me it has been a subtle but very helpful extra push.  Or, perhaps more accurately, it has helped me give myself that extra push. 

In the US, I think we tend to discount how important emotional support really is when we are trying to make difficult changes.  We have deep cultural mythologies of rugged individualism and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.  Think of Nike’s iconic ad slogan, “Just Do It,” and how wildly popular that ad campaign was.

But if it was a matter of “Just Doing It,” everyone would be fit, trim, and not smoke—and gym attendance across the country would not begin dropping off dramatically in the next few weeks.

As far as changes in my diet and nutrition, I can say from personal experience that Megan’s help has been extremely beneficial.  If you are interested, she is also offering a free 30 minute intro session.  It’s a no pressure way to see if her work might benefit you and if you and her would be a good match.