“I want to change the way I look but I just can’t give up the foods I love.” How many times have you heard that one? Even worse, how many times have you said that one?
Millions of Americans want to change the way they look, eat and spend their free time either because of a personal desire or for health reasons, so what’s the hang up?
“For most, it comes back to a confidence level issue,” says Ray Lloyd, founder and certified health coach with Glacier Healthy Living. “Male or female, once they hit that first bump in the road they consider it a failure. For those that can get over that fear of failing, they’re the ones that can make healthy lifestyle changes that really last.”
Ray Lloyd as Glacier in his professional wrestling career. Today, Lloyd is a certified health coach and teacher living in Avalon Park.
A former professional wrestler for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) at the height of its popularity from 1996-2001, Lloyd (or Glacier, as he was known back then) now holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in health and physical education. For more than 15 years he has been showing grade school students and clients of every body type and every age the keys to making small changes in their daily routines that pay huge dividends.
After leaving the professional wrestling world full time, Lloyd decided to put his affinity for health and wellness to work on a more personal, private level. He began by teaching health and physical education classes to children and middle and high school, but recently he has taken the next step. While still teaching he has explored his inner entrepreneur and created his own health oriented lifestyle coaching business.
But for him, starting his own company was about more than helping others (although that’s a big part of it), it was about making sure they don’t have to go through what he had to growing up.
“I know what it’s like to be fat and unhappy with yourself,” he says. “I was pretty overweight as a child. Today my mother struggles with diabetes in part because of how she eats and my father died of heart disease at 57-years-old. Those events alone motivate me every day to be as healthy as I can be so I want to do the same for others.”
According to Lloyd, one of the most effective methods to change food and fitness habits is to carefully think about what it is you want to accomplish and then set a plan. Set attainable goals for yourself to boost confidence and build up to taking that first step – no matter how small it may be.
“As people get older, they get set in their ways – sometimes to the point where they think that first step is a lot harder or more challenging than it really is,” says Lloyd. “They equate trying something new with trying something difficult, especially when the word ‘exercise’ comes up and that’s just not true.”
By taking “baby steps” to reach a goal or change a habit you aren’t giving up things you love according to Lloyd, instead you’re making daily adjustments. “It’s simple and we’ve all heard it before, but the truth is, it works if you stay dedicated you can lose weight, increase flexibility and balance and even gain lean muscle.”
Taking small steps to achieve a larger goal is how Lloyd built the Glacier Healthy Living program, and it’s one that seems to work well for the new upstart company. “It’s not about being a drill sergeant or yelling at people, you have to find what works for them and what will motivate them because even with the same goals, same weight, same height and same personality, no one is identical,” he says.
One of the keys to his early success with the business has been taking a key principal he teaches to clients and applying it to his business model. “I tell everyone that it’s all about keeping your goals in perspective, in life or in business,” he says. “If you want to make a change you have to have a plan to keep you on the right track. Even if you’re just making these small adjustments every few days, a plan will help you achieve your goals no matter what you’re doing.”
Article by Corey Gehrold
