Reflecting on 100 Episodes
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About the Show
We’ve reached our 100th episode!
On this episode, Chuck Gaidica reflects on the last 100 episodes sharing a few takeaways we’ve learned over the years producing the show.
In this episode of A Healthier Michigan Podcast, we look back on episodes featuring:
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- Goal setting
- Physical and emotional well-being
- Positive psychology
- The importance of taking control of our health
Transcript
Chuck Gaidica:
This is A Healthier Michigan Podcast, episode 100. It’s a little different today. We’re going to be reflecting back on some previous episodes for you and we’re celebrating. Yeah. We’ve made it to an episode 100. Can you believe it? And we’re shooting for another hundred, so we’re glad you’re with us today. I’m Chuck Gaidica, and every other week, we sit down with health experts from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and we always talk about things that are related to your health and wellbeing. And remember, we’ve got 99 episodes in the can that you’re able to pick out and use on your jog or your walk or even riding your bike indoors. So make sure you do that because we’ve had some great guests and great content and a lot has changed over the past four years since starting A Healthier Michigan Podcast. Who could have imagined how the world as we’ve come to know it would be like it is right now in 2022?
This is A Healthier Michigan Podcast, episode 100. It’s a little different today. We’re going to be reflecting back on some previous episodes for you and we’re celebrating. Yeah. We’ve made it to an episode 100. Can you believe it? And we’re shooting for another hundred, so we’re glad you’re with us today. I’m Chuck Gaidica, and every other week, we sit down with health experts from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and we always talk about things that are related to your health and wellbeing. And remember, we’ve got 99 episodes in the can that you’re able to pick out and use on your jog or your walk or even riding your bike indoors. So make sure you do that because we’ve had some great guests and great content and a lot has changed over the past four years since starting A Healthier Michigan Podcast. Who could have imagined how the world as we’ve come to know it would be like it is right now in 2022?
Chuck Gaidica:
Before the pandemic you were working out, you were trying to eat right, maybe you were staying up to date on doctor visits. And then all of a sudden the whammy, everything changed. We had to start staying in place. We found maybe new ways to maintain our health. And whether it was expanding your cooking skills, being inventive with the way you approached your fitness or even exploring telehealth options to maintain open communication with healthcare providers, so many things have changed, and I’m not so sure that they’re all so bad. There’s been a lot of good that’s come out of this. So no matter how we approached it, one thing is certain. Individual health and wellness became a daily thought in everyone’s mind. We still talk about it. So how’re you feeling? What’s going on in your life? And I think that’s maybe one of the good things. We’re caring about other people.
Before the pandemic you were working out, you were trying to eat right, maybe you were staying up to date on doctor visits. And then all of a sudden the whammy, everything changed. We had to start staying in place. We found maybe new ways to maintain our health. And whether it was expanding your cooking skills, being inventive with the way you approached your fitness or even exploring telehealth options to maintain open communication with healthcare providers, so many things have changed, and I’m not so sure that they’re all so bad. There’s been a lot of good that’s come out of this. So no matter how we approached it, one thing is certain. Individual health and wellness became a daily thought in everyone’s mind. We still talk about it. So how’re you feeling? What’s going on in your life? And I think that’s maybe one of the good things. We’re caring about other people.
Chuck Gaidica:
So throughout the years, A Healthier Michigan Podcast has been dedicated to bringing you consistent insight on health and wellness through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and community experts to deliver information in hopes of helping anyone listening to live a healthier life. And now more than ever, we understand the importance of being proactive with our health and wellbeing. And we encourage others to do the same.
So throughout the years, A Healthier Michigan Podcast has been dedicated to bringing you consistent insight on health and wellness through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and community experts to deliver information in hopes of helping anyone listening to live a healthier life. And now more than ever, we understand the importance of being proactive with our health and wellbeing. And we encourage others to do the same.
Chuck Gaidica:
You know, when we started this podcast, we weren’t certain what was in store for us. With every episode, we walked away with a new healthy habit though, and we either found use for it in our own lives, or maybe it was something we could share with others. And we’ve learned so much over these last 100 episodes. We’ve come to understand that when it comes to our health, everyone’s experiencing their own health journey, right? It’s not a straight line. Sometimes there’s a zig or a zag, and that’s okay. And we’re grateful if we have been able to be part of your journey at any point along the way.
You know, when we started this podcast, we weren’t certain what was in store for us. With every episode, we walked away with a new healthy habit though, and we either found use for it in our own lives, or maybe it was something we could share with others. And we’ve learned so much over these last 100 episodes. We’ve come to understand that when it comes to our health, everyone’s experiencing their own health journey, right? It’s not a straight line. Sometimes there’s a zig or a zag, and that’s okay. And we’re grateful if we have been able to be part of your journey at any point along the way.
Chuck Gaidica:
That said, there are a few things that we’ve learned that we wanted to share with you as we look back over a hundred episodes of our podcast. And so wherever you are in your journey, it’s important to remember that we need to focus on setting some goals. We can start at the grand level, that’s okay. Make sure they’re doable goals, but what if we start at the micro level? So we needed somebody to help us understand that. Here’s Cindy Bjorkquist.
That said, there are a few things that we’ve learned that we wanted to share with you as we look back over a hundred episodes of our podcast. And so wherever you are in your journey, it’s important to remember that we need to focus on setting some goals. We can start at the grand level, that’s okay. Make sure they’re doable goals, but what if we start at the micro level? So we needed somebody to help us understand that. Here’s Cindy Bjorkquist.
Cindy Bjorkquist:
Don’t set something so out of place and so large that you can’t achieve it. You need to set small, winnable, achievable goals called micro goals in order to get you to your long-term goals. So if a person’s not exercising at all, they might set a micro goal of, I’m going to go for a walk five minutes every single day. Or I’m going to walk for 15 minutes every single day. Or I’m going to walk for five minutes the first day, 10 minutes the second, and they increase and increase and increase and you celebrate those micro wins.
Don’t set something so out of place and so large that you can’t achieve it. You need to set small, winnable, achievable goals called micro goals in order to get you to your long-term goals. So if a person’s not exercising at all, they might set a micro goal of, I’m going to go for a walk five minutes every single day. Or I’m going to walk for 15 minutes every single day. Or I’m going to walk for five minutes the first day, 10 minutes the second, and they increase and increase and increase and you celebrate those micro wins.
Chuck Gaidica:
So this idea of goal setting is a crucial step in maintaining and improving our health. The most important thing to remember, right? If you’re simply going to be starting, that means you’re beginning something. And for a lot of us, that’s the first step in goodness, right, is getting something started. It can be as simple as going for a walk. To do that, you got to get to your front door. You’ve literally got to start something and then maybe you step into nature and oh, watch out how good that can be. Here’s Dan Muncey and Paul Yauk with more advice on that.
So this idea of goal setting is a crucial step in maintaining and improving our health. The most important thing to remember, right? If you’re simply going to be starting, that means you’re beginning something. And for a lot of us, that’s the first step in goodness, right, is getting something started. It can be as simple as going for a walk. To do that, you got to get to your front door. You’ve literally got to start something and then maybe you step into nature and oh, watch out how good that can be. Here’s Dan Muncey and Paul Yauk with more advice on that.
Paul Yauk:
You know what I see? Some people are almost scared, but start slow. We talk about your own front door.
You know what I see? Some people are almost scared, but start slow. We talk about your own front door.
Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.
Yeah.
Paul Yauk:
Start at your steps and then walk to the corner, walk to the mailbox, walk somewhere, and then build on that. So start small and then go out and then get your friend. Well, let’s go to the county park. Well, you know what? I’ve got a rec passport on the back of my car. We’ll go out to a state park and just take advantage of those opportunities.
Start at your steps and then walk to the corner, walk to the mailbox, walk somewhere, and then build on that. So start small and then go out and then get your friend. Well, let’s go to the county park. Well, you know what? I’ve got a rec passport on the back of my car. We’ll go out to a state park and just take advantage of those opportunities.
Dan Muncey:
And I’d like to echo that, Paul, because that was a great opportunity that I had with my friends. You know, as I started doing this for my own self, just finding time to get out in nature, rehab my knee, just finding different ways to exercise. And now I have a group of friends that we might get together on the weekend and actually drive somewhere different. We were up and hike the Petoskey State Park the other weekend and it was beautiful and it’s just overwhelming.
And I’d like to echo that, Paul, because that was a great opportunity that I had with my friends. You know, as I started doing this for my own self, just finding time to get out in nature, rehab my knee, just finding different ways to exercise. And now I have a group of friends that we might get together on the weekend and actually drive somewhere different. We were up and hike the Petoskey State Park the other weekend and it was beautiful and it’s just overwhelming.
Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.
Yeah.
Dan Muncey:
What we have available to us.
What we have available to us.
Chuck Gaidica:
And when you’re out walking with your buddies, you were saying earlier that you actually start sharing things about life.
And when you’re out walking with your buddies, you were saying earlier that you actually start sharing things about life.
Dan Muncey:
Yeah, absolutely. I think in a lot of ways, I think my hike started for my physical wellbeing and now it’s more my mental wellbeing. So this whole wellbeing mindset of thinking that I’m sharing some personal stories with my friends. And it’s just been amazing to have that, those companionship out on the trail. And obviously we’ve share some funny stories too, but it’s something that I feel like I wouldn’t get nowadays being able to connect with my friends like that, undistracted in nature.
Yeah, absolutely. I think in a lot of ways, I think my hike started for my physical wellbeing and now it’s more my mental wellbeing. So this whole wellbeing mindset of thinking that I’m sharing some personal stories with my friends. And it’s just been amazing to have that, those companionship out on the trail. And obviously we’ve share some funny stories too, but it’s something that I feel like I wouldn’t get nowadays being able to connect with my friends like that, undistracted in nature.
Chuck Gaidica:
And isn’t it funny how in today’s world, we hear a version of this phrase, let’s be in the moment. Be in the moment with your spouse, be in the moment with your God, be in the moment with your friends and with you guys here right now. But when you’re out in nature, even if you’re by yourself, talk about being in the moment.
And isn’t it funny how in today’s world, we hear a version of this phrase, let’s be in the moment. Be in the moment with your spouse, be in the moment with your God, be in the moment with your friends and with you guys here right now. But when you’re out in nature, even if you’re by yourself, talk about being in the moment.
Chuck Gaidica:
So throughout this series, we’ve talked about this idea of let’s get in the moment with each other, being present with ourselves, with others and how important and impactful that is for our emotional wellbeing and our mental health. And then there are these other times that we can step into something and lose ourselves. And that’s okay. I’m talking about the upside to that, finding something that we love so much, whatever that is for you, right? For my wife, it could be sewing. For a buddy of mine, it’s working on his car. All of a sudden you lose track of time. You’re doing something you love and you get in what’s called the flow. Listen to Dr. Ronald DeVries talk about that.
So throughout this series, we’ve talked about this idea of let’s get in the moment with each other, being present with ourselves, with others and how important and impactful that is for our emotional wellbeing and our mental health. And then there are these other times that we can step into something and lose ourselves. And that’s okay. I’m talking about the upside to that, finding something that we love so much, whatever that is for you, right? For my wife, it could be sewing. For a buddy of mine, it’s working on his car. All of a sudden you lose track of time. You’re doing something you love and you get in what’s called the flow. Listen to Dr. Ronald DeVries talk about that.
Dr. Ronald DeVries:
Flow is kind of described, it wasn’t invented by no means, but it was described by a psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and what he noticed when he was studying what we call positive psychology, the things that make life more meaningful and beneficial and happy, he discovered this idea or describes this idea of flow. And we’ve all had it. It’s that time in our lives where we’re so utterly immersed in a task that we’re oblivious to the outside world. We’re so interested in what we’re doing that time seems to either just fly by or time is so slow because we’re so concentrated, it’s just clicking. And we’re in our element, and it’s very much related to pleasure. He will even use the word ecstatic. And writers will talk about this. Painters will talk about this, but we’ve all had these at different times in our lives where it just, you know what? It’s working and I’m flowing. I love that description. I’m just in flow.
Flow is kind of described, it wasn’t invented by no means, but it was described by a psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and what he noticed when he was studying what we call positive psychology, the things that make life more meaningful and beneficial and happy, he discovered this idea or describes this idea of flow. And we’ve all had it. It’s that time in our lives where we’re so utterly immersed in a task that we’re oblivious to the outside world. We’re so interested in what we’re doing that time seems to either just fly by or time is so slow because we’re so concentrated, it’s just clicking. And we’re in our element, and it’s very much related to pleasure. He will even use the word ecstatic. And writers will talk about this. Painters will talk about this, but we’ve all had these at different times in our lives where it just, you know what? It’s working and I’m flowing. I love that description. I’m just in flow.
Chuck Gaidica:
So whether it’s for our mental health or our physical health, the most important thing is that we are able to take control. It’s really important in life that we feel like we’re in control of something, right? It’s something that we own. Something that we are the boss of, we’re in the driver’s seat. So when it comes to getting in shape, feeling healthy, looking better, getting our mental health put together, this is something that we can control. And that itself is impactful. Listen to Anne Marie Wakula.
So whether it’s for our mental health or our physical health, the most important thing is that we are able to take control. It’s really important in life that we feel like we’re in control of something, right? It’s something that we own. Something that we are the boss of, we’re in the driver’s seat. So when it comes to getting in shape, feeling healthy, looking better, getting our mental health put together, this is something that we can control. And that itself is impactful. Listen to Anne Marie Wakula.
Ann Marie Wakula:
So I like to say you think of yourself in the driver’s seat of your own physical and mental wellbeing. So you are in control of improving your body, improving your lung capacity and creating ease of function as you age. So being able to walk up and down the stairs and things like that are things that we need to do throughout our entire life. So you are in charge of your outcome and how you create that is, you know, what does it look like for you and how do you enjoy that?
So I like to say you think of yourself in the driver’s seat of your own physical and mental wellbeing. So you are in control of improving your body, improving your lung capacity and creating ease of function as you age. So being able to walk up and down the stairs and things like that are things that we need to do throughout our entire life. So you are in charge of your outcome and how you create that is, you know, what does it look like for you and how do you enjoy that?
Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. And you mentioned something and I know you’ve helped create this online series, Fitness Over 40 with ahealthiermichigan.org, right? So you talked about as we age, and I think for many people, that’s something where, well, they want to lose a little weight or they want to change their diet, calling it lifestyle change, For others, many of us it’s simply, I want to maintain my balance. I want to be able to pick up a grandkid. There are practical reasons for us to be fit.
Yeah. And you mentioned something and I know you’ve helped create this online series, Fitness Over 40 with ahealthiermichigan.org, right? So you talked about as we age, and I think for many people, that’s something where, well, they want to lose a little weight or they want to change their diet, calling it lifestyle change, For others, many of us it’s simply, I want to maintain my balance. I want to be able to pick up a grandkid. There are practical reasons for us to be fit.
Ann Marie Wakula:
Absolutely. It’s just that. I want to be able to be active with my kids, my grandkids, walk up down the stairs, sit in a chair and get up with ease and then finding basically what their why is and what your why is, and moving forward from there, what motivates you and how do you stay motivated during these workouts and things like that.
Absolutely. It’s just that. I want to be able to be active with my kids, my grandkids, walk up down the stairs, sit in a chair and get up with ease and then finding basically what their why is and what your why is, and moving forward from there, what motivates you and how do you stay motivated during these workouts and things like that.
Chuck Gaidica:
So finding your why is a great adventure, right? We’ve had national motivational experts talking about this question. What’s your why? Well, for me, maybe for you, finding your why is critically important. All I have to do, it’s kind of simple. I look at pictures of my spouse, my kids, my grandkids. That’s my why. I want to live a long, healthy life and be here to watch them grow up. Well, for me, that’s enough. And maybe it is for you too.
So finding your why is a great adventure, right? We’ve had national motivational experts talking about this question. What’s your why? Well, for me, maybe for you, finding your why is critically important. All I have to do, it’s kind of simple. I look at pictures of my spouse, my kids, my grandkids. That’s my why. I want to live a long, healthy life and be here to watch them grow up. Well, for me, that’s enough. And maybe it is for you too.
Chuck Gaidica:
When it can comes to our fitness journeys, we often need to find our why for doing something before we get started. But as stated before, it is so important that we start something, right? You got to start it to begin the journey. So let’s get on it. And whether you need some encouragement, you need guidance, you need great ideas, we are here to be your partner in improving your health and wellbeing.
When it can comes to our fitness journeys, we often need to find our why for doing something before we get started. But as stated before, it is so important that we start something, right? You got to start it to begin the journey. So let’s get on it. And whether you need some encouragement, you need guidance, you need great ideas, we are here to be your partner in improving your health and wellbeing.
Chuck Gaidica:
This podcast will continue to be a consistent, trusted source to help with your health goals. In fact, we would love to hear from you. We really would. We want you to give us some input, connect with us on our social channel. Visit our blog, leave us a voicemail. Whatever it is, we hope that you’ll be with us and here is to the next 100 episodes. Be well.
This podcast will continue to be a consistent, trusted source to help with your health goals. In fact, we would love to hear from you. We really would. We want you to give us some input, connect with us on our social channel. Visit our blog, leave us a voicemail. Whatever it is, we hope that you’ll be with us and here is to the next 100 episodes. Be well.
