Why Living Your Values is the Key to a Healthy Lifestyle – Episode 11

This is Monica Frederick and you are listening to imperfection with intention, the show where we have honest conversations about help and tips for you to live a life of intention that you love all while knowing it’s okay not to be perfect. And today on the show I have a lifestyle coach and the brains behind Ellie B. Healthy living Ellie Berlin. So like most people who get into helping other people live a healthy lifestyle. Ellie started on her path when she realized she wanted to become healthier. And during her journey she learned that help is so much more than just fitness and nutrition. So now Ellie works as a lifestyle coach and she focuses on teaching a more holistic approach to health. So not only just including fitness and nutrition, but things like spirituality, finances, and just overall mindset. And she says she acts as a guide and helping people set up their life. So with sustainable you can find her and more information on her at this week’s show. Notes at monicafrederick.com/ep11 .

so let’s get into it.

Monica : So thank you so much for being on the show. I’m so excited to have you on just because you’re a health lifestyle coach and I really respect that and I love anybody that can go and teach somebody how to live a better, healthier lifestyle for themselves. So I’m always really excited to have guests on who do that and who lived those values as well. So for anybody listening that doesn’t know who you are, who are you and what do you do? How did you get into the lifestyle coaching space?

Ellie: Yeah, so my name is Ellie Berlin. I am Ellie B. Healthy living on Instagram. And my story basically started with the way a lot health stories start. Just that I was unhealthy. And so, I had basically a cycle of, of illness that was throughout my life and led to sort of a pinnacle, I was at the point where life was just too difficult because of how I felt and the abilities, my body sort of lacked. And so I started basically just diving into health when it came to really just the physical part of it. So the nutrition and the fitness and that’s how I got into it. And I started my Instagram with just like healthy recipes and sort of fitness nutrition tips, you know, which was really fun. But then as it expanded, my view of health expanded as well. And so it went from just this physical thing that you’re taking care of your body to all of a sudden we really need to be taken care of, our emotions, our relationships and our finances. Every single thing in our, in our lives. Um, and I just saw this sort of door open up to what health really could be and really that it’s aligning with who you are becoming and, and taking little steps daily to get to that point. And to me that’s what health means is really like setting ground to take those steps to become exactly who you want to. And so, when all of this happened and I had sort of all of these correlations and just started learning more and more, I realized that one of the things I was talented at was coaching people through this. And so, yeah, that’s how my brand was born and now I am a healthy lifestyle coach.

Monica : Oh, that’s so great. And I love your story just because it’s, I see myself a lot in that story, like you talk about, how, like in my story it’s very similar. Like I felt really unhealthy. just had a moment where I’m like, I have to change. And then at first you really think it’s just like, okay, well if I eat some, eat some Kale and I do some squats every once in awhile, that’s all I need to do. Right? And it’s like, well, actually no, there’s a lot more that goes into health than just your body, like being able to make your mind healthy as well. I just, I love that just because I think we all, everybody kind of goes through that situation. So since you’ve started your healthy lifestyle coaching, what types of patterns have you seen in people? Why do people originally come to you?

Ellie: Yeah. so the thing that I have seen over and over again so far is just that people had a point in their lives where they felt really good and somehow they’ve deviated from that in some way or another and they’re like, I just don’t know what it takes to get back there and why I have deviated from that. And to me a lot of times it comes back to this like fundamental thing of almost spirituality where people feel that they aren’t enough or they aren’t worthy of that. And so, um, really filling that gap between where they were and how much even better they can be then where they were before and that worthiness gap in between and making sure that they know that they are enough and, and aligning those sort of like a granular things along the way to get back there or even to get further than that.

Monica : I think it’s funny how some people, like most people will just of kind of look a little bit surface level and be like, oh, you know, I was so healthy back then. I looked so good and like, man, what’s going on? I wish I could do that again. And it’s like, well actually there’s probably something a little bit deeper that we need to deal with first and then that might lead to the better body. But more importantly it needs to lead to better health. So when you talk about self doubt, we all just as human beings, I know we all go through that and that’s just something that we all deal with in our own separate ways. So what are some things that you tell the people that you work with, like tips for them to get through that self doubt or that feeling of holding yourself back? How do you help them through that?

Ellie: Yeah. One of the first things I do with my clients is take them to this very like
fundamental level of what are your core values? Let’s to the bottom of that.

Ellie: That’s right. That’s right. And when you’re so fully rooted in who you are and exactly what your values are, it’s really hard to be shaken from that. And it gives you a little, not a little, it gives you a lot more clear vision of where you’re going. And so the step between become a lot easier and simplistic and sort of laid out instead of, you know, having to think through every single goal and objective. It just becomes, okay, each decision is based on these fundamental things that I have in my life. And so the end vision is there at all times.

Monica : Makes me think of like somebody who is trying to like set goals and, try to better their life. So that just seems so overwhelming because I always believe that when you set goals for yourself or any intention for yourself or anything like that, you need to have your big goal and then you need to be able to break it down and have like emotion behind it so that way, you’re committed to it. But any tips from you for how, if people have like a big goal in their life that they want to accomplish or maybe they’re like, okay, well I am going to focus on my core values and my core value is doing x. Like what would be your tips for being able to actually follow through with them.

Ellie: yeah, absolutely. I think one of the things we get caught up, especially in our generation of sort of this like world of entrepreneurs and things like that, right? Like we get really caught up in the hustle of things and we get really caught up in the crossing it off the list sort of thing. Like where we’re making goals and list to have them and it makes us feel better in the moment. But when you really think about that long to do list, is it really making you feel accomplished and better when you’re really, when you have that in front of you at all times, then you have to believe that over into the next stage and the next day. I think something that people can focus on more is just that long term vision and then taking it one thing at a time and really being patient and graceful with yourself to take it one thing at a time and really not try to t type, you know, tackle every, every problem and every thing aspect of, of life at once.

Ellie: So like I talked about, I, I deal with this emotional, financial, physical, every, every piece of health. But sometimes that means tackling just the aspect of sleep from an emotional and physical level for, you know, several weeks at a time. I think we let ourselves get overwhelmed by the big picture sometimes forget how important some of these fundamental things are. And if we go back to those basics over and over and over again, we’re going to get to those long term goals. But I sort of uh, go back to this thing a lot of like the tide rises all boats, right? Right. Yes, yes, absolutely. So even like for me sometimes my fundamental things on my quote unquote to do list are like make your bed, drink water. You know, it’s like it doesn’t have to be these grand jury things. Sometimes those basic basic things that we’re forgetting are really the key to step by step making it there.

Monica : Oh, I absolutely agree. Like if you can’t just take care of your own body, then you’re not going to be able to tackle that big picture because you’ll be too busy being dehydrated. Yes, exactly. Great. I think just being able to focus on the small things or being able to be okay with doing something that seems menial, being okay with checking off the to do list that isn’t like something that you plan six months out in advance. Like how that sounds great, but sometimes you’re absolutely right in this kind of generation that we are in with the entrepreneur, just like the hustling Hashtag Hustle Hard, you know, yes. Living like that, you know, it’s almost like if you don’t feel like you’re hustling, then you’re kind of shaming yourself.

Ellie: Yes, absolutely. And I see that so often and I have to check it in myself as well. Like we don’t give ourselves a lot of grace. And I think if we were to focus more on living into exactly where we’re going and living into like the elegance and grace of the possibility of it all and allowing it to be easier, allowing it to be more flow and less about the got to get this done right now, deadlines sort of thing. Because I think there is a lot of cultural, uh, you know, just value built up into this hustle thing that we’ve been taught.

Monica : Yeah. If you’re not, I always, um, thought about when I was, me knee deep in my career, I always thought about where I wore the, um, amount of time that I spent on my job as a badge of honor. Oh yeah. How busy I was as a badge of honor. And I feel like if we can have more open and honest conversations with each other about, you know, what, I don’t feel good when I spend a bunch of time at work or I don’t need to.

Monica : Yes. Having conversations like that is going to really kind of be able to lift us all up. Yes. I love that. So kind of swept, shifting gears a little bit then. So before we started recording, you had mentioned, um, living a sustainable lifestyle. So that’s an interesting phrase to me and I think that sustainability can be a lot of different things. Um, so what does that mean to you?

Ellie: Yeah, sustainability to me just means being conscious. Just really allowing yourself to think through the decisions you’re making and the way it impacts your worldview. And so to me, what if my, one of the things I care about is sustainability in an environmental sense. And so when I choose to not recycle that thing that I could have taken four more seconds to unwrap the wrapper off of. And you know, and if I, if I do make that decision not to recycle that thing and take the time, it’s going to impact my alignment. It’s not just a like a, like a shame or guilt that I’m not helping the planet. It’s, no, this is a value of mine and I’m not living into that fully and say,

Monica : you guys can’t see me, but I’m like clapping my hands, raising them up. I’m like,
Hallelujah. Thank you for saying that. I love that.

Ellie: Yeah. And to me it is this bigger picture of the earth, but it’s, it’s, it’s this internalized thing to that that I genuinely care about that and that I care for our planet and that I want to be in line energetically with that. And so the decisions that I make day to day, even in little things like the makeup that I buy or like the containers that I, you know, tried to use or not use, all of that small decision making, which is exactly what I’m talking about, ball, that’s all. It’s all small decisions that are made up into big things. So that’s what sustainability is to me. It’s not being perfect by any means. It’s just knowing what’s in alignment for you and making those choices consistently over and over again, even when it’s not necessarily the easiest thing to do.

Monica: Oh, absolutely. I hundred percent agree. I think that when you make these conscious decisions to live your values or when you make a conscious decision not to live your values, it’s almost like letting yourself down a little bit. Like yes, you’ll let down because you’re not living up to that core value. And you know, thinking about, um, I think in this day and age, especially with the amount of, um, education and the amount of information there is on the Internet, the rise of conscious consumerism is yes, definitely on its way up. So I think the more and more that we are able to access information, like whether it be about animal welfare or the um, the environment and like how much plastic waste we’re producing, even all the way down to just reading the ingredients that are in your Mascara or things like that. I think people are really starting to focus on that. So, you know, I, I do love that you mentioned that because I think, like I said, it all just comes back to what’s important to you and are you living through that? Are you actually embodying what’s important to you?

Ellie: That’s exactly it. That’s it.

Monica : Thinking about people that you work with who I imagine they probably come to you and they feel just really overwhelmed or they just feel a little bit lost or probably on multiple
levels about different things. So what are some easy things that people could do maybe
who are listening now that they could start to do to start living that healthy lifestyle that
actually serves them?

Ellie: Yes. Yeah. I think there are several layers to this. So the first one I think is just being
actually willing to get vulnerable with yourself and being willing to actually examine
your life as is versus what you want to either think it is or hope that it will be. So really taking a look at what is your day to day look like and does that really align with the
things that you’re saying that it is to yourself or where you’re going. Um, and then once you get to that point and are able to lay it all out for yourself, going back to your values, it’s like I was talking about how, how does that align with what you’re currently doing versus what you could be doing and adjusting that. Um, the other simple thing, it’s a little less high level is really spending time in the morning setting aside time, like
whatever that needs to be. If it needs to be journaling, it needs to be meditation. If it needs to be prayer, if it needs to be just saying to yourself in the shower or whatever, it
is time to come back into yourself. In my experience, we wake up in this autopilot mode where, um, especially if we’re hurried in the mornings, we wake up in autopilot and then we can go through the whole day without being like, oh, I need to connect to
myself, connects to I am. Um, so I also have journaling prompts, um, that I help clients with that helps with this sort of thing. If they’re, you know, needing a little bit of guidance and maybe I can get you a, a link to that. Um, but I think, yeah, journaling,
journaling is a really good one. Meditation, prayer, just a moment to connect with who you are. Um, and then the other things are physical. They’re just really simple. You know, there are a million scientific research studies around all of these things and all of these things have a lot of different it comes down to sleep well, eat well, drink water, and move your body in some way. So when we’re talking about the physical aspect of its it’s just making sure that those pillars are there and then everything else can follow as well.

Monica : Isn’t it funny how sometimes the solution to what seems to be just a huge problem, it’s just these really simple things. Yes. I just, there’s so much simplicity in that, but it is really true and if you actually focus consciously on doing these things every day, you really, really will see that difference. And I, I like how you mentioned being able to connect, connect with yourself and having that morning routine. Like it makes me think about like the book about you know, Seven Habits for successful people or whatever. And I know that they talk about like being able to have like a really great routine and early and things like that. And it’s funny because I think of myself, I think I’ve like everybody, we all have those days where we get up and we’re immediately around people like we don’t have any time to ourselves. Like we are not able to even disconnect whatsoever because even in the times that we need to, five minutes that we get run to the restroom, even when we’re sitting in a stall, we’re on our are on our phones looking at basically.

Ellie: Yes.
New Speaker: So being able to disconnect in that way and being able to do what you need to mentally.
Um, because I think people are again a little bit more ready to work on the physical part
because it’s you know more to do or like checking it off your list and that type of aspect, oh I can check mark like eight glasses of water but it gets a little bit deeper when you’re talking about like being able to meditate or doing what you need to spiritually. So I
really liked that you brought that up.

Ellie: You know the other thing too that I always talk about, I think making your bed in the
morning can make such a huge difference in not just your morning and your day but like your life truly you are setting yourself up for success. Like by making your bed when you wake up it’s going to just change your day and just trust me on this one. If you don’t make your bed right now, make your bed for 30 days, stick to it. Like practicing that self discipline, self discipline. It’s also, it’s also doing something for your future self because you’re going to come back to that bed at night and want to get in it. And it’s like an, it’s like a, it’s sort of self care love gesture thing where you’re, you get to come back to this nicely made bed that you already prepared for yourself and you are checking one thing off your list already of the day. So that’s very true. Like you’re starting out on a really great fun and you’re making sure that your nighttime self who’s probably exhausted and
may have been running around like crazy all day, that you come back to a space that’s really comforting for you and not disheveled and crazy. Because if you’re looking at that then you know you might be able to draw some parallels to what’s going on in your own
head, right? Like yes.

Monica : Oh so good. I love that. So for anybody who is thinking about trying to get a lifestyle
coach, what are some things that they should be looking for when they are looking for a coach?

Ellie: Yeah, I think we live in a really interesting age where social media plays such a huge part in this kind of thing. And I honestly, I think you just need to make sure you’re looking for someone that speaks your language as it were when it comes to what you’re looking for.
If you’re looking for something that’s very straight forward, very nutritional sort of, um, that route, that’s what you should be looking for and follow them and see that you
know, that they’re authentic over time and then, and then dive into that. If you’re
looking for something a little bit more, you know, in the spiritual realm of things, make sure that they’re talking about those things on their Instagram or on their youtube
channel or whatever it might be. That’s the, the way of the world now. So I think just making sure that you, you respect someone cause I think that’s a big part of it too. If you go in without the, the mutual respect already, it’s going to be really hard for you to make an adjustment, um, based on their recommendations. And so making sure you’re in that space of respect as well as openness to hear and do new things.

Monica : What are you excited for intro for the rest of the year in 2019?

Ellie: I mean, clearly I’ve, I’ve been diving into this sort of like spirituality aspect of um, business coaching and I think that the fact that that’s taking such a prominent place in
business in 2019 already, it has been so exciting. just in a general sense. Um, so to
further that and it’s further down on an individual as well as business levels, really cool
and exciting. Um, I’m also just excited for the, you know, opportunity to bless and
impact for people. I’ve loved nothing more than talking to someone and seeing the
freedom that they experience from just my simple guidance. And it just feels like that it
feels like simple guidance and to see sort of that light switch go on where they realize they are empowered and they also have freedom and things. This is truly beautiful. So I’m excited for more of that,

Monica : That’s got to be comforting, be able to see like I know that’s just gonna make your heart
just so happy every time that that happens. It does. Can’t even, can’t even tell you. I believe you. So I want to end as we’re wrapping up here, I want to ask you a question.
I’m excited to hear your answer, especially through all of the things that we’ve talked
about so far. I asked this for everybody. So what does living with intention mean to you?

Ellie: Living with intention to me means being in alignment and um, just knowing the big
picture of where you’re going because of those fundamental things so that you can
make everyday decisions and like the little steps that add up to that big picture vision,

Monica : straight, simple. And just like what we’ve already been talking about, Yeah, it’s straight forward and simple. That’s all it is. Well Ellie, thank you so much for coming on the
show.