What’s the first thing you do in the morning before your workout?

Press snooze?

elephant journal is proud to be the official new media partner with LOHAS Forum. Click here for our ongoing LOHAS coverage, and be sure to follow our live coverage on Twitter. [Our editor Waylon Lewis is honored to serve on two panels during this event.]

My Friday morning coverage of LOHAS began with Societal Integration of Wellness. A diverse panel group was led by Fred Haberman to where they discussed everything from corporate wellness to America’s growing obesity.

Chris Waugh of IDEO spoke about how health is a trigger not a motivator. Motivators need to be interesting, attention grabbing, not conceptual. If you want to lose weight, the idea is planted into your head. It triggers other thoughts like “maybe I won’t eat that slice of chicago style pizza. I can’t enjoy the chocolate cake.” Can’t and won’t is not the dialog when looking to make change. Restricting yourself with such words and from enjoying what you love is not positive, thus doesn’t trigger the positive change you seek. If you give it another thought, the chocolate cake is not bad. If anything, it motivates you by lifting your spirits and maintaing that fulfillment which is needed when taking on yourself. You know you—motivate yourself with the people and things you love most.

Chris mentioned how he works closely with Jamie Oliver on his show, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.” The show is labeled with the ‘reality tv’ brand but Chris assured the audience the show is in fact 100% real. Childhood obesity is becoming an unavoidable issue in the U.S. where we can’t walk into a pediatrician’s office and look away from the facts. Deneen Vojta, MD of UnitedHealth reflected on a time from her childhood at the local Y.M.C.A. She said there is a loss of the “skinny minnie” generation she once saw. Today, 80 million Americans have pre-diabetes, 26 million are diagnosed.

The issue has grown so large and equally as fast; a need for community help is mandatory. Imagine a resort that describes itself with words like pleasure, relaxation, discovery and renewal. A resort with breathtaking views that allows one to enjoy a health and wellness center AND a life enhancement center. This resort is a reality and it can transform your life. Canyon Ranch in Tuscon Arizona is an educational resort, focusing on finding and committing to a healthy lifestyle. Jennifer Cabe, Executive Director of Canyon Ranch Institute spoke about the possibility of catalyzing optimal health in hopes to ultimately translate the lessons learned back into the guests’ communities.

Pressing snooze should not be the tone of our attitudes toward health and wellness. ‘Slacktivism’ serves as an outdated paradigm, inattentive to the fact that America is in a slump. As a community from California to New York to globally, transparency in wellness starts today. Let’s get excited about living healthy lifestyles and feeling better about ourselves from the inside so it can transpire and spread like lightening bolts out our fingertips! It’s electric to say the least; we can do it together.

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Lindsay resides in Boulder, Colorado where she is studying Journalism and Environmental Studies as an undergrad at the University of Colorado. Lindsay spends most of her time with her best friend, a 5-year-old Siberian Husky/wolf mix, Nanuk. They can be seen climbing, running, and biking the paths of Boulder. She believes in environmentalism, jelly beans, green tea and you. Follow her on twitter.