It’s been almost 3 years since we launched the Life By Design program at The Wellness Group!  Wow, time flies!

As we reflect on the past 3 years what excites us the most is the tribe of families in our community that have adopted these principles, are living By Design, and as a result are healthier than ever.

If you’ve been around us, even for a minute, then you know that we’re all about getting even better, about never ending improvement, and about constantly looking for new strategies to help us fulfill the requirements for health.

So as all of us at The Wellness Group sat down to make our plan for 2014, our main focus was to come up with some new and even better ways to help you take that next step with your health and not only feel better, but have more energy, become more fit, be more productive and happier than ever.

Now, we realize that those who of you reading this are all at different levels when it comes to living By Design. We recognize that some of you are just starting out, some of you jump on and off the bus depending on what else is going on in your life, and others are hitting it out of the park.  So, the challenge for us was to come up with something that would help everyone, no matter how ‘By Design’ a life they’re living.

We’re confident we’ve come up with the solution.

You see, we live in a busy, distraction filled world…work, kids hockey, facebook, tv, travel…we’re pulled in so many directions all at once that eating well, exercising, and getting your nerve system checked seem to always get pushed aside until ‘next week’.  Not to mention, Think By Design, I mean who has time to sit down for an hour and  write down their core values?

So we’ve decided to keep it simple, to stay focused on really improving just one strategy each month for the next 12 months.

Now, before I share exactly, what we’re going to do, lets be clear,  this doesn’t mean were going to let everything else slide.  The idea is to add one new strategy or take something that you’re doing somewhat, sometimes and make it something that you own and do always.

Introducing The Wellness Group’s Monthly By Design Challenge!

Research demonstrates that we need to do something consistently every day for at least 21 days to create a habit, and that’s exactly our intent with these monthly challenges.

We’ve chosen 12 of the most powerful and impactful strategies from each category (eat, move, and think) as the focus for each month to coincide with the Life By Design seminar for that month (you can see the entire 2014 seminar schedule HERE.)

For the entire month we will focus adding one thing, and one thing only.

Coming up on February 6th is our Eat By Design Seminar (click HERE to register), so our first challenge, starting on February 1st, for the entire month of February we are going to challenge ourselves and each other to take all of our essential supplements everyday.

What are the Life By Design Essential Supplements?

• Fish Oil (omega-3 fatty acids)
• Vitamin D
• Probiotics.

You’re probably asking why this one?  Why this first?

Well, after working with thousands of people, helping them to Eat By Design, we’ve discovered that its much easier for people to add something than to take something away from them.  And simply adding these three supplements will have a profound effect on how we feel and function.

Now if you are wondering what exactly these essential supplements are, why they are necessary, and how much to take, don’t worry we have that covered too.  We’ve put together more in-depth answers those questions on paper for you to download HERE.

Not sure what brand to take?  There are lots of great brands out there, and even more that aren’t so great (and are really well marketed) so it can get confusing really quickly.  When it comes to supplements, the most important thing is quality.  Quality is the key to making sure you’re actually getting what the bottle claims.  If you’re wondering about the quality of the brands you’re taking, send us a message or bring them in next time you come to get your spine checked.  For information about what brands we take personally click HERE.

Just to be clear, Eat By Design is about eating real food first.  You can’t out-supplement a bad diet.  And we certainly don’t recommend that you have a cupboard full of supplements. However, the reality is that foods now are just simply not as nutrient dense (and in the case of vitamin D, we’re not getting enough sun) as they once were, so adding these 3 key nutrients as supplements is a great way to fill the gap.

So that is what the February challenge is all about…making sure you’re fulfilling your body’s requirements for omega 3 fatty acids, probiotics and vitamin D.

And don’t worry!  You are not alone.

Each one of us at The Wellness Group are going to be right there with you each step of the way.  We’ll be challenging ourselves right along with you.

Oh, and be sure to watch the video above, as Dr. Gibson shares 4 additional tips to give you the best chance of success at this challenge and every one for the rest of the year.

How do I start?

That too is simple.

Go to The Wellness Groups Facebook Fanpage (‘like’ it if you haven’t already) and write: “I commit to taking my Essential Supplements everyday in February”

And then of course, on February 1st, and for everyday for the entire month take your supplements.

Commit and go!

Dr. Michael Gibson has committed himself to helping others to live the best life possible. After graduating with a Bachelor of Kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario, he received his Doctor of Chiropractic Degree and Masters of Science in Chiropractic Sports Science from Life University.   He is the co-creator of Life By Design, owner of The Wellness Group, and co-owner of CrossFit 613. His passion for empowering families runs deep. After experiencing the loss of his sister due to illness, Michael’s purpose became reaching and teaching as many as possible the foundational principles of an extraordinary life.  Since that time he has passionately pursued and been successful in living out his dream. He maintains a busy family chiropractic practice, a full speaking schedule and finds time to implement the principles and practices of Life By Design in his own life.