Vinny’s Views on Wellness
February 2026
Your “Why” Will Carry You Through The truth is, you are enough just as you are. When you feel inspired to make health changes, remember that you have everything you need, so take a moment to appreciate the gifts you possess. It's often easier to focus on our flaws rather than our strengths. Therefore, as you set your goals, treat yourself with the same kindness you would offer a loved one. We all desire to improve and make better choices, but still, some healthy habits elude us. Fad diets and quick fixes fail in the long run because they often arise from a place of desperation for change, leading us to grasp for anything that might work. This is a natural tendency, and there is no shame in it. However, once you identify your "why" for making lasting changes, those changes become significantly easier to sustain and transform into permanent habits. Habits are simply the repetition of behaviors, so why not focus on repeating actions that benefit you rather than those that harm you? Often, the challenge lies in not understanding the importance of forming that new habit. We might express desires to lose weight, gain strength, or run a marathon, but why? Is it to fit into your jeans, win arm wrestling competitions, or earn a medal? While these are valid motivations, if you dig deeper to understand the significance of that goal in your life, forming a lasting habit will become much simpler!
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Start with the future you
Close your eyes and imagine how you want to look and feel. As you visualize, ask the following questions: What do I want my daily life to look like? How do I want to feel in my body? What do I want to be able to do easily? Whom do I want to show up for?
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Now flip the question: What happens if I don’t change anything? Functional medicine looks upstream, not just at disease, but at the trajectory you’re on. Your habits today are quietly writing your health story for tomorrow. Your “why” might be: “I want to avoid familial cardiovascular disease.” “I want to travel without pain.” “I want to feel strong, not fragile.” “I want to be here for my kids and grandkids.” That’s your anchor. Make this a S.M.A.R.T. goal, and you’re on your way to lasting change!
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Use the 3-Layer Behavior change Method
James Clear was on to something in his book, Atomic Habits, when he highlighted that this method gets to the core of who you wish to become by having a vision, an outcome & a process. Your vision goal, or your “why“ could be to age with clarity, strength, and independence. Your outcome goals define what that looks like in everyday life: walking three miles comfortably, sleeping seven to eight hours a night, improving your lab results, reducing joint pain, and relying on fewer medications. Your process goals are the daily actions that make those outcomes possible, such as eating protein at breakfast, walking for twenty minutes after dinner, strength training twice a week, getting morning sunlight, and turning off screens by 9 p.m. In the end, you don’t rise to the level of your goals, you meet the level of your systems. You can easily implement this method by aligning your actions (processes) with the person you want to become (identity), rather than fixating on the desired goal (outcome).