Author of Confidence through Health
WEEKender likes to promote reading and health, so when we had the opportunity to ask some questions to health and wellness author Jerry Snider, we jumped at the chance. Snider lives in Texas with his wife and two children and runs a business from his home, helping people achieve the best in their lives. Let’s find out more about Snider and his new book, Confidence through Health.
1. Why did you write this book?
Confidence through Health started out as a book to break through the myths of dieting. As a health coach, I talk with people every day about food, exercise, and how to be healthy. It’s amazing to me how much inaccurate information is shared in our world about health. I started writing the book in order to shatter those myths. As I wrote, the focus of the book changed a little bit. While it does lay out a simple, tried-and-true method to achieve a healthy lifestyle, if you don’t have a reason for wanting to be healthy, you will find it very difficult. One guaranteed by-product of a healthy lifestyle is confidence. If you need more confidence in any area of your life, improve your health, and your confidence will grow.
2. How long did it take you to write and publish it?
The writing process was surprisingly easy but also stressful at the same time. At the end of 2017, I set a goal to write a book in 2018. The goal was not necessarily to publish it during the year but to have a manuscript completed. As a coach, I know that you must take steps along the way to reach your goal and not just leave it all for one giant cram session. So I started writing in mid-January. Two weeks into the process, I had completed a 25,000-word first draft. I was quite amazed at how quickly it came together, although there were a few night sessions until 3:00am where words just kept coming to me. In reality, it was simply putting down in writing the beliefs I’ve shared about health for years. I hired a publisher to help me edit and self-publish the book. Confidence through Health was released at the end of May, making it a four-month process from start to finish.
3. Who is your target audience?
The target audience for this book is anyone who struggles with understanding how to be healthy. Unfortunately, that’s a big portion of the people on the planet. I say that, because we only have one body to take care of and there are so many people who have not been given the proper information about living a healthy life.
4. What sets your book apart from the many other books about fitness?
One of the main goals I have for my book is to help people understand how their body works. Without getting into too much science, I detail not just how the cells work but also how to make them work more efficiently. There are a lot of books about different meal plans, diets, and exercise regimens. My book digs into the “why” behind what you eat; why you need to exercise – but I really don’t care if you run, bike, swim, lift weights, do yoga, play sports – I try to help people understand why that healthy lifestyle is important.
5. How is your business related to the publishing of this book?
The book grew from conversations with prospective clients. I seemed to repeat myself over and over because so many people don’t understand how to be truly healthy. In a way, the book helps to shorten a client’s journey to health by clearing the clutter of misinformation in their mind.
6. How can you – someone who is obviously very motivated and fit – relate to the average person with below-average confidence and health?
My wife plays a big part in helping me relate to my clients. She serves as a sounding board for ideas and motivational messages, and helps me with tough client conversations. While I’ve not struggled with weight and health issues like some have, I found myself about 45 pounds over the weight I wanted to be. This came from years of working in the corporate rat race and neglecting the knowledge I had about health. I decided enough was enough and began my journey back to prime health. About nine months into my journey, I was laid off by my employer. It was a massive confidence hit, especially after some of the things I heard said behind my back about my job performance. I remember sitting on my living room floor about two weeks after the layoff, running through ideas for possible jobs and the idea of trying to launch a business. I stared at my laptop and sobbed. I decided to build myself up from zero and be an inspiration to others. It took over a year for me to reach the prime fitness level I live at now. Having lived the journey of the last few years, both in health and career, I’m humble enough to know it took the help of others supporting me to make it. That’s the support I provide my clients.
7. How can your clients relate to you?
I think my clients relate well to me because I listen. My goal is not simply to give my clients a plan for them to work. I want to teach my clients how to live a healthy lifestyle so they can do it on their own with confidence. In my opinion, in order to teach an adult a new way of life, you have to listen and understand the struggles associated with their old life. Change is not easy and change does not go well if it is forced on someone. I try to inspire my clients with daily motivational emails and stories from my own failures turned successes.
8. Tell a story about one of your big successes.
I wrote about this story in my book. In her mid-30s, she was grossly obese, type II diabetic, and had already undergone open heart surgery. No one should be having regular visits with a cardiologist in their 30s unless they were born with a heart defect. But here she was. We started working together and a few weeks in, I got a message from her regarding a gift a co-worker gave her. She had left her desk to return and find an entire pie on her desk. When she asked, the co-worker simply thought she would enjoy it. At first she told me her instinct was to take it home and eat the whole thing over the next 24 hours by herself. But thankfully, she contacted me. I worked with her on how to return the pie without upsetting the co-worker. The difficult part is my client had never told anyone “no thank you” for food before. In the end, the pie landed in the breakroom for the entire staff to share and my client proudly reported that she did not eat a piece. It is little things like this that are big successes to me. When she declined the gift of food, she told herself she was worth the price of her health.
9. In your opinion, what are the worst habits people often fall into?
One of the worst habits in all areas of life is failing to plan. Living a life without a plan is simply living a reactionary life – always being acted upon by situations. Whether it’s with food, exercise, career, school, finances, or any other part of life, the results are directly related to decision making. Each decision is made with one of two objectives: Will this help reach the goal or will this avoid pain? To reach towards a goal implies you have a plan or at least know you should have a plan. To avoid pain is reacting in a way of taking the easiest path, which often is not the right path.
10. If someone is badly out of shape but has no real health issues, how long would it take them to get into prime condition if they really tried their best?
That’s a loaded question because once someone understands and feels true health, they realize that being badly out of shape is a major health issue. Lacking proper nutrition and exercise might not show in a typical health screening as an issue, but it’s a precursor to major health complications down the road. If heart attacks only struck people, who are 80 pounds or more overweight, it would be easy to avoid them. But they can strike anyone who is not in shape at any time and can even affect people who are in shape, depending on how they’ve lived their life to this point. How long it takes to get into shape is a relative time-frame dependent on many factors including age, gender, weight, fat%, current diet and lifelong diet, mental health (meaning are you motivated enough to push through the tough days) and many more. The most interesting piece of this question, though, is the phrase “tried their best.” Some may be offended by this next statement; but if you knew how to try your best, wouldn’t you be in your best shape already? I fear that the vast majority of people in our world have no idea how to be their best at anything. That’s what I hope to change in the people I work with.
11. What is your greatest personal challenge that you struggle to overcome?
Probably my greatest challenge is my introverted nature. In the last 10 years or so, I’ve worked really hard to be more social. I push myself to volunteer in my community to help get me out of my comfort zone.
12. If you could tell someone one thing that will change their life for the better, what would it be?
Spending time trying to impress someone with your actions will turn you into someone you’re not. Simply be yourself. Show love to others as they are. Look for their best interest first and you will be loved for who you are...not what you’ve done for them lately.
