Women In Wellness: Alpa Makan on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Always indulging in ways for Personal growth and development. — There is always room for growth and learning. Learning a new skill, taking up a new hobby, a passion, or something more personal for yourself, we should always be striving to learn new things. Keep that hunger alive. Personal growth and development are unique to each individual. Hence no one strategy works for all. But it is a transformational process where you make improvements in your mental, emotional, intellectual, physical, and /or financial state.
As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alpa Makan .
Alpa Makan is a Holistic Health and Wellness Coach who empowers women to feel, live and eat better by providing them with effective tools, to improve their nutrition, mental wellbeing and have the power to make better lifestyle choices every day.
She has lived and worked in 3 different continents in the last decade exploring and absorbing the wealth of knowledge — how different cuisines and lifestyle habits affect our wellness journeys.
If you are healthy and happy, you are wealthy! is her motto and with that in mind, she founded ‘Alpa Makan Wellness World’ and has successfully helped women worldwide re-discover their energy, conquer stress, and find joy in their lives.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the story about how you first got involved in fitness and wellness?
I appreciate this opportunity to connect with you as well! Taking care of my mental and physical health has always been of importance to me. But when I became a mother, my whole perspective of self-care and feeling happy and connected with oneself completely changed. The more I looked around, the more I saw that women were performing at their level best, being highly successful in their careers, being superheroes as stay home moms caring for their families, but they were stressed and overwhelmed.
They were Unhappy from within. Many had accepted the unhappiness in their lives and were living with it.
Many were depending on some external validation, materialistic acquisitions, and/or a number on the scale, which were not the parameters of joy according to me.
This is when I decided to take my passion for wellness professionally and founded the Alpa Makan Wellness World. I wanted to help women find what works best for them, to eat, feel and live better so they can experience their richest and most happiness-filled meaningful life now.
Happiness and positivity both internally and externally is something I have been associated with for as long as I can remember. A beautiful childhood is what I say I was blessed to have. My mathematician father took up meditation when I was very little and has been a meditation coach for a long time. His beliefs in living life with simplicity, appreciating mother nature in all its glory, and finding joy in everything big and small is something I learned early on. My mom’s powerful presence in the kitchen instilled a love for good food in my life, igniting my passion for cooking and starting my love relationship with fruits and vegetables.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
I have traveled extensively across the globe in my previous jobs, and to think of it how much it has helped me to understand the struggles of my clients from different backgrounds and be able to support them on their wellness journey.
Interestingly, this is more on a very personal level that the more I got deeper into the wellness world, the more I realized how much I was meant to do this. Especially when more of my friends and family tell me that it comes so organically to me.
Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?
Imagine booking a 30 minutes free health discovery call with a new coach, and realizing that we have done a 1.5–2 hour session and planned and finished the next 6–12 months of your health journey life. Firstly, in my case, I really wouldn’t call it a mistake. Just a lesson to simply take one step at a time. When I started my practice, I was brimming with excitement and knowledge that I just couldn’t wait to share. I remember with some of my early clients when we would do our initial Health discovery call which is for about 30 minutes. So this is where we would discuss their health history, talk about their struggles and desires. Roadblocks in their wellness journey and how I can guide and support them. and this happens so we can decide if we are a good fit and they would like me to be their coach.
I am sure some clients loved it because they have come back for more and some others got overwhelmed with all the information that needed to be absorbed first and put into the application later.
My takeaway was simply that the ones who connected with me, came back and signed up and many even renewed their programs. A Coach-Client partnership has to be like a good relationship. If it fits, it works beautifully. If it doesn’t click, then it was not meant to be.
Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the fitness and wellness field? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?
I believe in self-improvement and the power of knowledge. Never stop learning is what I say. I am always learning even while I’m helping others as an expert. Simply because no one knows everything and no two people are the same and I respect that bio-individuality. Hence, I keep learning so I can keep helping. One size doesn’t fit all!
I firmly believe that my personal and professional experiences have equally contributed to me being able to provide my own holistic, unique and organic approach.
I think my unique contribution lies in helping women realize that they don’t need any external validation, or materialistic acquisition or depend on a number on the scale to find the happiness that they have always dreamed of. I empower them by providing them with easy, effective, sustainable tools to bring balance in their life and build stronger bodies and minds with a healthy lifestyle they are proud of.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I always say that it’s unfair to credit one person. My parents and my elder sisters have forever been my idols and my pillars of strength. So many inspiring teachers, mentors, some of the coaches of my Crossfit gyms, so many of my friends spread all over the world- I cannot thank them enough. But today, it’s all because of my most
supportive and encouraging husband. To step out, and just do it and make it happen!
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. We all know that it’s important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, exercise more, and get better sleep etc. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the 3 main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?
Too many to list. But here are my top 3 –
- If you’re missing a day, it’s ok, just don’t make it two and then forever. Don’t let that one day that you missed affect your progress. Consistency is key and just remembering messy actions is better than no action.
- There are no quick fixes for long-term health gains. So stop expecting instant gratification. Good things take time and for any habit to be a sustainable one, give it at least 21 days’ practice for it to stick.
- Pain is temporary and greatness is forever. (Words from Dwayne Johnson).
We have to remember that when you’re asking for growth, you are also asking for struggles, uncomfortable situations, pain, and challenges. This is how we change and evolve as human beings. Forcing ourselves out of our comfort zone. We have to work through the pain and /or the struggle for our dream to become a reality. I’m not saying it will make it easier, but it can usually be a reminder that we are going through this for a reason. Get past that pain threshold- whether it’s physical or emotional or in terms of our mindset. And you will come out victorious.
Can you please share your “5 Non-Intuitive Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”? (Please share a story or an example for each, and feel free to share ideas for mental, emotional and physical health.)
1. Incorporating a successful and productive morning routine.
This is my non-negotiable. When the day begins, especially as women we are ready to give. Give to our family, our work, our home .. what about yourself? So begin by scheduling in that extra hour before the usual routine. It will set you up for success. No devices at that time. Meditate, stretch, work out, read, journal, plan your day. Enjoy your morning coffee in peace. You truly give yourself the time and attention you cant give in your busy day. Lesser anxiety and stress is what you will experience. With that positive start to your day, you will be happier and more productive and you will surely make better lifestyle choices.
2. Figuring out the 3 why’s for eating — what, when, and why.
We all eat! And we eat because of several unconscious reasons like ending hunger, lifestyle habit, family traditions, or simply as an act of enjoying food.
In terms of managing your good eating habits, for better mental health always ask yourself these three. Firstly, what is it that I am eating, and is it going to help me to nourish my body or result in a feeling of guilt after consuming? Next is when are we eating. It’s funny how many of us reach for the snack cupboard just grazing after putting away our meal plates without even realizing it. The same goes for late-night snacking. Consider having a glass of water or herbal tea instead of reaching for the snacks that you controlled your urge for the whole day.
Last one, and probably most important! Every time you are about to reach for food, ask yourself why am I eating this? Am I really hungry? or am I just thirsty? or simply bored. In that case, get up, drink a glass of water and go take a short walk.
3. Scheduling in time to Rest and recharge.
A simple thing that I tell my clients all the time- You don’t have to be on Switch ‘On’ mode always, personally and professionally. Yes, we all lead busy lives so if I ask you that do you have the time to rest and relax, your first reply would be a no, of course, I don’t have time.
Ok, so try keeping a log for a few days to see where you spend your time each day. Write down how much time was spent working, watching television, surfing the internet, and so on. I bet you will be able to find a few minutes to meditate or practice deep breathing. Journaling your thoughts, or a short walk in the fresh air. Any restful practice that you will indulge in regularly will bring you health benefits.
4. Always indulging in ways for Personal growth and development.
There is always room for growth and learning. Learning a new skill, taking up a new hobby, a passion, or something more personal for yourself, we should always be striving to learn new things. Keep that hunger alive. Personal growth and development are unique to each individual. Hence no one strategy works for all. But it is a transformational process where you make improvements in your mental, emotional, intellectual, physical, and /or financial state.
5. Practicing Mindfulness and living in gratitude.
Mindfulness is simply focussing on being present in the moment, at any time. When you just observe and live without judgment, neither positive nor negative, recognize emotions or situations, you will be more purposeful with your words and your actions. Indulge in mindfulness practices like meditation, deep breathing. Follow mindful eating practices by enjoying every mouthful with love and gratitude. Simply being mindful of everything in and around us leads us to be more grateful for what we have. It surely leads on a path of positivity and appreciation with what we have been blessed with instead of letting stress, sadness, and anxiety be more prevalent for what we don’t have in our life. Gratitude journaling is a great way to begin the day.
As an expert, this might be obvious to you, but I think it would be instructive to articulate this for the public. Aside from weight loss, what are 3 benefits of daily exercise? Can you explain?
- Daily exercise does more than keep your muscles toned and your heart healthy, it increases your appetite for fruits and vegetables which improves your overall wellbeing.
- You will never regret doing that workout, no matter how hard it may have seemed at the time. With every exercise you are doing, you are only making yourself healthier and stronger.
- Daily exercise stimulates various chemicals in your brain, which in turn make more energized, feel happier, and less stressed.
For someone who is looking to add exercise to their daily routine, which 3 exercises would you recommend that are absolutely critical?
I always recommend these 3 bodyweight exercises, so there is no excuse for not having any equipment. And you can always level up with them as you progress.
- Squats
- Push-ups
- Sit-ups
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story?
So about 13 years back when I met my husband I was not much of a reader, but at the time I was reading ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ by Elizabeth Gilbert. We both were living and working on different continents and since being married, we have moved continents so many times. But there has always been growth and we have always received more love than we had ever expected everywhere we have lived.
Relating this to her story, new place new people new struggles but always new learnings and new strangers turning into great friends. So a change is truly always for the good, even if it takes you across the globe.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Can we simply start every conversation we ever make with what’s good, great, happy, positive in our lives?
The pandemic surely has made a lot of us sit up and notice what’s good we already have in our lives. So let’s give momentum to that, and not go back to our
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
‘Love is the Answer, No matter what the question.’
I believe that personally or professionally there is nothing that can’t be solved and taken care of with love.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Michelle Obama, hands down.
As a woman and as a mom of 2 girls myself, along with a whole generation, I have been totally inspired and have been in awe of her. The way she personifies grace, fearlessness, integrity.
What is the best way our readers can follow you online?
Instagram: Alpa Makan Wellness World
Private Facebook group: Wellness with Alpa
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Women In Wellness: Alpa Makan on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.