Asciepius Exercise and Leading in Health

I enjoyed the Asciepius exercise because this is something I already believe in.  The people in your life have a great effect on the choices you make.  If they approve and/or are supportive then you have a much better chance at succeeding in your personal goals.  If you put you down or are unsupportive, you will most likely fail.  I have learned over time that a friend who doesn't support changes in you is not a real friend.  Family and friends can be a great part of a wellness goal if they want to see you succeed, and may even try to join a quest you are on, even something silly such as eliminating white breads from your diet. (No more deli sandwiches for your lunch date!)
One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself is something I live by.  It makes me angry when people run their mouth about things they have either not experienced themselves or have not done themselves.  In health and wellness you need to practice what you preach, or you have no validity to others.  You wouldn't take driving lessons from someone who has never driven a car so why would you take health advice from someone who doesn't practice it themselves?  At the gym we have a trainer that for a while fell off the wagon and got pretty round.  He was always a big guy, but he is a heavy lifter and looked the part.  When he gained weight he didn't look like he belonged working at the gym, and many people didn't want to train with him because he didn't look like he would know what to do to get them the results they wanted (and he is actually an amazing trainer, which goes to show image has more to do with skill level to someone that doesn't know you).  Then he got back into the swing of things and changed a few things in his life, and now he looks like a heavy lifter again and his client list has gone up.