🌟 Thriving in College Through Strengths: Physical Wellness
Parents often ask, “How do I help my student become happy, healthy, and thrive in college?” One of the most powerful answers lies in this principle: Know your child’s strengths.
Your student’s natural talents and tendencies offer a roadmap to lasting physical wellness. When you align their daily wellness habits (like movement and exercise) with their strengths, you create consistency and motivation that sticks.
🎁 A Smarter Way to Support Your Student
With a Paid College Parents of America Membership, you and your student gain access to a personalized CliftonStrengths report—a powerful tool that reveals their top five strengths and how to leverage them for academic success, social connection, and future career paths.
This in-depth assessment provides student-specific guidance to help them thrive in all dimensions of their college life, including wellness.
💪 Physical Wellness: More Than Just Exercise
Before suggesting your student hit the gym, pause and consider their strengths.
Ask These Insightful Questions:
Do they want a rigid program, crave complete flexibility, or prefer a mix of both?
Would healthy competition energize or discourage them?
Do they like to zone out, think, work, or socialize during physical activities?
Is there a friend or peer group they’ve wanted to join for physical activity?
Pairing these questions with their CliftonStrengths results leads to powerful self-awareness and goal-setting. A strengths-aligned approach helps students embrace habits they’ll actually enjoy—and sustain.
✨ Power Move: Align Wellness with Strengths
For instance, strengths like Relator and Responsibility pair well with committed group activities or accountability partners. That’s why I never cancel on a friend when we’re hiking or attending an exercise class together. On solo days, I honor my Learner strength by walking while listening to podcasts or audiobooks.
And thanks to my strengths, I know how to balance connection with introspection—a critical insight for anyone building a personal fitness routine.
✔️ Action Plan:
This week, help your student:
Schedule one physical activity that reflects their strengths and wellness goals
Use their CliftonStrengths report as a guide to design a routine that works with who they are instead of against it
When your student understands how they’re wired, physical wellness becomes less of a chore—and more of a strength-fueled habit.
