Live like the King
Unexpected role model: Elvis Presley
PROFILE. Elvis Presley probably isn’t the first person to come to mind when thinking of leading a happy, healthy life — the singer is not just remembered for his long career, but also for popping a lot of pills and eating a lot of fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. But as we celebrated the 30th anniversary of his death on Aug 16., Elvis remains more than a pop culture footnote, mainly because he led such a full life — which is one reason why wellness consultant Kristi Weldon was inspired to write “Health and Happiness Elvis Style: Building a Better Planet Through Elvisness” (BookSurge Publishing, $14).
“Elvis is one of the closest things we have to royalty in the U.S.,” Weldon says. He may have been born in a two-room house, but he died in the lavish Tennessee estate called Graceland. Along the way, his over-the-top lifestyle, which included amazing acts of charity, became synonymous with excess.
“Elvis is familiar; people can relate to him,” Weldon says. “I’m really on a wellness crusade, and this is just one of the ways that I am trying to reach people.”
So Weldon compiled “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”-style tidbits from the life of the King, turning these patterns she saw in his life into bite-sized lessons for the person on the go.
“We are all so busy, running around on autopilot, that you can lose focus pretty easily. In order to be true to yourself, you have to take the time to know yourself,“ Weldon says.
The very flaws that might make him seem a bad role model are one of the reasons Weldon found him such a unique inspiration — underneath the elaborately jeweled jumpsuits there remained a genuine and humble man.
“He was deeply committed to his values; his spirituality was something that was important to him his entire life,” Weldon says.
Through the ups and downs of his career, Elvis remained authentic, according to Weldon, never wavering from his beliefs and values — he started out singing gospel songs and decades later continued to do so.
And Elvis, foibles and all, always remained true to his hip-shaking self.
“The main lesson you can learn from Elvis is to be true to yourself, just be true to yourself,” Weldon says.