Have you ever noticed that a small group of lucky people seems to just decide to change their diet and health and then do it? For them everything falls into place automatically while others linger, drag their feet, fill up on ‘yeah-buts’ and ultimately want to but don’t take the right action. How do the lucky ones do it?
With only three months left in the calendar year and numerous holidays unfolding, many add this time of year to the list of excuses for waiting to start. Instead, you can set yourself up for the best ways to move forward before, during and after the holidays. No reason to wait for the traditional January resolutions.
Here are 5 keys that will unlock your ability to make your health and weight journey feel like it just falls into place.
1.Accept yourself unconditionally.
Being ready to create a new you means that you first have to accept yourself just the way you are. Once you accept yourself it becomes possible to move forward because you and your mind are no longer stuck in the past habits of self-loathing, aggravation and possibly, even disgust. Let’s face it, which person do you currently react best to in your life, the loving, encouraging one, or the harassing, mean-spirited one? Support yourself as you would your friend or a child.
2.Be honest without judgment.
Now is the time to stop faking it, denying it or skirting the issues. Like accepting yourself, being honest is what you would expect of a best friend. Your honesty allows you to have the information and feedback that you need to make changes. So do this without judgment because judgment is merely another form of harassment and not helpful to the cause. Be factual (honest) since you are not ‘bad’ or ‘good’ when it comes to exercise and food, you are simply trying the best you can at any moment in time.
3.View your choices as research.
Like every scientific experiment everything you do or eat (cause) has an outcome (effect). It is easier to view your choices about activity and food this way so that you can see that for a different outcome (weight, energy, sleep, feeling) you might need a different action (food, exercise, drink). Also, viewing the cause-effect combination as research allows you to move forward because it lets you learn and adjust. It’s that simple. Don’t judge it, analyze it, and adjust accordingly.
4.Set your stage.
You need to set the stage in your home and your routine for a different way of eating and behaving. Take action at home – purge and prune the pantry and add in lots of good food and snack options. Then, talk to your family and friends to get them on board. Surround yourself with supportive people and turn your back on the naysayers if they cannot support you. Your ‘stage,’ your environment, will have big impacts on your success right now and in the future.
5.HALT before you eat that!
Speaking of emotion, let’s talk a bit about reasons for eating (other than nourishment). Before you mindlessly bite down on that – whatever – try to HALT and ask, ‘Am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired?’ If you are being driven by an emotional trigger, replace the food you are about to mindlessly eat with what you really need - a deep breathe, a scream, a friendly phone call, a hug, or a nap. Then come back to the food when you are truly hungry and let your body enjoy and absorb it.
In the end, meaningful long term change requires a level of mental and attitude shifting, not just modifying the amounts of food that you eat. Ever wonder why so many people fail to keep weight off? If you only change for a while and then go back to your old ways, so will your body. I am sure you have heard this saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Stop the insanity; change your health and your body forever by making paradigm shifts that support a different outlook on food and eating. Be GLAD that your attitude is a under your control.
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