Getting Healthy- Start with your Mindset.

Identifying why you want to be healthy. 

The journey of staying healthy, getting fit and eating right is one a lot of us take on. We each have our reasons to do this and it’s important to reflect on what they are.  When we can be aware of why we want something, it helps us achieve it. 

Do you want to be healthy so you have more energy to keep up with your kids?  Do you have a beach trip planned and want to get into a cute bathing suit while feel amazing?  Are you getting older and know that this path will lead to health conditions that you truly want to avoid?  What’s your reason of getting healthy?  Think about getting healthier, eating right and being active- what are all of the benefits that you want to gain.  Write this out.  Try to visualize how you will feel.  Whenever you are feeling frustrated with your journey or ready to give up, reflect on these thoughts.

“Yes, I am so Doing this!”

At first you will be excited and ready to go hard into whatever plan you created for your health journey.  This is great, and enjoy that period of time.  However, it’s just as important to accept the days that don’t go as planned.  Give yourself grace.  Allow yourself time to rest. Let go of any guilt that starts to build if you’re not keeping up with the plan.  Just because you had a bad day (week/month/year), doesn’t mean you can’t get back into it today. Stop beating yourself up over the all you can eat buffet you visited and instead put that energy towards getting back on track.

Track your numbers. 

You have to be aware of what is happening so you can make necessary changes (FYI this applies to your money as well). Weigh yourself. Track your calories. Again, it’s not to mope about going over your calorie budget or up on the scale. This is to keep you focused and aware. You won’t know what changes need to be made to your plan if you’re not aware of your current status.

Be aware when eating.

As life gets busy, we often eat our meals quickly in order to move on to the next task.  Or, we are exhausted from the day and mindlessly eat whatever is in front of us.  Because of this, it’s important to make it a priority to be aware of what we are eating.  Things to be aware of include:

Portion control.  This one is important because if you can do this, you can also freely try the foods you truly want and crave.  We all know that it’s not about what you eat but more so being able to do it in moderation.  Practice this skill.  Use measuring cups to serve yourself.  Eventually you will be able to judge the right portion easier.

Slow down and enjoy your food.  Taste it.  Enjoy the smell, the flavors, the textures.  When we are ravenous we easily devour our first plate and start planning the next before we’re finished.  To avoid the extreme hunger, fit in small snacks when necessary.  This will allow you to go ahead and slow down and enjoy the meal.  Also, this gives yourself a moment to see if you are still hungry or are you satisfied and ready to stop eating.  That second serving probably won’t be necessary if you include this step.

Go with convenience whenever you can. 

Still struggling with not buying cookies and chips at the grocery store while browsing the aisles?  Start using grocery delivery program.  This allows you to easily add what you need to the cart and keep it moving.  It takes a task off your plate (pun intended).  If you are looking to incorporate more fruits & veggies without the prep, purchase frozen/canned/prepackaged options.  Is it ideal over Fresh?  Probably not, but it’s better than NOT consuming more fruits & veggies.

Celebrate the wins of getting healthy. 

I have to remind myself of this one often. It’s not just the scale movement that is important. How are you feeling? Did you notice that you are less winded up the stairs? Are you able to sling that gallon of milk around easier? Were you able to say no to dessert one night this week and went with fruit instead? Those are wins too! It’s all part of your progress.

Build your resiliency through mindset work.

 It’s hard to make the healthier choices- to eat smaller portions; include veggies with dinner; deciding not to order out when you don’t feel like cooking; going to the gym when you just want to sleep (believe me I know, I have all of these feelings).  We are faced with making these hard choices daily, so it’s important to build our resiliency.  This builds our strength to make the choices we want that will get us closer to our overall goal.  In the moment, our temptation can sometimes take over. When we do things like – get enough sleep, meditate, express gratitude- our mind is more capable to overcome those, in the moment urges, and make the decision for the better (not always, but believe me, it helps).

Trust in yourself.

Trust in yourself that you can keep going. This isn’t a fluke. You are capable of making healthier changes. You are worthy of being healthy. You deserve that fit body you work hard for. You are allowed to live a healthy lifestyle. Self-sabotage can creep up, especially when we do start making changes and better decisions for ourselves. Just remember that it is normal to have thoughts of giving up. Keep going regardless. Go back to why you are doing this and trust in yourself to do it!