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I promised that I would finish the 9 steps today…so here I am – keeping my promise.
If our healthy living goal is weight loss, then the equation for that is all about calories in and calories out. What we eat versus how much we move, but weight loss is not the only thing involved with a healthy lifestyle.
Sometimes our healthy lifestyle is hindered by what we tell ourselves. You know what I mean…the voice in our head that says “You are not good enough, why are you trying to get healthy anyway.” or the old, “you have tried this before, what makes this time any different.” Any of this sound familiar? How about “You are just big and will always be big.”
The things that roll around in our head have a significant impact on our behavior. And that, my friend, is step number…
7. Listen to your self-talk because what’s on your mind is just as important as what’s on your plate. We need to replace the negative self-talk with positive self-talk. “I am good enough!” “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” “I’m making progress.”
We need to start seeing ourselves as successful. Put positive messages on notes where we can see them. Read positive material. Tell ourselves we CAN do this. We can make a change. Because we REALLY can!
8. Include others in your get healthy plan. We all need support. It is tough to stay on track all by ourselves. I am blessed with a husband that exercises and eats right…he is probably my biggest cheerleader. Find people that will support you in your healthy living efforts, you might be surprised the difference having a cheerleader makes!
I also have an appointment every Thursday morning at 7:30 at a gym. I exercise on my own usually 3-4 of the remaining 6 days. Remember when I wrote a little exercise is better than NO exercise? I used that one morning this week.
9. Never say “never.” Never say “always.” Seriously. I mean that. Don’t say I am “Never going to eat another _______” or “I am always going to __________” It doesn’t work. We set ourselves up to fail when we say these two things. One day of missed exercise doesn’t ruin a week nor does one piece of cake negate other good choices. We have got to stop expecting perfection – we can’t achieve it.
Slip-ups are not just normal, they are expected…so give ourselves some grace.
Learn from our mistakes and move on.
What is your goal this week? I would love to know.
Wow! Those last 3 are just what I needed to read today!! I try the never say never, but didn't ever consider the pressure of "always" too. Thanks Mary! This is great!
You have certainly reminded us of some very good information…Thank you as I am struggling right now with the voices in my head and therefore, the inches are not budging….
I always say never, and always. Ugh! My goal this week would be to be kind to myself, and realize that I am not going to be perfect.
Just wanted to say "Hi" Mary..looks like you're making progress 🙂