I wanted to share what I have been working on tonight. When you have a shift in your mindset amazing things can happen. I shared a live on this tonight about how we can want to lose weight but it is only for the short term. Why not focus on a health and for the long game. It is sooo important to focus on the FEELING not on what you want to look like or what size you want to be. How about feeling amazing and feeling energized.
When we focus on health and nourishing our body we may lose weight as a side effect because we are caring for our body by putting good foods in it, moving it and looking for that feeling.
If we are looking to lose weight and on a diet, we don't always feel good. We are deprived, restricted and almost punished and we may not be eating as much as our bodies need. Our bodies go into survival mode and slow our metabolism so it really isn't helping us get the results we want. Eating smaller more nutrient dense meals more often helps to get our metabolism revving and therefore we burn more fuel. Have more energy and feel good.
Being curious and intuitive to what our bodies need also helps us to do the healthy things by it. Don't get me wrong we are absolutely allowed treats times where we have that chocolate or those chips, but just not every day. We can get enjoyment from creating a healthy meal or going for a walk too. Try to listen to your body and see how it feels once you have moved it. Or once you have eaten a nutritious nourishing meal. Then do the same for when you have had a meal that is processed and laden with fats and sugars. How do you feel after that meal. Probably energized for a little while but you may even feel sick, bloated afterwards.
Being a certain size or weight is not how you should gauge your worth. Stop saying that when you are a size 10 or when you can wear skinny jeans you will be successful or you will be worthy this is not the case. You are worthy now and so much more capable than you think. What does a size have to do with success. there are plenty of people with extra weight or curves that are successful. Oprah springs to mind.
Focusing on weight loss for image sake is not a long term thing. Usually we are wanting to lose weight for a certain celebration or season and then once we achieve our goal we go back to being comfortable and therefore we then YO YO and may even put on more weight.
If we are focused on lifestyle and health we tend to focus on creating good habits to develop a healthy way of living implementing it into your life, and we tend to (if our bodies need to) lose weight and keep it off because we are caring for ourselves from the inside out.
Focusing on weight as a means to improving our health can lead to damaging physical and psychological effects. Included could be yo yo dieting, negative judgement about individuals or ones self, based on their weight. Our bodies try to maintain a certain weight by means of its own internal control. They call it Set point theory. The body's set point is what many attribute to a weight loss plateau. The psychological impact of not losing any weight can lead to reducing motivation. Because they feel as if they are failing.
HAES. Health at every Size is an approach were healthy behaviours are adopted, A healthy nourishing diet and exercise for health not for weight control. A healthy diet and exercise without focusing on with weight loss has been associated with improved cholesterol, blood pressure and also mental function. Focusing on healthy behaviours leads to improved health, even if it is without weight loss. Success is different For every individual. Define success based on health, how you feel and not on what you weigh on the scale.
I am working with women to help them create healthy relationships with food, to nourish and nurture their Minds, Bodies and Souls, If this interests you or anyone you know may be interested just send me a message and we will set up a chat. Erin.