Want To Change Your Eating Habits?
Wouldn’t it be fantastic not to have to be on a diet? Or constantly thinking about being on a diet? To be naturally slim and have eating under control? No more binge eating and then feeling guilty, or having the feeling that your food is the one in control?
How long have you been on a diet? For some it feels like they’ve been on a diet all their lives. They can probably quote a number of fad diets that they’ve tried, with varying degrees of success. And then they can also get a feeling of failure that they can’t maintain a healthy weight.
Any of this sound familiar?
The different types of diets available usually take away the need to think: what to eat, when to eat, portion control etc. However, they don’t help you understand your eating habits, what nutrients your body needs and how to eat well for the long term.
Making the connection between your mind and body is the key to success if you want to lose weight for life. The mind is rarely talked about when discussing healthy eating. And yet, we all know that the mind and body are intrinsically connected.
The mind controls all the processes we do, both consciously and unconsciously. And we’re often surprised when we eventually become aware of them. You’re probably aware of emotional eating (when you’re stressed, bored, sad, lonely etc), but how about all the other habits, limiting beliefs and triggers that make you think about and want to eat food?
The mind and body are constantly sending signals to each other. But we often don’t listen to them and decide to override them. For instance, when we’re full.
But when we listen to the mind and body together, and take care with the nutrients we fuel them with, results should be easier to achieve, and last long term.
When we’re on a healthy eating plan and want long term success, we need to reset our mind and body so that it works with us, not against us. We can reset our mind through changing habits, limiting beliefs and our response to triggers.
Whenever we’re working on a new plan, it takes time, it takes dedication, and it takes practice – it takes 100% responsibility. So how do you maintain your motivation to keep going?
KEEPING MOTIVATED IN YOUR HEALTH JOURNEY
Targets
Be clear on your targets. What is it specifically that you want to achieve? Write your targets out – be specific, be measurable, and include estimated achievement dates that are realistic but provide you with a bit of a challenge.
Commitment
When you’re committed to reaching your target, you will do everything in your power to get there. And this power within you can be formidable. A commitment sends a message to your mind to also act its part in helping you achieve your targets.
A constant reminder, or something you can review on a daily basis, helps to keep you motivated. Suggestions could be: a daily log, pictures, commitment statements, goals written on post-its and put on the fridge, a screensaver etc! Anything that will regularly remind you of your commitment to your targets.
Plan of Action
Write out your plan for achieving your targets. Keep your actions as small, simple steps on the way to achieving your goal. It’s about gaining momentum and creating positive daily habits, not feeling overwhelmed. Do you need to schedule time in your diary for specific actions?
Track Your Progress
Tracking your progress maintains motivation and can also give you invaluable insight into patterns and habits. Don’t rely on just the scales, look at measurements and how your clothes fit.
Find Ways To Have Fun
Having fun during the process of reaching your health targets will not only make the journey more enjoyable but will reduce stress. And we definitely want to reduce stress. Being healthy doesn’t have to be boring, and it’s certainly not about starvation. Find new healthy foods, fun ways to get the family involved in cooking, and ways of treating yourself that isn’t about food.
Visualisation
Regularly picture your target as if you have already achieved it – what do you see, feel and hear? It only takes 5 minutes a day, but is a powerful way to keep motivated.
Celebrate Success
When your brain starts seeing the small successes on the way to your bigger target, it not only gets a dopamine hit it’s also another way to stop feelings of overwhelm and stress. Review your actions regularly and celebrate your successful achievements of them.
Share Your Targets and Success
When setting targets/actions, it helps to have someone to be accountable to; someone who will motivate and challenge you when you need that extra support. Find someone who you can chat to, check in with, share plans and celebrate successes.
To find out more, SMALLER KNICKERS FOR LIFE, the book, is a refreshing new digest of techniques, each one a small jigsaw puzzle piece towards successful healthy-eating behaviour for life. Topics featured include chapters on daily eating habits and what triggers food cravings; getting into the right mindset for exercise and meditation; understanding the human digestive system; discovering emotional responses to how we feel about ourselves; stress and anxiety management; getting your best sleep and finding the fun side to situations. Written by Karen (Executive and Personal Coach) and Debbie (Reiki Master Teacher and Pilates Teacher), the book is available to purchase now on Amazon.