Stress and frustration about health and weight loss goals is very common and I myself have struggled with this. Setting out to improve your health and lose weight often involves an overwhelming and conflicting amount of information and an endless and unrealistic to-do list. After 20+ years of trying (again and again) to improve my health and lose weight I found that these 3 approaches made all the difference.
1. Make an Attitude Adjustment
Most of us have been body shaming ourselves for the better part of our lives. Grabbing at the “excess” and making disgusted faces in the mirror. Refusing to wear shorts no matter how hot the weather. Avoiding eating out or other social situations where we may feel judged. And, probably the most common of all, avoiding the camera like it will steal your soul. Now listen, I know what you’re thinking because I’ve been there… when you lose that weight or get more healthy you’ll truly love your body and all this nonsense will stop.
But here’s the truth… it won’t stop and there are 2 good reasons for this. One you are very unlikely to reach your goal if you hate your body or feel like you’re at war with it. And, two, even if you do reach your goal it will never feel like it because you’ll still be looking through that critical lens.
Making an attitude adjustment about your body is the first step to reducing stress and frustration about weight loss and health goals. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to come to a place of pure unbridled body love. But focusing on accepting your body will help you nourish and care for it better and give you a much more clear vision. If this is something you know you struggle with, you’re not alone! Check out my Affirmation Masterclass in Inner Circle to learn how to create a powerful affirmation practice that’s scientifically proven to work!
Focus on Adding
To reinforce your new attitude and set yourself up for success, focus on adding rather than taking away. You see, when we focus on the things we “aren’t allowed to have” or “can’t do” we only want them more. This creates a phenomenon commonly known as the deprivation – binge pendulum. And it explains why even when we accomplish our health and weight loss goals through the use of restriction we tend to wind up even more unhealthy and overweight in the long term.
To reduce stress and frustration about health and weight loss goals focus instead on what needs to be added. This will make you feel more indulgent and engaged in your health journey and make it easier to not only accomplish your goals but also to stick to them.
What should you add?
These increases are proven to help you improve your health, reduce cravings, increase energy and accomplish your goals!
Celebrate Wins
The best way to stay on track and reduce stress and frustration about your health goals is to be mindful of and celebrate your wins! And let me be perfectly clear here, I don’t mean your wins on the scale! Tracking non scale victories like increased strength, stamina, and endurance, and decreased fatigue, brain fog, and headaches is sure to give you the momentum you need to keep at it. And, don’t forget to congratulate yourself for hitting goals like eating more veggies, finding exercise you enjoy and doing it, or getting a full night’s sleep. We so often minimize these efforts and underestimate their impact in our lives. Remind yourself that your progress, effort, and commitment are things to be proud of.
Celebrating your wins will help you feel successful even on the tough days. And it’ll also help you stay committed and motivated by giving you a record of wins. We are always more likely to do the things that make us feel proud of ourselves.
Give it a Shot
I know this advice might sound a lot different from the messages so prevalent in the diet industry today. But let me remind you, if the diet industry worked they wouldn’t be growing and obesity and poor health wouldn’t be on the rise. And while these tips might seem a little too simple, they work, and that’s where the genius is. You see, stress is a major contributor to poor health and makes weight loss near to impossible. So, following these 3 tips to reduce stress and frustration about health and weight loss will pay huge dividends. Give it a shot and know that if you need some extra support you can always find it in Inner Circle where you’ll also get access to our Take Control of Your Life Course including a game changing health focused unit!
Tell me in the comments which tip you’re going to implement first.
