If case you missed Healthy Lifestyle Revamp Part 1: Kitchen Update, click HERE
If you missed Healthy Living Revamp Part 2: Fitness Shake Up , click HERE
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I have had countless women come to me and say “I want to lose weight and I know what to do but I just can’t stick with it. I do so well for a few weeks and then I fall off track and I gain all the weight back that I lost. What’s wrong with me?” I know first-hand how frustrating this is. I lived that vicious cycle for years and there’s nothing more frustrating than knowing exactly what to do and having all the tools but not being able to execute.
The reason why we have a hard time sticking to our plan isn’t because we’re weak or lazy and it’s not because we don’t have what it takes to get it done. It’s because either a) the plan is far too restrictive and not enjoyable and if we don’t like what we’re doing we’re not going to do it well or stick with it or b) it’s not the plan that has to change, it’s our mindset that has to change.
The #1 mistake people make when they want to change their lifestyle or their body is they change all of the outside stuff and ignore the ever-present negative thought patterns and limiting beliefs. These are the “you’ll never do it” “It’s too hard” “You’re too lazy” “You’re not dedicated enough” thoughts. The first and most important step in revamping your lifestyle is squashing these thoughts or at least be actively working towards squashing them, or they will undoubtedly keep you stuck. Any lifestyle change happens on the inside FIRST.
Here are a few ways to start to change the way you think about food and your body to make your lifestyle revamp a much smoother process. Let me preface these tips by saying this is going to be the most difficult part of your revamp, but, it will also be the most rewarding. Stay the course.
1. Detach from your expectations
You want to fit into your skinny jeans by fall so you diet and exercise your butt off, literally. You’ve been eating healthy for two months, have been working out 4 times each week and you’re feeling the energy and positive changes you’re making. You feel amazing so you try the jeans on. After two months of hard work…the jeans still don’t fit…so you throw in the towel, tell yourself you didn’t work hard enough and blame yourself for not getting to where you want to be. Who cares if you’re eating healthier, have more energy, have glowing skin and you’ve fallen in love with exercise? Who cares about any of that if you can’t fit into those freaking jeans!
I’ve seen this happen with so many women. They set a goal and want to reach it within a certain amount of time. When time is up and they’re not exactly where they though they should be they are beyond discouraged and quit. And I get it! It’s frustrating! But that’s the problem with setting hard goals and expectations. We miss all the good stuff that’s happening because we’re blinded by the outcome.
We can eat all the right things, exercise exactly as we’re told, get 8 hours of sleep each night and still not get to where we want to be when we want to get there. When we set specific expectations and give ourselves a timeline, we’re setting ourselves up for massive disappointment. Instead, focus on mastering the day or even just mastering the moment. One choice, one meal, one day at a time. If you stay consistent and make choices that are in line with your goals 85-90% of the time, the results will come. Patience is a virtue, here.
2. Stop Giving Up on Yourself
Persistence and resiliency is key. That means you’re going to make yourself a promise that you’ll keep working towards your goals and keep moving forward despite any difficulty, frustration or setbacks. In order to be successful in revamping your lifestyle or losing fat you have to develop a persistent and resilient mindset. I will be 100% honest and tell you that you will have setbacks, you will have doubts and you will have plenty of days when you want to quit and THAT’S TOTALLY NORMAL! That said, it’s your job to remind yourself of your goals, why you want to achieve them and that quitting isn’t going to get you where you want to be.
3. Be Your Own Cheerleader
This is the GAME CHANGER. If you immediately begin criticizing yourself when you look in the mirror, call yourself “fat” when you eat some chocolate, tell yourself you’re “so out of shape” when you feel tired at the gym, you and your progress will come to a screeching hault.
Negative self-talk is so incredibly damaging to our body because of what those thoughts do to our mind. If we don’t get our mind right before we try to shift our lifestyle we won’t be able to maintain our results. When we think negatively about ourselves and our actions, we will eventually make decisions that will be consistent with those thoughts. Negative thoughts lead to negative actions.
Positivity has to be a priority. Focusing on just one positive thought per day or finding something to be grateful for can be a HUGE game changer in the long run. Those negative thoughts are just noise and when you’re taking the leap to change your lifestyle, you don’t have time for that nonsense. Focus on the positive stuff and cheer yourself on. A lot of times this can feel like giving up. It’s as if you start supporting yourself and showing yourself some kindness, you won’t be as motivated to get stuff done. But the tough love, Jillian-Michaels-screaming-in-the-face-of-the-Biggest-Loser-contestants style of “motivation” has been show in studies to do the exact opposite of providing motivation. We can develop healthy habits and produce positive changes from a negative mindset.
Like said before, this will likely be the hardest part of your Healthy Lifestyle Revamp. To help, I have a free workbook for you. My Imperfectly Perfect Body Love Project will give you strategies to start appreciating what your body does for you. It includes a week-long gratitude practice, a mantra and positive affirmation worksheet and a 7 day body love journal. Grab your free copy by clicking the picture below.
