With our "head in the game" we begin again!

 

I’m so excited that you have committed to making healthy living a priority in your busy life again. We all have so many things that compete for our energy (mental and physical) and it is so so easy to put ourselves last. I’m sure all of you have skipped a meal and then a couple of hours later grabbed something NOT good for you because you were so so hungry. You have all stayed up too late, neglected exercise, forgotten to drink water etc. etc. etc. It’s just so easy in your busyness to let your own healthy habits fall to the wayside. So how can you get your head in the game to put your own wellbeing at the top of your list?

Commitment
This is your pledge, your dedication to yourself. You must work hard and put your heart into the game. To begin, find your “Why.” Ask yourself- Why do I want to make my health a priority right now?

One thing I’ve found with my recent health battle is one reason to make your health a priority is so that if you hit a road block (as I have with an auto-immune disease) you are in the best shape possible to fight it. The more issues you have going on the harder it is to regain your health when things go awry. Whether it’s because you want to live longer for your grandkids, improve your physical and/or mental health, or fit in your favorite jeans, if you remind yourself of your “why” when you want to give up, you will be less likely to do so. Remember: a commitment is a promise to yourself that you will do what is necessary to achieve your goal.

Composure (Self-Control)
To be successful at weight loss, you must learn to maintain composure, especially under pressure. Learning new coping skills, habits, and behaviors is essential to tolerate emotions, cravings, and situations that may derail your efforts.One thing I am going to ask you to do during this round is to choose some mantras to re-set your resolve when things get busy, difficult and pressured. 

Concentration
Concentration is another critical skill not only for athletes, but also for people who want to lose weight. One of the things that works well for this method of creating healthy habits is that is has so many facets you really have to focus, track and follow through.  Focus on the healthy habits that will propel you toward your goals. Be meticulous in tracking your habits in real time (including actually measuring portions and water ounces). This will help you create lasting change and achieve your goals, you must make healthy living practices habitual and concentrate on the behaviors that will help you succeed in your weight loss efforts.

Confidence
Believing you will succeed is more than half the battle. If you have have failed at maintaining healthy habits and healthy weight in the past, having confidence in yourself may be a challenge.

Focusing on your strengths helps build confidence in your ability to make wise choices. You are likely too critical of yourself and tend to forget about times you have succeeded. Mantras are also helpful in helping build confidence and achieve your goals by changing your self-talk. Tell yourself:

• This time will be different
• I am capable of success
• I can do it
• I am worth it 

Consistency
Consistency is the key to forging good habits. If you want to change the quality of your life, you must set yourself up to win. One of my favorite sayings is “If you do what you did you will get what you got.” If you want to have better results and a healthier life you need to make new habits.

For our first weekly bonus challenge I would like you to:

1. Make a list on your phone (or a note on your bathroom mirror) of 5 benefits you enjoy when you are making healthy choices for yourself.

2.  Think of and write down (phone or bathroom note) 3 mantras you can use when time gets tight and it is tempting to skip choosing a healthy habit for yourself. Something you can run through your head like:

“I am worth the effort to make the hard choice for myself right now”

“When I choose well for myself I feel better mentally and physically”

“When I make myself a priority I have more energy and band width do love and serve others”

You can use these or choose your own. 

3. Share the above with your partner and decide how you will support each other in this competition. What help and encouragement do you need? Ask for it!