This might be a tough pill to swallow, despite the fact this cycle is almost the norm in our society, but we repeat, Diets don’t work! It’s a bandaid, a quick fix to a deeper problem that lies within our mental and emotional state. You’re looking in all the wrong places. It’s not until you can look in the mirror and see yourself for WHO you truly are, WHY you do the things you do, and WHAT you truly desire, will you CHANGE your life.
So what’s the fix? What do I need to do to get what I want?
Awareness and tending to our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual gardens.
We would love to tell you there’s an easy fix, but research has showed the most important factor influencing any type of success, whether that be weight loss success, nutrition, family, work, life, is your attitude (what you think), discipline and commitment. Whatever you think about all the time, you will attract in life; You will never develop anything of any consequence if you are not disciplined; and commitment means being bound or having an obligation to something, no one ever became successful by accident or without committing to it.
What we try to do is help our clients shift their focus.
1. Focus on the why.
Why, Purpose and Commitment – because quite frankly, without a purpose, direction, understanding why this is important to you and a commitment to yourself and those around you to achieve that, then are you living intentionally or by accident? Are you living fully, or just existing? Are you working on your life or just in it? Are you satisfied? Are you happy? And more importantly, what sort of role model are you being for your children and what legacy do you want to leave? Not until you recognise what’s at the core of your actions will you be able to move forward.
2. Changing habits
Habits are like skills, once you have them, you don’t lose them. Habits are formed from repetitive actions, and cannot be undone. Only by creating new habits to replace old ones will the old habits be ‘forgotten’.
Unfortunately this take time. A minimum of between 25-30 days is the general consensus, but its also proportional for how long the habit has been ingrained and the commitment to resist old habits. One of the most important habits is a strong morning routine. We hear you say “I’m not a morning person”.. This is the most overused BS. If the most successful people in the world can do it and note this as one of the keys to their success, you also have the capability, you aren’t special.
3. Positive self talk
You are the sum total of your thoughts which become cemented in your subconscious mind. We had read this a lot before and always thought it was a little woo-woo. But it was not until it was explained to us how the brain actually processes information did we understand how affirmations, positive self talk etc can help transform your ideal to your reality. Whether or not you believe in your sub-conscious mind that you can make the changes you need to make is critical. Similarly, negative thoughts and worlds do nothing but fuel a negative subconscious and mindset. You are strong enough, you are worthy, you are in exactly the right place from which to launch into the person you want to be.
Keep an eye out for negative messages or thoughts, understand where they are coming from, and then turn it around by creating a positive or constructive version of events. If you don’t believe you can, you never will.
4. Food is information
Your body and mind need good information. You also can think about food a fuel or medicine because if you aren’t feeding your body good food, then you can’t expect your mind and body to do the things you want it to do. You wouldn’t expect a car to run on orange juice, so why would you do it to your body?
Asking yourself do you really want to eat what’s in front of you becomes a prompt to make a conscious choice, and if you have worked through 1 and 2 above, your subconscious will do the work for you. At the end of the day, for most people nutrition is around 70% of the cause and solution to weight loss, so it requires the appropriate amount of attention.
5. Community
Social isolation is proven to be one of the highest causes of death around the world. How often do you hear of a person passing away when their spouse passes? It has also been shown in the longest running study in the world’s history that the happiest people were not the richest, not the fittest, not the smartest, but the people who are the best connected with their family, friends and community. We think this is pretty important.
Surround yourself with amazing humans who support your journey but also challenge you. Who can you rely on? Who supports you, who’s a detractor and who doesn’t share the same vision/values? You ARE a reflection of the people you hang around the most. Surround yourself with people who have what you want and build a great ‘team’ around you full of strong relationships.
These are just 5 aspects of our lives to help improve our health and reach our actual goals. Humans are complex creatures, and these show why simple diets don’t work. Make your own wellbeing and health your first and highest priority. When you feel great, you’ll be great too.
6. Moving
Movement is life. It’s like standing vs stagnant water. The body and the mind and interconnected and feed each other. Improving your mental health will improve your physical, and vice versa. The only way to improve your physical condition is to move. Go for a walk, play with the kids or if you are sitting in an office chair, slumped at your desk most of the week, why not try some exercises and stretches that can be done at your desk, help improve your posture, reduce back pain and give you an energy boost. Move for 5min every 25min if you are sedentary and continually if you have the opportunity.
With all of these combined, you can be sure you are ticking some of the boxes to realising the body and mind you desire.