So many of us are on the journey/struggle to lose weight or maintain our weight. So many personally understand how their mood plays a role in the success or detriment of their weight loss goals. Happiness (or lack of) and weight are a close knit pair. One effects the other. It’s really an interesting concept. If you feel happy you lose weight, and losing weight makes you feel happy. What happens if you are in a cycle of feeling sad and eating more, then gaining weight and feeling depressed. It might feel like a catch 22, but you CAN break the cycle. Here are a five ways to get yourself in the right mindset right now!
1. Focus on positive thoughts.
Are minds are powerful, and so are our thoughts. Actively make the choice to focus on the good in your life. It is easy to get in a frame of mind where our problems live at the forefront. It’s a vicious cycle. Stop it. Consciously make the choice to actively think positive thoughts. Find a quiet place and give yourself just 3 minutes to focus on visualizing your life happy. Imagine your dream life and imagine the current things that make you happy. Allow yourself to focus on your blessings and feel grateful for the positives you have. For those 3 minutes, only allow those positive thoughts. It is amazing how restorative it can be to give your mind a rest of worry and stress.
2. Say NO. And DO NOT feel guilty.
This has been one of the hardest things for me to overcome. I have always been a people pleaser and had the hardest time saying no. I think woman as a whole too often have this problem. Women today really can have it all. Along with this evolution, women have also mastered the art of taking on the world while carrying its weight on her shoulders. There are responsibilities and obligations in life that we can’t get out of, but there are many things that add to the pressures and stresses of everyday life that are completely unnecessary. If it is not critical, kindly decline and don’t feel bad! Your well-being is important. Recognize that you are absolutely deserving.
3. Stretch.
Stretching has many benefits for both the mind and the body. As related to weight, stretching can relieve stress and tension, two culprits of overeating. Set your alarm for 3-minutes. If you need some ideas, here is my stretching 3-minute stretching routine guide.
4. Start a healthy meal plan and give yourself permission to stay off the scale.
While I do feel that weighing to stay on track can be a useful tool and can help keep you motivated and in check, I also feel that we sometimes allow it to be a means of self-sabotage and can be counterproductive. If we see a number on the scale that we don’t feel reflects our hard work and sacrifice, it can be incredibly discouraging. I remember so many days where I had been working out, feeling energized and finally feeling positive again after a slump, only to get on the scale to see a number that ripped all of those feeling away. When I really think about it, it really is silly. I allowed 3 numbers on a digital device to completely dictate my mood. Even though I had been doing the right things and feeling great about it, I gave 3 digits the power to rip it away, to destroy my mood and my day. If you are feeling blue, it is only making it that much harder to stay healthy and happy.
5. Lean on someone who always sees the bright side of things.
What I mean is truly lean on them in the form of a physical hug and a conversation or if that’s not possible, give them a call. People that truly care for us and want to see us happy usually see us in the positive light we don’t always a lot to ourselves. They have the power to put a perspective on things and cheer us up. We can all remember a time when someone made us feel so much better almost immediately.
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