You are ready. 2019 is going to be youryear! You have a goal. You have a plan. Perfect! All too often, these little (well really not too little) things called self-limiting beliefs sneak in to our subconscious and we self–sabotage and we never reach our goal. This year is going to be different. This year, we are going to get rid of them.
Common self-limiting health beliefs:
- I am destined to always be overweight.
- I may lose the weight but gain it all back because that always happens.
- I am too old and my metabolism has slowed to a crawl.
- I am genetically predisposed to being overweight.
- Exercise is too boring or painful and not for me.
Any sound familiar? I bet at least a couple do. All of them are false, but these beliefs stand in our way for long-term success.
So, how do we fight these beliefs? We poke holes in them.
- You are not destined to always be overweight.You can learn new ways to eat. You can start seeing food as fuel and naturally start making different decisions.
- You will not gain the weight back. Maybe what you tried before didn’t work because it wasn’t something you could maintain long term. Maybe you only made a half–hearted attempt. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t need to be repeated. Your past in not your future. Who you are today is not who you were before. What you choose today will create your tomorrow.
- You are not too old. Research shows that building muscle increases your metabolism. Regardless of your age, resistance training will build muscle, make you look leaner, increase your metabolism, and give you more energy.
- Even with a genetic predisposition, you can stop the cycle. Overweight tendencies do run in families, because that is how we learn to eat. You can change how you eat and how you view food. You will not only improve your life, you will improve the lives of your kids and grandchildren.
- Exercise can be enjoyable and fun.There are so many options available to choose from that if you can’t find one you like, you aren’t trying hard enough.
Now, set yourself up for success.
- Determine your goal.What is it that you WANT? Write the goal as what you want, not what you don’t want. For example, “I weigh 160” feels a lot different than “I want to lose 20 pounds.” Lastly, make sure the goal is clear and inspirational. For example, “I weigh 160 so I have the energy and strength to waterski with my kids this summer.”
- When you have a clear, inspirational goal, visualize yourselfthere. Successful athletes and professional speakers practice visualization, why shouldn’t you for your health goal? When you want that extra piece of pizza or want to skip a workout, visualize yourself reaching your goal. I bet you make a different decision!
- Rewrite your self-limiting beliefsas empowering beliefs or create new empowering beliefs. For example,
- I live a healthy lifestyle
- I find time to exercise every day
- I am healthy and strong
- I am a good example for my kids
- …..you get the picture
- Find a coach or an accountability partner to help you – it makes a big difference when you are not doing it alone.
Now go reach your goal….you got this!