Life is not a quick fix

For the last eleven months, nearly a year, I have been working through my own health and wellbeing journey with a coach. It has been a great year of self-discovery, and I would recommend it to anyone who is wanting to get a healthier perspective on food, exercise and general well-being.

I have had some highs throughout this year, but I have also had some deep lows. If I hadn’t had my coach and others there to listen and to help me get balance, then I am sure I would have been comfort eating for the majority of the year. There were times where I was tempted by the quick fix of products. You know the ones.  Where someone has lost an astonishing amount of weigh in a short amount of time.  I was very tempted.  I discussed the pros and cons with my coach, googled the product and really gave a good amount of thought to it. What I discovered is that it was a product that you had to take forever, otherwise the weight would come back on. It was also quite expensive and was sold through a pyramid type of scheme.  What it didn’t do was cover the basics, like slow mindful eating, eating till you were 80% full and what a portion size should be.

Just in case you are wondering, portion sizes are very easy to remember when you use your hand as the guide. A serving of protein is your palm, fat is your thumb, vegetables are fist sized and carbohydrate dense foods a cupped hand. Easy isn’t it?

But being healthy isn’t just about the food we put into our bodies, it is also about our mindset and attitude. And sometimes that is the hardest thing to control. I am sure you all know that what we think is what we are. I covered some of this in earlier posts, but to recap briefly. If you are telling yourself that you are amazing, then you are. On the flip side if you are telling yourself negative things, then of course it’s not going to be a good day. Flip that coin over and start thinking positively. It’s a very hard thing to do if you are in a downward spiral, but worth it for your own wellbeing.

If you love yourself, then you are more likely to make the right choices, including what food to fuel your body. For me, I have discovered that dairy is not my friend, neither is a lot of alcohol. Sometimes I fall off the wagon, but now I don’t beat myself up about it. I just acknowledge that my choices may not have been the best for me and move on.

I was speaking to a good friend yesterday and we were discussing how some diets and the people running them can be very negative, but that when you have someone in your camp wanting you to do well there is only room for positive speaking.  What I mean by this is, if you are finding things challenging, you don’t beat yourself up, look for the wins, be they small or big. What did you do well in the last day, week, month? Find those small wins and celebrate them. Don’t dwell on the number on the scale or something that can’t be undone. Move on.

As I am nearly finished my year with my coach and I am over halfway through my coaching certificate with Precision Nutrition, I am now looking forward to helping others achieve their goals. If you are looking for someone to help you, let me know and we can have a chat.