Halfway to 2020: Finish Strong, Achieve your Goals

Does it flabbergast anyone else that it’s already early July and we are officially more than halfway through 2019? Remember back in January when we had plans for changing everything: improving our diets, exercising more, and experiencing weight loss? We were determined to arrive on December 31st of 2019 feeling better and looking great. 

Having done this work long enough, we know that it’s typical to feel disappointed or frustrated with your progress and worried about the future. The common question: “will I ever be able to achieve this goal of _______ (i.e. balance, a healthier relationship with food, better digestion/skin/energy)?” We beat ourselves up with the thought: “what’s wrong with me that I can’t seem to start and STICK WITH an exercise regimen/ put down the pint of ice cream when I’m emotionally out-of-sorts/ follow an eating plan that would benefit my health?”

You may find yourself wondering:

• do I start now or wait until summer is over?
• why haven’t I been able to make the changes I set out for myself?
• should I follow the diet my neighbor/best friend/favorite celebrity is doing?
• is this how I’m supposed to feel at my age? Is it possible to have more energy and be at a comfortable weight?
• how do I actually create better balance in my life and see results?

It can feel like there are 900 skills you need in order to reach your goals. Some include meal-planning, combating emotional eating & self-sabotage, changing your mindset, monitoring your progress, establishing effective systems and routines, and engaging your mind and body in making the transition so that your process produces the transformation you desire. So how do you know where to start or what’s next?

On the way to 2020, take a minute to reflect on a few things:

• how badly do I want to see my goal achieved?
• do I have the time and resources to make it happen?
• with all these articles/books/courses on different diets, how do I know what is best for me and my body? Is there a better way?

Be honest with yourself. If you’re going through a tumultuous divorce, maybe now is not the time to focus your attention on lowering your cholesterol. If the kids are keeping you on the go during summer vacation, fall might be a better time to check in and see what reasonable changes you can make during the last quarter of the year. Or maybe the 10 extra pounds on your body are killing your confidence and making your clothes uncomfortable to wear; you know it’s time to make a change.

You still have 175 days left of 2019. Are you ready to achieve your desired results and finish strong? It all starts with a chance to connect with your personal nutritionist and lifestyle coach during a complimentary 20-minute discovery call. Schedule it this week and uncover your skill gap so that you can make the BEST choice for beginning your sustainable lifestyle transformation!

5 Steps for Health in an Unhealthy World

Most people espouse the ideal of living a ‘clean’ and healthy life and when our workouts fall by the wayside and our dinner comes out of a can, box or fast-food window, we start to wonder “is it me? My lack of willpower?”

Before settling into a bout of self-loathing, consider this: our environment largely influences whether we succeed or fail. The modern advances of technology enable us to be constantly connected and productive, but they do espouse a decrease in home-cooked food and body movement.  The typical American food environment – full of processed, convenient options – provides ample opportunity to join the legions of the sick, overweight/obese, and the depressed.

But there is another way, one that involves being more peaceful, vital, and resilient. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Consider the control you have in establishing your home environment. You have tremendous influence over what to buy and bring into your kitchen. When you expunge the trans-fats, excess sugary foods, and the undesirable color additives (i.e. Yellow #5, Red #40) you can often replace the crackers, candies, breakfast cereals, and chips with healthier options. When the craving for a soda strikes and it’s not available, there are two choices: have another beverage (water!) or make the journey to obtain one. Which leads into…
2. Make your inertia or laziness work FOR you. A client utilized this idea and experienced weight loss without, as she put it, “hating life.” We created a plan, knowing her tendencies, to include healthier foods and crowd out the others. One guideline was to eat a small bowl of strawberries and, if she wasn’t satisfied, then she could have the desired junk food. Most of the time, she didn’t want to want the latter enough to have to eat fruit first, so the junk food intake declined.
3.  Create a fitness-friendly environment. A key part of this is knowing yourself and your tendencies. If you like having the treadmill in your bedroom because it’s easier to roll out of bed and get started, move the treadmill there. If, deep down, you know the machine will become a glorified clothes hanger in your bedroom but will get more usage if parked in front of the family room television, that’s where the treadmill needs to go. The same goes for weights and other workout equipment.
4. Add in more vegetables! They contain vitamins, minerals, and various other components that will give you health and energy. You can also make them flavorful in a green smoothie, collard wraps, or in a turkey chili.
5. There is no such thing as a perfect diet. Every single person has their own needs; depending on their ancestry, body type, and activity level. What’s medicine for one is poison for another. Instead of deciding for convenience, or what worked for your friend’s weight loss, test your own body to see exactly what you need to be healthy.

It’s true, you’ll have to be a bit of a rebel as you reclaim your birthright of vitality. Your decisions, when at the grocery store or out to eat with friends, may  come up against all popular tendencies. At first, what feels like a huge act of willpower will transition into ease and habit.

Use the practical suggestions above to start your health transformation. Don’t wait until tomorrow; begin now. Reduce overwhelm and  get yourself a nutrition & health guide.