If you have tried to lose weight, you have probably experienced that much of your success or frustration is ruled by your mind. Weight loss isn’t totally a mind game, but we can’t neglect the mental component either. There’s a three-legged stool of success for body and one for mind. Cut off one of the legs on either stool, and the stool will likely fall over!
The Mind
Our three legs here are all S – stress, self-esteem, support.
STRESS:
If you have a lot of stress in your life, look for ways to balance the stress with pleasure. Otherwise, you may find yourself eating for stress relief. Personally, stress makes me crave salty and crunch snacks. Not what I should be eating while I’m trying to lose weight! Something as simple as a hot bath while you sip some nice herbal tea can relieve some of the stress. One of my favorite stress management strategies is to get up 15 minutes early while the house is still quiet and sit with nothing but my own thoughts. It starts my day off with a more balanced tone.
SELF-ESTEEM:
Trying to lose weight can make a mess of your self-esteem – you end up with too much focus on what’s wrong with you instead of what’s right. Every day, take a long look in the mirror and focus ONLY on one pleasing thing. Maybe you have thoughtful eyes, or strong shoulders, or cute ears. Pick one thing about your body that you like and just relish that one thing for a minute.
SUPPORT:
Don’t go it alone. Your partner or spouse may not be the best source of support. Find an online forum, learning resources, success stories and other resources on the web if you don’t like meetings or weigh-ins.
The Body
For the body, we’ve got three dials to adjust – dial up metabolism and movement, dial down junk food.
METABOLISM:
You can boost your metabolism with safe supplements that increase baseline metabolism and with simple natural things like green tea. Just don’t overdo it. You’ll also get a significant boost in metabolism from adding more movement.
MOVEMENT:
Join a class at the gym, invite a neighbor to walk every morning, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Seriously, do anything you can to add movement to your day. I have a desk job so my routine could get pretty sedentary. But I start most days with a workout or a walk. Then I make it a point to get away from the computer and move frequently during the day. It all helps keep your body burning calories.
JUNK FOOD:
OK – I love my salty snacks as much as anyone. But to lose weight, I’ve got to limit them. Not eliminate, just reduce. If I try to give them up entirely, some part of me rebels and eats a whole bag! So, I just put a small handful in a bowl instead of sitting down with a big serving dish or the whole bag.
If you keep these tips in mind, you just might put those extra pounds behind you for keeps!
About the Author
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The author, Linda Ford, PhD, is an independent distributor for Shaklee. Visit http://www.trker.com/go/26622/ArtRich for more information.