This is a little personal story about the day I got to that “ Aha “ moment in my life when a salad became a craving, something I would look forward to eating , versus a punishment food that I had to have in order to achieve my physical goals.
It took me years to make working out and eating healthy part of my life , and only then, once it was programmed in my subconscious that this is the lifestyle I should be following, once I have realized that this lifestyle that I have adapted kept me in good shape and good health, once I visualized and felt ( I am a visual but mostly Kinaesthetic person) the benefits of this lifestyle, once I started enjoying other people compliments ( we all need words of affirmation!), only then I fell for salad...:-) . I remember that day very clearly, and I also remember very clearly the picture of the salad I had that day, the type of veggies in it, the walnuts, the seeds, I also remember the container... I remember that I was on my way to pick up my kids from school but then I was hungry and i stopped by home to pick up that “ Salad”, I remember what I was wearing that day. Now as silly as this may sound please bare with me, there is a point ! That Day was very important to me, because on that day I have realized that I am exactly where I wanted to be in a really long time, I have finally programmed my mind and now it just comes to me naturally .It is not a chore any more, not a painful diet, it is not a punishment it is finally my lifestyle.
But... ( yes there is always a but!), we all know that practice makes perfect, nothing lasts forever, it takes continuous work on one’s self, moments of weakness etc...etc...
In these moments of weakness, when I’m just demotivated and fall off the wagon, in my mind i go back to that day and i anchor my status, i visualise every detail i can remember, i go back to how i felt that day and how good it was.
This is a great mind warm up exercise, it is exactly what i need to remind myself to go back on track.
And this is when Life coaching, Neuro Linguistic programming, and Hypnosis come in handy.
Life coaching, NLP and Hypnosis are great tools that empower human minds, these techniques help us remind ourselves of what we really want, and where we want to be, and most importantly teach us how to stay there.
I’ll end my story by adding couple of important tips, which you most probably know by heart and heard a billion times, but hey! As i mentioned before : We could all use a refresher. Don’t we?!
Tip 1:
Work out! When you exercise your body releases endorphins “ The feel-good hormones ” so you automatically feel happy afterwards, and when you start your day happy, you are more likely to continue your day feeling good and positive, and you are less likely to stress or to turn to food for comfort .
Tip 2:
Stay Hydrated, drink WATER.
It is surprising how easy it is to confuse thirst with hunger. If you feel hungry and notice it is not yet time for your next meal, drink a full glass of water and wait, give yourself and your body some time to assess.
Wishing you a positive, healthy and balanced day.