As a dietitian, there are many tips, tricks, pieces of advice, and recommendations I could tell you to help you tweak your lifestyle and reach your goals. There are also heaps of people in general out there who are giving guidance and telling you what worked for them or are advocating for some trend or product.
Now, I’m talking to you…listen to me when I tell you that none of this stuff matters if your head isn’t in the right place.
I’d argue that your mental space is the most crucial aspect that determine whether or not you’re going to be successful.
Because what we think is what we do.
If we’re constantly:
Thinking that we’re doing things “wrong”
Believing that we will only achieve results by following trends that aren’t enjoyable
Bringing ourselves down because we “gave in” to a certain food that didn’t follow the “rules”
Calling ourselves mean names and not loving who we are
Overwhelmed by everything and don’t start anything because there’s too much to do
Convincing ourselves that we won’t be good at something….or at least not as good as someone else we see doing it
Consumed by guilt because we “fell off track” or have “started over” too many times
We aren’t setting ourselves up in the right mind space to think about how we can do something instead of brainstorming all the ways we can’t or shouldn’t try.
I highly encourage that before you make any lifestyle changes to sit down with yourself for 5 minutes and reflect about what is really going on with you and how you feel about yourself.
I want you to have a good grasp of your current mental space and ask yourself if you’re happy with it.
Do you like the way you think about yourself?
If the answer is “not really” then what needs to change for you? Do you need to practice more patience? do you need to learn how to better let go of the stress you’re carrying? Do you need to practice more kindness with others so that you give more to yourself too?
If you don’t think you can do something, or think that you don’t deserve to achieve something…. you’re setting yourself up for failure because when things do get hard you’ll see it as a sign to stop and that you’re “not good enough” to push through.
I tell everyone that even if you don’t do a single thing today that’s aligned with your goals, as long as you’re okay with it and still have a positive outlook/mindset then You. Are. Still. Making. Progress.
Because chances are that if you didn’t have a good mental space and you didn’t do anything today towards your goals then you’ll fall into the guilt & give up space.
Where do you want to be this time next year?? How do you want to be feeling by then??
People who actually reach their goals are build that sustainable healthy lifestyle do one key thing: They enjoy the process.
So, beautiful human….
Make your lifestyle changes but pleaseeeee ask yourself these 5 questions:
Am I happy?
Do I enjoy the things I’ve been changing and can I see myself doing this for the long run?
What is making me unhappy?
How am I feeling/how is my stress?
What needs to change in order for me to be happier?
If doing check-ins with yourself similar to the questions above, I highly recommend you start implementing this as a weekly if not daily practice. Being able to tune into yourself to know what feels right is the most powerful skill to get you closer to finding what your health journey looks like.
The most important habit to master: Reflection
xx Katie