It’s that time again. Christmas is well and truly over and we’re in the throes of January. The month is long and cold yet good intentions of better health and fitness are upon us once more.
January is a very busy month within the fitness industry. Many New Years Resolutions and healthy eating regimes, but what makes people quit after just a few weeks? More importantly, how do you stay motivated to make it a lifestyle?
Quite simply, it’s to be more mindful of your relationship with food. Rather than restricting calories and relying on willpower, try looking at your eating routines instead. Many people only look at what they eat and drink rather than why.
The most common reason for failure is when people rely on willpower to create permanant change. Sadly expectations aren’t met and boredom kicks in, meaning old habits return. Being more intune with your mind and body will give you more of an indication of what you need to work on to get the results you want.
Start by noticing when you eat. Are you actually hungry or are you bored or lonely? Then look at how you eat. Are you doing something else like watching TV, on social media, driving or looking at a computer? How quickly did you consume your meal? Did you taste it or chew it properly?
In most cases people eat too quickly and on auto pilot. Doing this means you rarely taste it and miss the signal of when to stop eating. The ingrained message carried from chilhood to ‘eat it all up’ stays with us and we consume everything on the plate to avoid being wasteful.
How you ever considered your emotions when needing food? Are you tired or stressed from work and do you use food to help you relax? Do you open a bottle bottle of wine and drink it while you’re preparing dinner?
A good measure of knowing the answers is to keep a food journal of everything you consume. Include the date, time and your mood at the beginning and end of your meal. You may notice a pattern or what triggers you to reach for food or alcohol on certain days.
If you are reading this and thinking ‘I don’t have time to do all that’ – that’s exactly the reason why you should! Busy lives often means you are out of sync with yourself. You may be prioritising other things and people above your own health.
This is the most frequently overlooked is the foundation to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Being aware of your behaviour, habits and emotions is paramount to any health and fitness transformation. Understanding yourself more and the obstacles you face can often prevent relapsing into old behaviours.
It’s important to remember small daily action steps towards change has a more possitive impact on your success. The journey is about self discovery and reconnecting to your body for signals of nourishment, rather than emotional reasons.
If you would like to get additional support relating to the information above. Please see our Individual Wellness Coaching Sessions
