Diet and exercise are necessary for physique change, but only if they are used consistently. They fail for many reasons. Very often our thoughts and attitude limit us from being consistent.
“My hips are like battleships”
“I have batwing arms ”
“I can’t go to the beach, because I look like a whale”
Have you ever noticed when women are chatting, often there are negative self comments being spewed out? Even when one woman compliments another, often times the recipient can’t receive a compliment.
Here is an exact conversation I overheard recently,
Woman 1: “Your new hair style is really attractive”.
Woman 2: “I need it so no one will notice all the fat I have put on”
My husband made me aware that I was doing this all the time. He pointed out to me years ago, that I was not gracious in accepting compliments. I made an excuses instead of acknowledging a compliment. I didn’t even realize it.
Why do we verbally bash ourselves?
It is because we are bombarded with the myth of perfectionism. We can’t measure up to the photoshopped images of the perfect women that are all over the media. This is a self defeating attitude.
Ladies, we are using the wrong measuring stick!
The only measuring tool we need is our previous self.
Are we improving on the girl we were last month? Yes? Score that a win!
Not yet? No worries. The answer is not in the gym or the kitchen.
The answer lies between our ears.
We can train our brain to know, with certainty that it is possible and necessary to love our self as we are, and when we do we are free to improve on our fitness and nutrition. We are free to improve not in a punishing way, but in a rewarding way.
After becoming aware of my negative self talk, I taught myself to hush those thoughts, and replace them. Our physique, health and wellness depends on our refusal to honor negative thoughts. I learned to turn my negative self thoughts around by using these tools.
Tool #1: Gratitude: Begin each day with gratitude. Gratitude has many benefits, including lowering the fat making hormone cortisol. Gratitude also gives us the resolve to make better choices and to appreciate our health. Cravings are less likely to occur when we have the resolve to follow through.
Tool#2: Affirmations: Use affirmations to re-frame negative self thoughts. Negative thoughts will creep into our head, but we don’t have to act on them. We can acknowledge them, and flip them into an empowering attitude.
Remember this: We have much better success, when we accept, celebrate and embrace our uniqueness, while we strive to improve.
Loving our self and wanting to improve, is not only a good idea, it is necessary, because when we believe we are worthy, we take better care of ourselves.
Tool#3: Stop thinking that exercise is the only movement we need. Exercise is important, but it is only part of the calorie burn equation. Increasing Non-exercise movement ( Non-exercise Activity thermogenesis aka #NEAT) has been proven in studies to significantly boost calorie burn and results. What are the best ways to do this, besides the obvious increasing steps? Sign up for the #NEAT November Cheat Sheet for all sorts of clever movements you can do at home or on the go to ramp up your results. #NEAT November is free to everyone, just be sure to sign up, so I know where to send it on 11/13 Click here.
FREE Video Series: The Best Exercises for Women Over 40!
Free 3-Part video Series goes in-depth teaching you how to perform the above exercises step-by-step THE RIGHT WAY without getting hurt.
Watch the Videos