A...always believe in your ability to succeed. This is important to success because if you do not believe that you can and will succeed in reaching your objectives...why would you try? I think that we give up and fail to reach our goals because we predispose ourselves to fail. We think negative thoughts such as "the last diet didn't work, so this one won't either" or we listen to others tease us for "going on yet another diet". Put those thoughts and others like them out of your mind. From today forward, believe in YOU. Believe in your ability to take control over your situation and to improve every aspect of your life.
B...always be prepared. Many people write to me and say that they intend on eating a healthy meal but end up pressed for time and utilize a fast food restaurant for their meal. You know your lifestyle better than anyone. I can not tell you what will work for you in each situation, but you can! If you routinely are pressed for time, prepare for this, anticipate this happening. Being prepared means packing food from home before leaving for the day, filling a cooler with everything you need for a healthful day, do what you can to insure that healthy food will be readily available to you when you are hungry.
C...care for yourself. If you have not taken the time to do the self-discovery survey on my website, do it today. Visit, www.Juliahavey.com to take yours. Or take out a piece of paper and do it non-cyber way! Write down ten adjectives right now that you would use to describe youself, or just think of them in your mind. What words do you select that best describe you? Are they positive words that signal a strong sense of self? Are they words that reflect the being that you are? Are the words that you chose negative and self-depreciating? Do the words focus more on the condition of your body than of your personality and soul?
I want you to think carefully about the words that you selected. No one else can read them, no one else can hear your thoughts, these are your private thoughts about yourself. Read them over. How do they make you feel? If you words are positive in nature, good for you. You will have a much quicker start on this journey. If your words are negative, ask yourself if you would ever use these words to describe a loved one or a best friend. If the answer is no, then you need to stop using them to describe YOU, the most important person in your life.
Now that you have your ABC's down, let's get to the 1-2-3's! To jumpstart your journey on the path of self-improvement through self-motivation all you need to do are three easy steps.
1. Identify the worst thing that you routinely do that is hindering your weight loss or self-improvement. Do you mindlessly eat chips or pretzels late in the day at work? Do you walk by the communal bowl of M&M's and grab a handful a few times a day? Do you drink regular soft drinks? Identify that which you know is the worst habit that you have and go about breaking it. Replace it with something positive. Are you a nibbler by nature? No problem. Nibble, but switch the unhealthy snack that you have previously chosen with something better for you, such as carrots, grapes, raisins, etc...
2. Work your body! Right now you may very well feel like the rusty, squeeky and hard to move about "Tin Man" from the Wizard of Oz. It may have been so long since you actually used your muscles that they now feel like the won't move, but move they will! With a little bit of oil (WATER intake, in our case!!!) and a little bit of movement they will respond and soon they will be as good as new and maybe even better than ever before. One of the best things about being human is that even if you have been overweight your entire life and have NEVER been in shape.....you can change! You can lose weight, you can get your muscles toned and tightened. You can realize the body that you have always dreamed of. All you need to realize is that dreaming and wishing won't produce results. Work your body and it will work for you!
3. Attitude is everything. If you mope around and feel sorry for yourself thinking that life will be a series of denials and deprivation if you adhere to your "diet", then you have already lost the battle. If you embrace change and believe that all the years that you endulged in unhealthy foods, didn't excercise and lived in a body that you didn't like, that THEN you were being denied and deprived of all that life has to offer...then you are on the road to change! Living life in a healthy manner is NOT deprivation, it is abundance. When you can run through the park with your children, fly kites, jump on trampolines, make love with out fear or shame, dance even when people may see you...this is the stuff that life is made of!
Even after losing 130 pounds, I was intimidated to do yoga. I have always wanted to try it, but felt that I would not be limber enough or coordinated enough to do it. Last week while at my gym later than usual, I saw the class assembling for 7PM yoga. I actually left the gym. I went to the car and threw my stuff in it, ready to retreat and go home, even though I had only done 45 minutes of my 60 minutes of cardio! Coward! I realized this and turned around and headed to the yoga class. I took off my socks and shoes and grabbed a mat. I looked around at the other ladies, most were in great shape, a few were not. I endured one hour of awkwardness. I was unfamiliar with the moves but NOT unable to do them. I actually thought that the workout was fairly easy, mostly stretching and holding in that position. The next day, I realized why yoga is so good for you. For one, I actually relaxed during the class (for those who know me, you know I am fairly hyper!). And unexpectedly, my muscles were sore. Yoga is a great from of exercise and toning that I had denied myself of for many years! I allowed preconcieved notions, bias and fear of the unknown keep me from doing something that I now love!
What is holding you back from realizing your dreams and goals? What is there in life that you want to do and have not been allowing yourself to realize? Attitude is everything.
Now, make a list of what you like about yourself, keep reading it each day to remind you. Figure out what you have been being denied and make a plan to realize it! It really is as easy as 1-2-3!
