Think about your attitude toward your body for a second. Are you on a diet because you hate your body or because you love yourself and want to take better care of your body and mind? When you talk about yourself do you focus on the sum of what is wrong with you instead of focusing on what is right?
These are paramount questions to ask yourself. Weight loss, energy, stress relief and overall better health do not come from deprivation, negative talk, restricting or stress. Scolding your body for overeating and then speaking negatively to yourself, those things do not serve you.
I hear women speaking negatively about their bodies all of the time. "Oh, I shouldn't have eaten that extra brownie, it's going straight to my thighs" or "I didn't workout yesterday, I feel like such a pig" and even "Ugh I feel so fat and bloated right now". This negativity has become a normal part of happy hour conversation. Even I'm guilty of it here and there and it's the BIGGEST thing holding us back from getting to where we want to be. When it comes to weight loss and feeling your best, it's your mind that's holding you back. Not your body.
Imagine for a second that you have your perfect body. How would you act around your friends and significant other? Would you dress differently? How would you carry yourself? What would you wear? Would you be happier? Would you ask for more? Would you nourish your healthy body with the healing foods that it really needs? What if you started doing and feeling all of those things BEFORE getting to your ideal weight. What if you started acting like you were already there. What do you think would happen?
Today, I'd like to challenge you to make a change. I challenge you to one full week of no negative self talk toward your body. Instead of complaining that you should have gone to Soul Cycle, praise yourself for giving your body the rest and relaxation that it needed by plopping on the couch with a glass of wine for The Bachelorette.
Instead of beating yourself up for that extra cookie you had last night, put on some red lipstick, curl your hair and walk tall with confidence. Stand up in your office meeting and speak your mind instead of quietly taking notes in the corner.
Challenge yourself to cut the negative talk this week and push yourself to do things that really make you feel GOOD! Step up your confidence and act like the healthy and happy woman that you are. Then, notice how the dominoes begin falling your direction. When you give your body permission to feel good and happy an incredible thing starts to happen; cravings begin to subside, stress diminishes, sleep improves and the health of your body starts heading in the right direction.
So, I leave you with this challenge. Focus on the sum of what is right rather than the sum of what is wrong. And when those negative thoughts begin to creep in, simply notice them and then let those thoughts know that they are no longer serving you. You are a confident, happy and successful woman, and when you start acting like it, your body will follow suit.
xo
Darby