Its simple…LOVE yourself!
Ladies! Let’s be honest, as women our mood is quickly determined upon waking in the morning. I call it our FIRST IMPRESSION! Many times the simple act of stepping on the scale, looking in the mirror, or putting on work clothes can set the tone for the rest of your day (or even the week!). You are either going to feel great about yourself or you will quickly become angry, disappointed, and depressed in regards to your body. From this moment forward many of your choices throughout the day are determined by that FIRST IMPRESSION.
Let’s start with the positive individual:
Happy women are going to typically make better food choices, engage in physical activity, and portray a more confident persona overall. They will wear clothes that are flattering to their shape, apply make-up, do their hair, smile and appear friendlier. In fact, happier individuals are generally not as stressed and have lower cortisol levels. Therefore, the happier you are the easier the weight comes off, primarily because of your positive lifestyle choices and biochemical makeup of hormones caused by a good mood. When we wake-up feeling great our daily choices are typically healthier. Healthy food choices will make you feel better and more energized. Better eating leads to the increased likelihood of going to the gym. This will in turn increase endorphins and makes you even happier. Going to the gym helps your body image and keeps the positivity flowing. One positive choice easily flows into another one with the end result being a cycle of healthy living. Another perk to feeling great is improved intimacy in your relationship due to positive body image. This helps keep a happy home, balanced hormones, and feeling better about yourself. Sounds like a great day, right?
Benefits of the positive individual’s day
Healthier food= Less bloating, less water retention, more energy, healthier hair, skin, nails.
Exercise= Increased self-confidence, increased endorphins, better body image, healthy weight
Intimacy= hormones balance, confidence, healthy/happy relationship
Less stress= less cortisol, better mood, easier weight loss and decreased caffeine intake
Now how does the angry individual’s day go?
Once we are in an angry or depressive mood our day will typically be off to a bad start. As women we tend to be emotional thinkers, doers, and eaters. All of our decisions are going to be based off that FIRST IMPRESSION! Now let’s talk about how the day will go…..You get to work and the office has donuts in the break room….why not eat 1? You already look and feel like shit… so why not have one, after all it might make you feel better. The girls are going for coffee? Make it a large Frappuccino. You deserve one after the morning you had! After consuming 100g of sugar you go to sit down at your desk and those pants seem to have gotten even tighter and the sugar euphoria is wearing off…you lack energy and you have trouble focusing. This makes you even angrier and upset. As you all know, the poor decisions continue throughout the day. Once you get off work you are mentally worn out from all the anger you feel inside. You think about the gym, but you already feel horrible about yourself, may not want others to see you and after all you are just so tired. So you go home and again make poor food decision. A little wine, a few chips and a couple nibbles of dessert? You swear to yourself tomorrow will be better, but you subconsciously know all the food you ate with the lack of physical activity will not change tomorrows outcome.
That dang first impression filled your day with self-sabotage instead of SELF-LOVE! Thus, one awful decision easily lead to a stream of unhealthy decisions that will not make your body feel better physically or mentally. It’s super simple to allow these behaviors to carry over into the next day, week, month and a year! Before you know it you have gained 20lbs and have continued sabotaging every decision you make?
Are you the type of women that dreads looking in the mirror, stepping on the scale, or trying on new clothes? Are you constantly picking apart your body and wishing things would change? All of these actions are creating self-doubt, anger, and destructive behaviors, but how do we break the cycle?
How to Break the Self-Sabotage Cycle?
1. Remove the scale from your sight. Stop letting a number dictate your mood. You will never break free until you stop stepping on that scale. When you wake up each morning, try to forget about your weight. One day of healthy eating will not make a difference. You need to create a daily habit of eating healthy to feel better mentally and physically…..although not with the sole goal to move a number on the scale (this will happen overtime with consistency). Your mood will never change if you live and die by that square piece of equipment. The best way to assess improvements in the body is by taking body measurements, looking in the mirror and gaging how clothes are fitting. (Remember as you work out you may make body changes that are not seen on the silly scale).
2. Write down your positive attributes! You know what you bring to the table and remind yourself of this every day! Set them as an alarm on your phone so this is the first thing you see in the morning.
3. Grab a friend and GO SHOPPING! I know you hate the mirrors in the store andthis only sets you off, but model the clothes for your friend and forget the mirror. Find some clothes that make you feel more confident. Most women who gain weight opt for frumpy clothes that are not flattering and only further their body shaming. So get out and go find some clothes that accentuate your favorite body parts!
4. Schedule a date at the gym 3-5 days a week. Either find a buddy who holds you accountable or join in on a class. Treat the gym as an appointment with a client and stick to it. Don’t be rude and NO SHOW or RESCHEDULE. You are important too!
5. FOOD PREP! Don’t leave yourself open to eat out and make poor choices that you will later regret! Pick one or two days per week, write out a meal plan and prep your food. Measure it out and package it for easy grab and go options!
6. Increase water intake! Adding more water into your daily regimen will actually help with hunger, weight loss, bloating and digestion. When you do not drink enough water your body will actually hold onto more water under the skin. This in return causes bloating and water retention!
7. Take progress pictures….I know, I know…. why would anyone want to do this when they are already unhappy in their own skin. Have a friend take the pics and store them away. Once you start your wellness journey and remain consistent take some more pics and compare. You may forget where your starting point was. So 2 or 3 months down the road when you feel like you have not made any changes, pull those progress pics out and take a peak at where you once were. We tend to forget where we started and become frustrated with the present. Do not let this derail you, take progress pictures throughout your journey as a reminder of how far you have come.
8. EMBRACE your journey! Learn to love yourself at every stage!
If you are able to incorporate 1-2 of these steps, you will notice a difference in your mental view surrounding your body image. Its time you take charge and invest the time to change!
Love,
Macro Mini
PS: If you are looking to break this cycle… Email me at [email protected]
I am hosting an 8 week group coaching to help break through these barriers!
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