New Year, You New – Part I
January 1 is almost here and it will be gone. The day will go by as fast as any other day. On December 31 at 11:59 an important piece of information is constant: TIME IS WAITING FOR ANYONE. If you are like millions of Americans across the country, you will make New Years Resolutions that you promise to keep. You will even say an extra special prayer this year to make this year different!
Your New Years resolution may be to settle debt, spend more time with your family, get organized, get rid of clutter, and last but not least, LOSE WEIGHT. I am a lifestyle coach, you knew one would come. What makes this year different from 2006 or 2012?
What happens over the course of the year, that you continue to make the same New Years Resolution every year? What if you finally kept the same New Years Resolution and really lost weight? I could move forward with another important resolution. My goal for you and every reader is for you to exceed your healthy living goals. How do we do that?
An emotional eater consumes food to replace a void that needs to be filled. The emotion can range from feeling lonely, boredom, avoidance of reality, stress, confrontation, rejection, abandonment, or anxiety. The key to controlling why you eat is identifying why you are an emotional eater. In order to identify why you may eat to deal with an emotion, we will list the typical problems where we sometimes use food to address that emotion.
STEP 1. YOU MUST BE DELIVERED.
For me my liberation was to give everything in my life to God. I got tired of trying to be aggressive about my career and my dating. Yes, I am still single and patiently waiting for the Lord. Liberation for you may be changing your attitude to a positive attitude. What do you say to yourself during the day? What is your inner dialogue made of? We all do. I did it and started listening to myself. When you are alone with your thoughts and in conversation, what do you find yourself saying:
“Things never work out for me!” “I can never do anything right”, “I’m so stupid”
“I have the worst luck”, “Everyone in my family is overweight!”
Thoughts and words are very powerful. There is a saying that I hate hearing parents say about their children. It sounds nice to say, but it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Have you ever heard someone refer to a child and say, “He’s so BAD!”? From the moment the child begins to understand, and children are much more intelligent than we give them credit for, he continues to hear his mother say those words. So when a 5-16 year old continues to hear “He’s so bad” for 9 years. When he really is a great child who has been conditioned by his mother or father to be bad.
When he starts getting into fights and ends up in detention or jail, we wonder what happened. That was what happened. He heard “HE IS SO BAD” for 9 years that he thought I AM. I gave this example to show that what we say and say to ourselves is just as powerful. So take a mental note of what you say to yourself and if it’s not positive, start surrounding yourself with positive friends, music, and people.
STEP 2: WISH
Many people set goals, but lack the desire to do the work that is needed. Losing weight and implementing a healthy lifestyle isn’t just about what you look like. It’s about how you feel. It’s about the work ethic you instill in yourself to achieve your fitness goals, as well as any other goals you may have for yourself. If you don’t have the desire to work hard and reach your weekly fitness goals, continue with your old habits. Because exercising and losing weight has to be a desire to change your life.
STEP 3: DECISION
Make the decision that this is the last time you will not reach your fitness goals. If you’re not meeting your fitness goals, ask yourself what other goals you’ve set for yourself that you’re not meeting. I guarantee that if your health and fitness goals are not being met, there are other areas of your life that are also suffering. Make the decision to move forward with your goal. Decide to set realistic fitness goals. 2 pounds per week is a realistic goal. It might not sound like a lot, but add in those 2 pounds a week and you’ve lost 8 pounds a month.