Blog

posted on October 23, 2017

There are few things in this world that make lifestyle changes “easy,” because there are a lot of growing pains involved. To truly impact your weight and health in a big way, we have to change our mindset. Rather than focusing on ‘eat this chicken and broccoli’ we should be focusing on behavior that make it effortless and enjoyable. People already know what they should be eating or doing to lose weight, the problem is in the execution. Eating chicken and broccoli is a behavior that could lead to an outcome of weight loss, but if you hate every bite of that food, you’re not creating likelihood for long term success.

Where the mind goes, the body will follow

Just a few weeks of eating better and exercise can give a tremendous boost in how you look and feel both physically and emotionally. But we tend to overlook the power of our minds to create the healthy body we want. The thoughts we think have a great impact on the outcome of our health and our internal thoughts create chemical changes in the body every second. Someone who thinks more positive thoughts will enjoy a stronger, healthier body than someone who thinks more negative thoughts.

A few helpful ways to change your mindset are to practice gratitude and meditate. When you’re feeling like everything is going wrong, take a moment to consider other areas of life that are going right. Sometimes we focus on one area of our life that we may not be as happy with and forget about all the other great things happening.

All it takes is simply thinking about or writing down a few things you’re grateful for each time you think a negative thought. It could be internal, such as having nice hair, or external, such as having clean water to drink. Practicing this helps give perspective on the fact that things are really not as bad as they may seem. Insight Timer is a great guided meditation app to help you gain clarity and peace. There are endless meditation types ranging from 5 minutes to an hour.

Other small changes you can make daily:

Make sure you’re prepared. Meal prepping and planning when you go to the gym will help keep you on course and accountable.
Reduce your meal portion size. Use smaller plates at home or ask your waiter to box up half your meal before bringing it to you.
Eat protein and fiber at each meal. Both contribute to satiety, keeping you fuller longer.
Replace soda with water. If you hate water, try a zero calorie water enhancer, sparkling water.
Take the stairs rather than the elevator. It will help on the days when you’re actually in a rush.
Take a class with your favorite coaches at Union Fitness! No explanation necessary 🙂

You have the ability to choose which way you want to go. Do everything you can to make it happen. Don’t make excuses. Don’t wait for it to happen.

—> Make small changes daily that compound to big results <—