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I have been so proud of myself. Losing weight without dieting, using non-food methods to ease my anxiety and redirect my negative thoughts, cutting out my daily Mountain Dew and bag of M&M’s was the biggest win I had in my health journey. Then the pandemic hit, and for the first two weeks (I have been home five, how about you?), it was as though none of the gains I had made in my health happened. Before I knew it, I was swigging on Mountain Dew like I was celebrating the end of prohibition.
Tip: If we do not identify and understand our triggers. And put tools in place to help us when we are triggered. They will overtake us again, the things that brought us comfort, alcoholic beverages, illicit drugs, or food, can regain their power. No matter how long it has been since we turned to them for relief.
The pandemic triggered my anxiety, everything moved so quickly. One day I was working, going to the gym with friends, agonizing over avocados at the grocery store. Then I was ordered home for an indefinite amount of time. I do not like being out of control, and suddenly I had no control over anything. Or, so I thought. I did the following four things to pull myself out of the chip bag and back on the road to wellness. I hope they help you too.
Be kind to yourself:
In the past, when I fell off the food wagon, I would berate myself something awful. Eating that bag of Twizzlers made me the worse kind of person. If this is something you do, you are not alone. Instead of spending weeks on end reminding myself that I will NEVER be the health coach, I want to be because I cannot control myself. This time I gave myself a mental hug and reminded myself that I was going to be okay, and this did not make me a bad person. That this experience will only help the beautiful people, I am blessed to coach.
Remind yourself of your long-term health goals:
I sat down with a journal and reread my long- term health goals. Celebrated my wins and pulled out one goal I can work on starting now. I have wanted to train for a marathon for years, but my knees were saying no way, Renee. So, I created a plan that would allow me to run/walk the marathon. It is a lot of training, but I am excited. If you have not written your short and long-term health goals, sit down and do it right now. There is something about putting our hopes and dreams on paper that make them real and achievable.
Plan your day
Unstructured days do not work for me, so each night before I went to bed, I planned my day. Going to bed and getting up at the same time I did for work helped a lot, instead of sitting in front of the television watching news coverage or Netflix, I scheduled my day. This kept me from running to the refrigerator. I worked on my coaching business, completed a Life Coaching certification I have been working on for over a year, mapped out the outline for my new course, and completed the rough draft for my new book. Not bad for five weeks. Get out a piece of paper and write down the things you would like to do tomorrow or today, depending on when you are reading this, post it somewhere where you can see it and then cross off each task once it is completed.
Plan your meals
This is a game-changer. Planning your meals and mealtimes will not only give you control over the ingredients you put in your food. It will let your brain no that there is a plan for eating today. Now instead of running on willpower, you are creating a new way to eat and to train your brain when it comes to cravings and food. Make your plan realistic, if you are going to have a burger and fries write it down. Remember we are not dieting; we are mindfully eating the food we love.
Call a friend:
I do not want to even think about where I would be without my family and friends. They do not know this, but they are the best distractions. When things got terrible, I called my coach. I love her. If you feel like you are about to lose it, call someone and say hi, delaying gratification even for a minute will help you to regain your composure and redirect your need to eat. Or, do something else that might derail your wellness journey.
I always like to tell my clients that wellness is a journey. Losing weight is just part of it; the other part is healing your mind and learning how to redirect it when you get triggered. Because you will get triggered. If you choose to get healthy and take control of your health, you will be on this path for the rest of your life. You cannot rely on willpower to make it through; if that were the case, we would all be “biggest losers.” No, like any journey, there will be good days and bad days. The important thing is that you realize this and that you surround yourself with support and kindness.
With Peace and Love,
Renee
Download 7 Ways to Balance Your Blood Sugar and Beat Sugar Cravings https://mailchi.mp/c59d360d8282/beatsugarcravingspdf
The Diabetic Toolbox 