Love is in the air!! Next week is Valentine’s Day, so it seems like the perfect time to chat about LOVE!! But we’re not here to talk about relationships with others, we’re here to talk about your relationship with yourself. Can I be honest with you for a second? So often when we set out to achieve a goal, we are tunnel visioned. We think that just focusing on the goal is a straight path to achieving it. The thing is, in reality, it almost never works out that way. Take a health journey for instance. The beginning of that journal will look something like this . . .

Hi Becky, I’ve been trying to lose weight for years and I’ve tried everything. Nothing seems to work, but my doctor says I need to lose weight or I’m going to be dealing with a bunch of health problems.

The focus here is just on losing weight so likely this person is looking for nutritional advice or meal plans. The problem with this mentality is that usually, this is not the root cause of their weight problem. Rather, there’s something that’s deeper that makes them feel like that’s the decision to make . . . even it it’s on a subconscious level.

For example:

This same person was once a child and when they were growing up, they were told that they needed to be realistic, and that what they want is never going to happen because their expectations are too high.

Because this person believes that they are not capable of attaining this goal, unfortunately what happens is we sabotage ourselves. Yep you heard me. On the surface, we really want that weight loss, but those layers underneath are what makes us who we are and how we act and make decisions in life. So, when it comes to going on these health journeys alone, these people get stuck because they have this block or limit on who they can become.

As a coach this makes me so sad watching so many people to walk through life without loving on themselves. Without forgiving our past, we cannot move forward.

On the flip side, this very same person could make the lasting changes they want with their weight by starting to implement some simple practices all around LOVE . . . You heard me . . . LOVE. But not by loving others, but rather, by loving themselves. Why does this work? Well, think about it . . . if you don’t love or respect something, why would you want to make it better or aspire to become it? Exactly, you wouldn’t. So I’ve got a few ideas for you to help you incorporate loving yourself into your daily routine so you can reach those weight loss goals you’ve been dreaming of.

1. Mirror Exercise
   When you get up in the morning, I want you to look in the mirror and find one thing about yourself each and every day. This could be the same thing over and over or it could be different things. Whatever you choose, make it a genuine thought. Once you’ve got the thing about you that you love, say it out loud. Here’s a few ideas to get you started. “I love the color of my eyes.” or “I love how my body made a human.” or “I love that no matter what my body is resilient.”

2. It’s Ok To Take Care Of You
   Each and every week commit to doing something just for you. We all lead busy lives, I’m going to be honest with you, we all make time for the things we want to do so there’s more time than you think. See where you can trim the fat on how much time you’re spending in one area and devote it to doing something for you. This could be for 10 min a day or 10 min a week. You get to set the parameters around what you think you need and what’s doable in your schedule. The goal here is to commit to doing something that’s just for you. If it was me, I’d be committing to consistent yoga weekly, taking a walk outside, riding lessons, soaking in the tub, or maybe it’s buying myself something nice. Make a list and start setting aside time each week to do those things just for you.

3. Keep A Journal
   Anytime we start new routines or habits it’s helpful to have a baseline of where we’re at when we start and a record of how things are going as well as where you ended up. A journal allows you to see all the parts of your journey and look back at the progress you’ve made. Remember, your journal is for you and you can write in it in whatever way you like. If you do better with notes go for it . . . If you prefer to write several pages, then do that. The point is to just get started.

4. Affirmations
   If you love affirmations, this is your chance to add these in only choosing the ones that really hit home for you. This can be part of your journal entries or something that you add to your morning routine. Perhaps you like to keep them visible on a vision board or maybe you paste them on your mirror, notebook, in your kitchen, etc. The idea here is to surround yourself with positive talk and thoughts until you can start talking to yourself this way without them. If you’d like a list of affirmations to get you started shoot me an email here and I’ll get those out to you.

When we’re able to love ourselves, it comes with dignity, respect, appreciation, kindness, trust, compassion and many others that I haven’t listed here. This is your chance to step into this version of yourself who can show up for every single goal that you set reaching you higher and higher or in the case of weight loss slimming you down more and more. It’s your time to shine and I’m here for you so you can go all the way!!! Don’t forget, if you need kick in the butt to hold you accountable and support to keep you motivated that’s my job along with providing faster results to my clients than going their health coaching journey alone. If you’re ready to go or just want some more information let’s set up a 15 min clarity call here so you can get started on your path to better health today!

Cheers to loving you and reaching your weight loss goals in 2022!