If I had to point to one key factor for successful healthy living, weight loss, and just about any goals in life, it would be the brain. Our 8 – 12 pound head can either get in the way of success or gear us up for greatness. In my office, food is super important but we spend a lot of time understanding the brain, rewiring, and making it work for us.
Here are some brief ideas for reframing. We all know people who make the best out of the worst and those who make the worst out of the best. Every person and every scenario is different which is why we approach everyone in the office so differently. We are all imperfect creatures striving to become better which means we are all guilty of some if not all of these.
- All or nothing. So many of my clients want to go from couch to gym 5-7 times a week immediately. Success happens when we don’t shock the body and create a situation that we can never live up to. Sure, the intentions are always great, but it’s not realistic. It doesn’t need to be all or nothing.
- Problems are challenges. I have clients who don’t do what they intend to do so then they give up. This is so hard for me to see. Just because you didn’t succeed this week does not mean you’re not able to succeed ever. I guess it’s not that different from #1 above. See “failure” as a challenge and a way to become better. I messed up my meal and had to throw it away. Do I give up on cooking all together or challenge myself to learn a new dish?
- Come with a solution. So many people come to the table with problems. Reframe and come to the table with solutions. Solutions are more positive and more workable than problems. Instead of “I don’t have time to cook or shop,” you say “I can schedule an appointment to do these things” (for example).
- How can I make this easier? We seem to choose routes that are tough. Maybe it’s because we call it work…like “working” out. Or we say “it has to hurt.” How can we make our tasks easier? Come with that mentally and we can accomplish anything. Why do so many of us choose the most difficult action steps? Choose one that is fun; one that makes you happy then you are more likely to succeed.
- Perspective is everything; humor is priceless. Our attitude is key and this sums up everything. As a silly story, my husband used to get so upset when he’d rock & sing our daughter to sleep only to have her wake right up when he put her down. He told me he decided to view it as her saying “encore, sing another song, daddy.” Now, he sings another song with pleasure and she sleeps better (probably because he’s got a nice soothing energy too). How can we reframe with food and exercise? How do we add humor and change our perspective so that life simply feels easier?
Reframing the brain is everything. At Happy Food, this is how people become successful. We stop banging our heads against the wall doing things that are torturous, banishing ourselves for not being perfect simply because there’s no need to be perfect and we can’t sustain perfection, and we create habits so we don’t waste so much energy trying to be healthy. We just ARE healthy.
Want to be healthy with ease and lose some weight too? Address the root cause of your weight and health concerns and start with a free health consultation at www.HappyFoodHealth.com or (619) 876-2655. See if this is the right match for you. I do things very differently to make health a natural lifestyle and this is not for everyone.
~ Samantha Hua, Nutrition & Health Coach, San Diego, CA
