What you need to know about weight loss

When you set yourself up for losing weight, it all can seem a bit overwhelming. If you are not familiar with different diets and healthy practices, you might not know where to even begin. I am a firm believer in maintaining a healthy lifestyle on a consistent basis and I think the word healthy truly has many meanings. I am not a nutritionist or a dietician, but I am involved in motivation and weight loss is a goal that is triggered from within. Setting yourself up to any goal requires you to fully understand the reason of why you are doing it meaning the motivation behind it. Many people say they want to lose weight because they will be happier and feel better about themselves. Our physical appearance can certainly be a factor towards our overall general happiness, but it isn’t the only determining aspect behind it, in fact it’s a very small one. Emotional states require much more influence than just our physical appearance. If you have decided that you’d like to lose weight because you will be happier, then let me ask you two questions:

1. Is the way you feel about yourself solely dependent on your weight and physical state?
2. Can you confirm to yourself that if you lose weight, you feel be happy all day every day and that you will feel better about yourself?

 
My guess is that your answer will be no. The reason for this is because being happy is an emotional state. Very rarely you can measure these because they are more to do with your internal cognitive and kinesthetic functioning, and less about what actually happens externally. Read the previous sentence a few times and begin to understand what it actually means. If our internal representations manifest themselves externally, then how you feel and think, shows on the outside. Therefore, if you appreciate your body, you will strive to give it the best foods it needs in order to perform better. If you have love for yourself, this will project in the way you look because you will be kind to your body by eliminating anything that could impede its functioning. The mind and body work together and are connected, therefore how you feel about yourself and how you look are actually in congruence with one another.
 
Your body is a mechanism that keeps you alive and gives you the ability to move and function on a physical level. It needs to be nurtured and loved and you do this by providing it the right nutrition and exercise.

FOOD

Food is fuel for your body, so stop feeding your emotions and start feeding your body. Your emotional state should not be enhanced or repressed by food. When you understand this concept, you will find the clarity into why you are actually eating. If you want a body that’s healthy and clean, you need to give it the right fuel. Ask yourself why are you motivated to eat that doughnut, or takeaway pizza? You might say that it tastes good and you will enjoy it. So then ask yourself what will you achieve by giving into this taste? It will simply be a pleasurable experience which end very soon and the aftermath lasts just as quick.  It’s ok to treat yourself once in a while, these little moments are part of the process, but when they become a daily habit, and you find yourself unable to resist, take in consideration the why. Why would you want to clog your body with processed foods and sugar? It will simply impede its performance. Not only will your body be affected by this, but also your mind. Eating healthy is a broad subject. What two people might consider healthy is simply influenced by their beliefs systems, values, culture etc. Find what works for you. Explore different meals, inform yourself on the benefits that certain foods have on your body, discover new cuisines. I know people who have actually completely changed their lives by creating a healthier lifestyle, and became so passionate about it that they turned it into a career, such as nutritionist, dietician, personal trainer etc. How will you know what works for you body if you don’t try? If you are starting a diet, ensure that it is the right one for your body. The last thing you want to see happen is your body getting the wrong fuel because this will have a negative impact on your daily life. Instead of choosing a specific diet, take the above in consideration and turn it into a lifestyle. Yoyo dieting will never bring you sustainable results. What is the point of going on a diet for a week, losing weight and then next week you put it back on.

EXERCISE

Your body needs to move, it has been designed like this. Give your muscles the mobility they need so that they can develop so that your body can be stronger, leaner and more active. Your internal organs benefit greatly from exercise and by doing so, your nervous and circulatory systems will perform much better. Exercise is great because you are stimulating your physical and cognitive state at the same time. When you exercise, you release endorphins which is why you get such a high during a workout that continues to last afterwards. This is a natural process and when exercise becomes part of your daily routine, this feel good state will only get stronger. Find what type of exercises you enjoy and do those. There are so many great experts in the fitness industry who put their tips and videos on their social media platforms to inform, educate and empower people to get moving. You might not enjoy running or lifting weights, but you actually don’t need to do any of those. You can do Pilates, yoga, HIIT, cross training, Zumba, and the list goes on. Find your fitness style that you look forward to because this will help you create consistency within your fitness regime and you need to have this in order to maintain a healthy physical state.

5 quick and powerful affirmations towards a healthier you:

1. I love and appreciate my body and I give it the right foods and exercise to that it can perform better.
2. I deserve to live a healthy, happy, active lifestyle.
3. I exercise because I love and appreciate my body and overall wellness.
4. I live a healthy life because it’s important to me.
​5. I feel energized and productive everyday because I live an active, healthy lifestyle.