Weight Loss Mindset
We all know how to lose weight, eat healthier and exercise right? Simple. Well unfortunately it’s not quite that easy. With issues such as addictions, cravings, and lack of time or motivation for exercise, it makes it hard to eat healthy and exercise frequently. It is especially hard to get motivated and do a workout that you don’t even like to do! So what to do? Well here are some tips that have helped me lose weight in the past, give them a try.
Exercise
We all know that exercise will help with weight loss, but most of us believe that the longer we work out for the more weight we will lose. But this is not always the case. There are different types of exercise programs and newer ones such as high intensity training (HIT). HIT is basically pushing yourself as hard as you can go (eg. While running) for only around 20 seconds then taking short brakes and repeating. These workouts are generally a lot shorter than traditional workout and usually last only around 15 minutes.
But this type of exercise isn’t for everyone. Try to find an exercise routine that works for you, because everyone is different. Your best bet is to try and find an exercise that you really enjoy, this way you will actually stick with it. So if you like cycling, ride more often and enjoy doing it. Or even try a team sport that play once or twice a week at night such as soccer or netball. These team sports are fun and get you fit. Or if you prefer group classes, yoga or pilates are good options.
Food Diary
A food diary is a great way to get into a weight loss mindset. It really gets you thinking about what you are actually eating and drinking every day. You quickly get a feeling of what you’re doing wrong when you look back on your previous day’s food intake. A food diary can also be really rewarding as once you do start eating better, you can look back to when you started the food diary and you will realise just how much better you’re eating now. Research from the American Journal of Preventative Medicine states that we are likely to lose about twice as much weight if we regularly write in a food journal.
Deep Breathing And Meditation
Most people don’t realise this but when we are stressed, our bodies operates completely different to when we are relaxed. Your body digests food very differently and more effectively when the body is relaxed and the body cannot be in the stressed and relaxed response at the same time. So triggering a relaxation response in your body prior to eating can help the way your body processes and reacts to the food you eat. Try take several deep breaths prior to eating your next meal. Deep breathing has been shown to trigger the relaxation response in your body, turning off the stress response which can have impacts for holding onto those pesky fat stores. A daily meditation practice even for just 10 minutes is also a great one for setting you up for the day and allowing your body to spend more time in a relaxed state rather than a stressed one.
Be Grateful For What You Have Already
Find one part of your body that you currently like, even if it is your pinkie toe. Or be grateful for something that you are good at. Focusing on what you are good at or what you like has been proven to help you attract more of the things you want into your life and help you meet your weight loss goals. Focussing on what you don’t like about yourself simply attract more of what you don’t like – weight gain. So find something you are grateful for and write it down every day.
Don’t Self Sabotage
Just because you ate something you consider bad this morning such as a muffin or croissant doesn’t mean that your whole day is ruined. At this point many people will think, “oh well, I have already eaten bad food today, I might as well eat more junk today and I’ll start my diet again tomorrow”. Does this sound like you? I used to say it that’s for sure and I hear it all the time now from people I meet.
It is important to remember that a day is never lost, it’s never too late to try and ‘fix’ your diet day by eating healthy after your junk binge. Also, don’t blame others for what you eat. Just because your partner or a colleague at work have junk food doesn’t mean you should have it too. You are responsible for your own health and the way you eat.
Do you have any other ideas to get into a weight loss mindset? We would love to hear from you in the comments below.
Author Bio
Charlotte is passionate about helping people lose weight and keep it off. Currently studying to be a health coach at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and owner of the site – http://topratedweightlossshakes.com
Here at Selfweightloss, we show you how to lose weight and maintain a healthier lifestyle with tips and articles on Weight Loss, Fitness, Diet, Nutrition and Food, updated daily by our community of authors and editors.
