Do you ever feel like you’re a lost cause?
Like you’ve tried everything and are just destined to be overweight and unhappy with your body?
Like you just cant quite get it, can’t make it stick, aren’t disciplined enough, haven’t got the willpower?
Do you wonder why everyone else seems to be able to do it, and you can’t?
Please, let me tell you.
You’re not a lost cause.
You’re not destined to be overweight and unhappy.
You’re not weak, or a failure, or the only one who’s struggling.
You’re just like everybody else!
We only see the highlight reel on facebook. But I’ve spoken to so many women who feel like everyone else is doing great, and that there must be something wrong with them.
We have so much going on in our lives. We get tired and stressed. Food brings comfort, pleasure, energy, connection. It’s understandable that we crave and sometimes each too much of it. Same with alcohol. We’re programmed to seek things that make us feel good.
We want to feel slim, happy, confident, attractive. We want to be fit and healthy, and the best version of ourselves that we can be. But that take time and patience. It means feeling uncomfortable now, in order to feel better in the future.
Sometimes that’s tough to do, especially when we know just how great we can feel instantly (albeit only very temporarily) by having that piece of cake or glass of wine.
That’s not to say we can make excuses to stay where we are.
But we can show ourselves some love and compassion. When we understand what’s going on, rather than simply beating ourselves up, we can make plans and find solutions.
And the solutions tend to come from simple stuff. Not a new diet to follow or some crazy exercise regime. Success comes from a lifestyle that can be maintained consistently and easily.
That lifestyle looks a little different for everyone.
But it will probably go along the lines of…
– eating the foods you like (rather than forcing yourself to eat healthy stuff you don’t like and completely cutting out things that you love)
– doing regular exercise that you enjoy
– factoring in a few ‘treats’ here and there
– being organised so you get the food you need and make the time to be active.
It sounds simple, and it is. But of course that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Sometimes life gets in the way, and that’s OK. There is no need to be perfect, or even close to perfect.
Perfect doesn’t exist!
You just need to keep going, and not beat yourself up and go way off track if you slip up.
If something isn’t working and you haven’t made progress for weeks, chances are you’ll need to reign things in a bit somewhere. Usually it comes down to having a better plan to follow.
In the craziness of an average busy week, when you’ve got a million things to do and barely enough time to breathe, it’s incredibly easy to say yes to the cake, grab food on the go and end up eating way more than you realise.
Planning in advance and having food available when you need it will make a huge difference.
Same with scheduling in time to exercise. You don’t need to workout for hours. Find what works for you, book it in, and protect that time just like you would if it was a commitment you make to someone else. You are just as important.
So please know you’re not on your own. No one finds it easy. Things get in the way. That’s life.
But I always find it helps me to remember just how important it is to ENJOY life, and not waste it worrying about stuff that really doesn’t matter.
You cant change anything that’s happened in the past; how you looked, what you ate, what you did or didn’t do. But you can create a great future by taking positive action now. And you can be happy now simply by choosing to BE happy, loving yourself regardless of your current condition, and doing something today that takes you closer to the success you’re looking for.
Hayley x