My hope in doing this series on Foundational Mindset Shifts was to show you that there are some critical steps in making health changes, all of which come long before counting macros or reading labels. We tend to get a bit frantic when it comes to health, and try to jump straight to the answers. But it is the mindset pieces that will actually make your changes stick, and keep you from repeating the process over and over. Once you can start to believe and experience that it matters HOW YOU THINK about health changes, you will approach the practical details in a new, and hopefully refreshing way.
Last up in this series is that I hope you can make yours a journey of Pursuit rather than Fear, Shame, Minimalism, or Restriction.
Instead, I want you to consider this: What do you want to GAIN?
Not, what do you want to lose, what is wrong with your body, what do you hate, what are you eating too much of, or what you need to stop doing.
What are you working TOWARDS?
What do you want to LEARN about yourself in the process of practicing health?
So many clients come to me with lists of what they don’t like, what they want to get rid of, or stop doing. And tuning in to what feels off can be important. But, it’s not until they identify what they are working TOWARDS that they really start to see change.
Sometimes it’s simply semantics. How we communicate matters, especially with ourselves. This does not mean you have to always be positive; just be clear about WHY you care enough to change what is it that you hope to feel or achieve that can motivate you? Fear, shame, and regret will only go so far to motivate you in the long run.
Before you get overwhelmed this DOESN’T MEAN you have to have it all figured out. Remember how I talked about health as a practice? That means that your practice will evolve, and what you are working towards might shift and change. But, you will keep looking ahead.
So, Where are you headed? What do you want to GAIN? How do you want to FEEL & FUNCTION? What can you learn about yourself, about your body in the process?
How might focusing on GAINING health look differently for you?