Sometimes it can be hard to break a habit! You may have been trying over and over to break it, or possibly never even tried because it felt like too much effort.
For example, have you tried diet after diet and did not get the results you want, or fall back into the old eating habits? Possibly you have told yourself that you should go the gym and use the membership you have been paying for a year and only went 5 times, but you feel too busy to make time. The question to ask yourself is, “are you choosing love over fear?”
What do I mean by “love over fear”? You may be focusing on a desired outcome that is more external based. Instead of just focusing on the “why”, ask yourself “how you want to feel” when you meet the desired state. Asking yourself “how” can put the goal in a new perspective and increase motivation for self-improvement.
Here are some examples:
LOVE: I exercises because I love the way it makes me feel.
FEAR: I exercise because I hate the size of my stomach and thighs, and I fear I will not fit back into my old jeans again.
LOVE: I eat because I honor my body, and healthy foods makes me feel good.
FEAR: I limit and restrict what I eat because I am fearful of gaining weight and looking unattractive to others.
LOVE: I do work that I love and enjoy doing.
FEAR: I go to an uninspiring job & have not motivation, but I do it every day just because I have to pay the bills.
Here is another example and it may sound familiar:
When you were a kid, did your parents have to tell you, and even at times make you, brush your teeth before bed? It is something many children dread, it feels like a chore to them. Now, as an adult, it is just a lifestyle habit that you do multiple times a day. You also do it because it makes you feel good, refreshed and clean. Brushing your teeth worked its way into being a lifestyle habit and if you miss brushing your teeth in the morning before work, you may spend hours looking for someone with gum.
Eating and exercise can work its way into becoming a lifestyle habit as well. When you start to fit exercise into your schedule and do it most days of the week, you will end up feeling bad or “off” when you miss a workout.
Same with nutrition. When you start to eat healthy foods, and get in the appropriate amount of nutrition, you will feel so good. You will notice how bad you actually felt before, now that you feel so good and healthy. In fact, you will not even crave the foods that you used to crave, like carbs, sugars and fast foods.
Lesson here is to ask yourself the real reason behind your goals and focus on how you want to feel – not the external factors and what others will think. Do it for yourself, you and your body deserve it!
Lynn’s Corner
