Coming up with a relevant and useful topic to our blog posts is sometimes a challenge as we want our information to be useful and we try to not repeat ourselves too much! As I contemplated what to write about today I thought about what I have been working on with my patients recently and it seems the majority are all in the same boat….this long, undesirable winter has caused the motivation to eat healthy and exercise to fly out the window. It’s hard to be motivated when every other day we’re getting a blizzard, the sun hasn’t shined for days, and we have to worry about driving in these poor conditions. Emotional eating becomes more prominent and the motivation to exercise is no longer there. I noticed my mood and attitude was much better yesterday as I woke up to the bright sun shining compared to the wintery weather I woke up to on Monday. If you have succumbed to this trap, it’s important to tell you that it’s never too late to get back on the band wagon! Below are a few tips to get you started:
- Why are you eating? The first step is to recognize why you are eating emotionally. Keeping a journal and reflecting on this question is helpful.
- What is missing? Are you neglecting a part of your life such as your spirituality, family, friends/social life?
- What areas need more focus? Food and eating is often used to fill an empty hole or void in your life. Figuring out what area needs focus will allow you to find effective ways to gain more balance in your life.
- Are you planning activities that do not involve food?
Food is always present at gatherings, activities, etc. Work on planning activities that do not revolve around food to help you learn how to enjoy life without focusing on food.
- Are you prepared? Meal planning and prep is really key to success. Take some time on the weekend to plan your week’s menu, take meat out of the freezer, pre-prep some of your items and keep healthy food choices in your purse, desk, etc….this will help prevent you from convenience eating and making poor choices.
- Focus, Determination, Motivate! Think of eating healthy and exercise like you do your job. No one wants to perform mediocre at their job, so why are you performing mediocre with your life choices. You only get one body and it will perform like you treat it…if you eat crappy, put on weight, don’t exercise, you will be sluggish, lethargic, and not able to enjoy the things you want to do. Instead, gradually work into a regular exercise routine and replace the junk foods with healthy ones and you’ll notice you have more energy, your sleep will improve, and you’ll be able to focus better. “You are what you eat” really does mean something!
We never expect these changes to happen overnight so focus on a few things at a time as you gradually work back into a healthy way of life. It can start slow with a 10 minute walk a day, adding a piece of fruit to your daily intake, keeping a food log, etc….it’s never to late to get back on track!
-Kelsey
