We all have our moments when it comes to our inner strength, we just struggle to say NO when it comes to food, or the times when we struggle to say “YES” to getting our exercise done! Sometimes it feels like there is food all around us, tempting us, and with the busy lifestyles many of us are leading trying to juggle family life, work life and everything else finding time to exercise can also feel impossible if it is not something you are already used to doing. The thought for this blog came the other week when I gave in to temptation for seemingly no reason since I really wasn’t hungry at all!
Find Your Inner Strength
Returning home from Dublin I noticed my car needed petrol so I pulled into the next garage and filled up. I grabbed a drink and stood in the queue to pay. Getting closer and closer to the cash desk I spot them…toffee muffins with a toffee swirl on top mmmmmmmmm. “No” I tell myself, I’m not hungry, I don’t need it – and what a complete waste of about 600 calories in just one little muffin. I still fancy something sweet so I grab an oats bar instead, and at 120 calories much better on the waistline. I get to the cash desk and find myself staring at the muffins again…like they are begging me to grab one. My hand is going out to them and then I pull it back “no, no, NO” I am saying inside.
The lady rings up everything on the till, I’m half handing her the money when it happens – my other hand whips out at lightening speed grabs a muffin and pops it on the cash desk and I’m saying “and one of these as well please” whilst handing her the money at the
same time. As I’m walking back to the car, muffin in hand I’m disgraced I have put myself in charge of a muffin – I’m in complete denial telling myself I’ll just have one bite (hmmmm – yeah right the more realistic side of my head is saying, why did you grab the biggest one on the shelf then?). Of course at that stage it’s too late and the muffin is unwrapped the second I sit into the car. Half way through I’m thinking the toffee swirl on top of the muffin may be a step too far as I’m starting to feel a bit sick – but nevertheless like the trooper that I am I persevere and finish the whole darn thing. The second it’s gone I’m full of regret, “why did I just do that?! I didn’t even want it? I wasn’t even hungry?! I felt sick because it wasn’t actually that nice…..but I still carried on?!”
If you have ever had an issue with your weight – then this scenario is probably not that unfamiliar to you. The second you tell yourself that you are on a “diet” everything seems to jump out at you and beg you to eat it …..even if normally you wouldn’t even crave that certain thing so much. Keeping your will power can be difficult, and sometimes we almost self-sabotage for no apparent reason when we have been angelic all day and not even hungry!! But why? And how can we help ourselves out a little more? Lets go through some top tips to help get through moments of weakness and help tap into your inner strength!
Tap Into Your Inner Strength
- DON’T OVER THINK IT – When you start a new regime, try not to overthink it too much. Half the time focusing too much on what we are trying to do, can actually work against us as our minds are constantly thinking about food, which in turn drives us to then self-sabotage and end up over eating when we wouldn’t usually have eaten! Try not to think of all the things you “CAN’T” have now you are following a healthy lifestyle, but all of the things you CAN. Turn the negative thoughts into positive ones – eating healthier options means that you will consuming far less calories and fat, which in turn means you will actually be eating MORE physical food items….One chocolate bar or FOUR pieces of fruit?!
- PLAN PLAN PLAN! I have said this many times in previous blogs, but it is one that I will ALWAYS continue to mention as it is so important to the success of your new lifestyle. Planning ahead means that you will have EVERYTHING in place ahead of schedule to make sure your days and weeks go by without a glitch. By planning in your food diary your head is organised, you know what you are doing and you know what you are eating. You will also see what food items are putting you over your allowance BEFORE you eat them so you have the chance to change them to a healthier option. By planning ahead you will also be able to get everything sorted to take with you for your day at work (or home) which will help you avoid grabbing things on the go (which are usually not at all aimed at people trying to lose weight and get in shape!)
- EXERCISE! As well as planning your food diary, it is also a good idea to put together an exercise plan. If you are a Why Weight Ireland member then you will already have your personalised fitness plan, so make sure you print it off, put it up somewhere you can see it and then STICK TO IT! Get a buzz when you tick off each session that you have done, and you can see then how far you are coming, and also give you the
motivation to keep going even if you don’t fancy doing a session – nobody likes to see a cross where there should be a tick, so this will help you to stick to your goals ☺ It can be hard to find the time to fit in a workout session – but remember, working out doesn’t have to mean the gym! I struggle with not having enough hours in the day BIG time, as I seem to spend most of the time training other people to fit my own stuff in! So I try to fit things in, whilst I’m doing something else to make the most of my time. Pop something in the oven, and whilst I’m waiting for the first buzzer to beep I will add a quick set of my toning exercises in, pop the veg on once the buzzer goes and fit in my second set! When you sit down to watch T.V. you can add in your arm exercises in whilst watching your favourite programme! Make the most of your lunch break – bring food from home ready prepared so it saves you extra time on your break so you can go for a brisk walk and get your exercise in! Don’t let yourself make excuses – JUST DO IT! ☺
- AVOID “situations” The best way to stop yourself from getting tempted by something you can’t resist is to avoid them!!! If you know that a certain shop sells your favourite cake (or toffee muffin in my case) then try to avoid going in them. If it is unavoidable, like a petrol station for example, then take enough cash for the petrol only, so you CAN’T buy anything else. If you only have a debit card, then make a conscious effort to walk in and walk out as quickly as you can. Don’t make eye contact with any naughty foods. IN – PAY – OUT – LEAVE!
- REWARD yourself!! Set out a list of your “downfalls”. Whether its making excuses not to exercise, or giving in to temptation with certain sweets or snacks make a list of everything that you struggle with and every time you succeed in resisting temptation, give yourself a little tick and plan to treat yourself with a massage or new pair of shoes (or even something much smaller, but non-food related) if you stick to your plans and shift X amount of pounds! Having something to look forward to as a reward for dropping some weight will help keep you motivated, and who doesn’t love a bit of me time?!
We all have our moments, and it is hard work to set about changing habits that you have had for years, if not all, of your life. You can’t expect changes overnight, it takes time to become overweight and unfit, so it will also take time to get to where you want to be too! The important thing is sticking with it, trying to stay as strong as you can. Avoid situations that weaken your resolve and if you fall down, draw a line under it – sweep it under the carpet and start fresh the next day! Remember if you have a small relapse with food – it doesn’t mean the whole day is ruined so you can just “carry on and start tomorrow” – NO, give yourself a talking to – dust yourself down and get some extra energy going to help balance out the naughtiness!
Now – what are you waiting for, lets find that inner strength and lets GOOOOOOOOOOO ☺
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Hannah x