Focusing on the Holidays

FOCUSING ON THE HOLIDAYS

Once the holidays have come and gone, the first thing we do is jump on the scale and assess the damage. We allow that number to define how we feel and how much we beat ourselves up after the celebrations have come and gone. We often look at that number on the scale and allow that to define our success.

Staying in control over the holiday season, being mindful of the choices we make, enjoying the time with family and friends as stress free as possible are all key to heading into 2019 on the right foot. With a new year, usually comes a renewed focus on commitment to health and wellness. What progress have you made towards your 2018 goals? Did you see them realized? Have you given up?  Is your focus wrong? I wanted to share 3 quick ways to shift your focus and start NOW towards accomplishing those goals you have been trying to reach.

One of the biggest challenges to reaching our goals oftentimes is ourselves. We tend to sabotage progress and maintain a negative mindset when we are not instantly gratified. This is all about progress, and not perfection, and it takes a while to see the change in ourselves. Too often we get down on ourselves because the scale is not showing us the change we are looking for, and that can lead to a negative mindset. Often, we quit before real progress is made. Have you ever thought that maybe your focus- the scale- is the wrong one? When I shared about making goals, I shared that ensuring you are setting SMART goals will lead to success. Staying positive and reducing your stress both help make that shift to a healthier mindset. Setting goals that are achievable, but also very specific, that you can check progress towards, will help you stay positive. The scale does not always show forward progress. When I finished my first round of the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® I had gained 3 pounds. Most people would be discouraged at that point, but I also lost over 14 inches. Those inches had to come from somewhere. I could see in my pictures that I was visibly leaner, even if the scale did not tell me that I was. Focusing on the inches, if you clothes fit better, and how you feel in general are better indicators in how successful you have been and help us maintain that positive mindset.

Focus on small changes, see big results! There is nothing worse than trying to make a worthwhile change, but allowing ourselves to become overwhelmed by the magnitude of it. If your goal is to lose 70 pounds, focus on 10 pounds at a time, or even 5. Celebrate each of those victories along the way. When you are focusing on making changes to your nutrition- make small changes. One of the things I hear the most as a busy mom is “I don’t have time to make several different meals”. Don’t. Make small, intentional changes to the overall meal or plan meals that generally fit your needs.  If you haven’t been working out, or even if you have, you don’t have to go out and hit the gym for 2 hours a week- adding in a short walk each day or a little bit of weights can make a huge difference without a big requirement of time. Focusing on the content of your workouts, instead of the duration of your workouts, is a small change to your focus, but will bring big results.

Celebrate those non scale victories! We often get hung up on our goal numbers and overlook the little things that are happening along the way. Are your pants starting to fit better? Can you wear a shirt you haven’t been able to recently? Is that favorite dress getting too big? These things are all not tied to the scale, but do directly show you the forward progress you are making. Make sure you are focusing on making progress and not perfection. We tend to let ourselves get stressed out or talk ourselves out of starting because we know that we will be interrupted, we will have to stop early, or our focus will be off. There is never a “perfect” time and so you just have to find what works for you and commit! Did you know that just stopping and thinking about what you’re grateful for a few times a day reduces the stress hormone, cortisol, by 23%1? Focus on being thankful for the little victories. Feel free to brag on yourself. If you are putting in the work and seeing those small things, odds are others are too, and they are happy to celebrate with you!

I challenge you to sit down and figure out what your focus is. Are you only focused on the number on the scale, or do you have goals that you can shoot for that will keep you on that positive track headed towards success through progress? Is there a reason you need to wait until January 1 to start working towards those goals?

Register now and start making progress towards achieving those BIG goals you have for 2019 NOW!