Shift Your Thinking

I talk a lot in my blog and on my Facebook page about embracing a new mindset.  The old days of only being concerned about weight loss are gone.  It's time to shift your thinking.

I believe that all women are beautiful.  I believe that God created us to be so much more than attractive beings for men or others to ogle.  In my opinion, true beauty comes from a) knowing who you are b) embracing your flaws and c) living your purpose.

When we focus solely on the number on the scale, the size of our jeans and the space we take up, we are truly limiting our possibilities.  Frankly, it's exhausting worrying about things like, "am I thin enough? Am I pretty enough?  Will people judge me if I don't look a certain way?"

My pastor at church said something really profound a couple of weeks ago in a sermon.  "Who told you that?  Who told you that you weren't good enough?"

It's so simple, yet so true.  Who set these unreachable standards?  Who gets to decide what's "in or out?" All throughout history, the standard of beauty for women has changed.  But the truest standard of beauty that will never go out of style is one that is ordained by God.  He created you: perfect, beautiful, amazing YOU!

The truth is, when you are secure in who you are and the God who created you to live His purpose for your life, you don't give a flip about what others have to say.  That's the enemy talking.  Don't let him into your thoughts.  Shift your thinking.  

I know all of this is easier said than done. I'm a work in progress when it comes to my thoughts and how they influence my thinking and actions.  

So, as I stated above, when you know WHO you are (I'm fearfully and wonderfully made Psalm 139:14) and you are LIVING your purpose, it becomes easier to EMBRACE your flaws, which is the biggest step in accepting your body and starting to shift your thinking.

Surround yourself with positive people who lift you up and encourage you. Maybe it's time to do a friend-detox.  

Speak kindly about yourself. People laugh when I tell them to speak aloud positive affirmations about their body in the mirror.  But, thoughts become things and the more you outwardly speak positively about your body, the more your mind will follow suit. 

Exercise and eat well because it makes you feel good.  The weight loss and aesthetic improvements will come.  Look, there's nothing wrong with wanting to lose a few pounds or feel better in your clothes.  But I'm telling you, when you focus on improving the health of your body rather than punishing it, making better choices becomes easier and the weight loss will happen.

Love your body the way it is right now.  Don't wait for it to be thinner, leaner or more muscled.  Find things you love about your body and embrace your flaws.  Speaking from experience, no matter how "lean" you get, you will always find things about your appearance that you wish you could change.  Focus on the positive.

If you need some accountability or don't know where to start your journey, I'd love to help.

xoxo, 
Coach Steph

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for motivation, tips and humor.  Reach out to me privately if you're ready to shift your thinking.  

Where do I start?

Congratulations! You've decided to start a fitness/eating/healthier living program.  But you're probably asking yourself, "Where do I start?"

"Where do I start" is the number one question I get as a personal trainer and coach.  Here's a few tips to get you started.

1. What are your goals?
Why are you doing this?  What do you hope to accomplish?  Having a clear vision of your goals is important.

2. What will happen when you reach your goal?
You have a clear goal - great!  What will happen when you get there?  The number one reason people gain weight back after reaching a goal is because they didn't think about the 'after.' What would happen when you met the goal?  Remember, this is the rest of your life.  Don't be shortsighted.

3.  Start small.
Small, consistent habit changes that you can adhere to are the keys to longterm success.  Focus on one habit at a time.  If you don't eat breakfast, work on eating breakfast everyday until that becomes normal for you.  Some habits will take less time to achieve than other.

4.  Celebrate the small victories.
You passed on seconds at dinner because you were satisfied and didn't need anymore food.  Pat yourself on the back!
You did 10 push-ups in a row. Last week you could only do 8.  Celebrate!
You packed your lunch every day for work and felt good about it.  Great job!
Whatever it is that makes you proud for continuing on this journey, celebrate it.  Remember, consistently doing the right things add up to big results.

5.  Create a support network.
Tell people you love and trust what you are doing.  Tell them you need their support when you want to quit.  Tell them to remind you of your goals.  Having the right support will make all the difference.

6.  Keep the negative nellies at an arm's length.
Change is hard.  Sometimes it's even harder for the people in our lives than it is for us. When you decide to make a change in your lifestyle, some people in your life may become negative or downright mean.  Your desire to change is highlighting their decision not to.  That's ok.  Just protect yourself.  Your support network will help you.

7.  Create a mindset of success.
You can do this.  You are worth it.  You are enough. You're doing this for you.  Repeat these things every day in the mirror.  Say them until you believe them.

8.  Get professional help.
There are a lot of trainers and health professionals who are in the business of helping people get healthier.  Do your research.   Ask for referrals.  Interview them.  They are a part of your team and you need to be comfortable opening up and being honest with them so they can help you.  All trainers, nutritionists, dietitians, physicians and health coaches are not created equal.  A true professional will have no problem complying with your need to gather information before you make a decision.

9.  Make a decision.
Your gut is usually right.  If your gut tells you that your trainer, coach, nutritionist, etc is a good fit for you, then go with that.  Do your research, but trust your intuition.

10.  Love yourself.
Self worth and self esteem start at the core with loving who you are, right now, whatever you look or feel like.  If you think losing weight or getting more fit will make someone else like you or love you more, you're wrong.  Loving you, flaws (we all have them) and all is the key to happiness.  When you love you, everything else falls into place.  Love yourself enough to take care of your temple.  It's the only place you have to live.

Reach out if you need more help.

xoxo,
Coach Steph

Comparison is the Thief of Joy

Teddy Roosevelt was a pretty smart guy.  "Comparison is the thief of joy." I feel like this applies to so many areas of our lives.  Specifically, I'm going to speak to fitness and weight loss.

I coached a personal training client yesterday on this topic.  She was finishing her post-workout cardio and cooling down on the treadmill when she asked me, "so how much progress should I be seeing right now?"

This is such a loaded question and I HATE IT!

Do you know why I hate it?  Because no two people are the same.  Because no two bodies metabolize food the same way.  Because no two bodies respond to exercise and weights the same way.  Get the idea?

Comparison is dangerous.  It can take you down a scary path where you start to look at your life and someone else's and decide that their life is better or easier.

When you compare your fitness progress to someone else's, you can take yourself out of the game or delay your success.

I know it's tough not to compare; when you see those amazing 'before and after' ads for weight loss. My company even has a weight loss challenge and we use testimonials to show people what's possible.  That's the key, though.  Be inspired by other people's success.  Don't compare.

Honestly, shows like 'The Biggest Loser' or 'Extreme Weight Loss' don't help either.  Those people are in completely controlled environments with expert help 24/7.  That's just not reality.  Most of those people go home and gain the weight back because they didn't gradually learn how to adopt a new lifestyle.

How can you overcome the desire to compare?  Track your progress! Not just your weight and measurements.

• Take photos - Progress photos, wearing the same clothes, in the same pose at the same time every week.  Put the photos side-by-side.  You'll start to see changes.
• Celebrate the NSVs - Non-scale victories.  How do your clothes fit?  Can you do something you couldn't do when you first started?  Has your health improved? I always recommend clients do a physical inventory when they first start.  What hurts?  What is physically hard to do? What are you unable to do because of your physical condition?  Revisit that list every 4-6 weeks and track your progress that way.
• Track your vital signs - Record your resting heart rate and blood pressure when you first start.  Check them every 4 weeks.  When they improve, that means you are getting healthier.  Yay for you!

These are just a few ways to show yourself that your exercise and healthy eating plan are working.  Be kind to yourself.  Change takes time.  How long had you been eating unhealthy food?  How long did it take you to gain the weight?  It's going to take a while for your body to reset and return to its home state, its homeostasis.  Do you know what homeostasis means?  When internal conditions remain relatively stable and constant. That's balance. When your body is balanced, you will be able to lose or maintain your weight.  

Need some help?  More accountability?  Someone to just listen? I'm here.  Reach out.  I'd love to chat.

Check out YouTube for my video summary on this topic.

xoxo,

Coach Steph