By Sonia Salfity,
Desperate Dieter
We find ourselves entering a new year and with it all of our hopes and expectations for a healthier chapter. We plan, visualise and share all the changes we intend to make for our wellbeing. Yet we quickly forget the difference between ‘intentions’ vs ‘actions’.
I’ll confess that last week I intended to try to eat more vegetarian meals, but that intention only lasted one day after I cooked my son’s favourite chicken recipe!
A healthy and happier you
When we aim to introduce change in our lives for a healthier and happier version of ourselves, we must ask: Are we making changes that we will only break a day or a month later, leaving us feeling defeated before we’ve even started?
Do we make them because other people do and it seems the noble thing to adhere to such traditions?
What if we decided not to follow the crowd? What if we created our own path, one that suits our unique lifestyle and challenges? After all, we are each unique and what’s impossible for one person is no big deal for another.
Ask someone who hates sweets to give up chocolate and they’ll gladly abide without batting an eye!
One step at a time
Have you ever considered how much easier it is to set daily, weekly and monthly resolutions instead of yearly ones?
Breaking it up into shorter time spans seems a lot less daunting than staring at an entire year.
Also, consider how much easier it is when we change the language we use when we’re trying to make lasting progress.
Instead of ‘taking away’ things why not ‘add things’.
It’s easier for me to add veggies into my daily routine which ultimately result in my being too full for desert.
However, if you tell me I can’t have dessert, that’s all my mind will fixate on, and as we all know, what we focus on grows.
If I focus on not being able to have that cake, my mind won’t rest until I give in to a few bites.
A battle of the mind
As you can see, it’s more of a battle of the mind than a battle of the bulge.
Focusing the mind on positive and healthy choices will guide the body to follow suit.
Breaking those better choices down into manageable actions makes them far easier to follow through on.
Take, for example, your cup of water.
If you fill it ahead of time and place it in strategic places where you know you’ll be sitting, then you’re most probably going to reach for it without giving it a second thought.
This action becomes a habit that you can live with.
Likewise, filling your water bottle the day before you leave the house will ensure it’s ready to go when you’re rushing out the door.
Good planning
Apply the same concept to your grocery shopping routine.
Determine ahead of time that you won’t go near the candy isles.
Ask yourself what you can do ahead of time to empower you to stay out of the dangerous aisles.
Not going into the supermarket hungry or thirsty will triple.
If you tell me I can’t have dessert, that’s all my mind will fixate on.
your chances of resisting unwholesome selections.
You can either go right after a meal or after having a handful of nuts and a glass of water.
It doesn’t take much to prepare, it’s simply a matter of intentionally taking action to increase your chances of success.
Keeping it light
Above all, remember to keep your sense of humour — it’s essential! Whether you choose to set New Year’s resolutions or not, focus on the lighter side of life.
Not just lighter meals, but lightening the mood and finding humour in every situation.
Life is too short to take ourselves too seriously.
An elderly gentleman, in his late 90s, once shared this wisdom with me: He had learned not to take life too seriously — and that humour was good for his soul.
Perhaps this could be part of our New Year’s resolutions, especially if we wish to ensure many more years ahead! Here’s to a healthy mind, body and soul — and a happy YOU!
Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine
