How we relate to food, money, relationships, and our bodies is based on a script that is filled with beliefs and thoughts we’ve developed over the course of our lives. We tell ourselves a story that, more often than not, is not even true.
- A “diet” is a short-term behavior. Healthy living is a daily practice.
- A 30 day fitness or diet challenge may lead you to short term results. Developing healthy habits will lead to long term results and change your mind and body for good.
- A yoga class here and there can lead to short and long-term results. A regular yoga and/or meditation practice can produce tremendous results.
- Viewing past experiences as failures increases stress. Viewing them as part of your journey will prove incredibly rewarding.
- Surrounding yourself with people who make you feel small can be defeating. Science tells us surrounding yourself with like-minded wellness-focused individuals produces contentedness.
One day when I was around 12, my mom told me I have big hips. It was when I was wearing a dress that was tighter than I normally wore because I suffered from body image issues.
It crushed me. In fact, ever since then, until about two years ago, I walked around covering my hips, feeling ashamed and insecure about my body. Not anymore!
When I was in my teen years, I joined pageants. I was also on homecoming and prom court in high school. It is a past I’m not always proud of. So, my story from then on was that I was “the dumb one” in my family. I perpetuated the thought that my three siblings were much smarter and more “successful.” It took me digging deep and asking them eventually to finally get over it and realize it was my story, not theirs!
Essentially, everything you think is filtered through your mindset.
Does Michael Phelps just get on the block and crush the swim world? No, he lined up his entire life, his mindset, his food, his daily habits to become the best swimmer ever.
Isn’t it true our actions speak volumes about our values? Our conscious desires and thoughts are not always aligned with our actions.
Take Sally who wants so desperately to lose weight and have the body she did when she was 30. Sally talks about it a lot, but she also struggles to invest time and resources in herself. She believes placing higher value on her children’s and aging parents’ needs is a higher calling. So instead of finding a program that suits her needs, Sally talks about how she can’t afford it, how expensive all of the programs she wants to join are.
Much of our thinking is a result of our subconscious thinking that comes from a fractured childhood, an unsettling teenage phase or other events in your life that form who you are and influence why you make the choices you do.
So, our mindset is in one place; our actions are in another.
Take charge. Make yourself number one. Believe in you.
In the meantime, if you are interested in feeling better and getting to a place of contentedness with your body, email me at adrien@alexandriawellness.com.
Alexandria Wellness Workshop
Adrien is sharing more tips and strategies for women 40+ in her workshop on Monday, October 14th. Please join her as she teaches you how to navigate symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause and what the top trick is to relieving those pesky symptoms so you can feel your best.
