Healing Blog

53112Thu
| posted by TransformHeal
| Comments 0

Weight loss. Self-care. Health. It’s not easy. It’s complicated. It encompasses your entire being. If you just focus on the physical, you will find yourself back where you started. Is that where you are? Looking into your mental, emotional, and physical aspects will give you the answers to why you have neglected your health. As a fitness professional for 25+ years and energy worker for 10, I can tell you there is no feel-good, highly motivational, and easy answer to help you with this particular arena of your life. Don’t misunderstand – you CAN lose weight – any amount – and live a healthy and happy life. It will take looking in places you haven’t looked before.

 The Gap

To guarantee weight loss and better health you must be ready to shake up your life. Your desire has to be greater than the challenges ahead. You must step courageously into the gap between identifying your goals and achieving your goals. In this gap you will discover the mental and emotional patterns that have sabotaged you in the past.

To understand our mental patterns, we need to have a better understanding of how our brain works. The latest research shows that when we have a new experience we create a new neurological pattern. However, the old neurological patterns are stronger and, therefore, easier for us to follow automatically. The only way to make these new patterns stronger is to repeat them over and over and over again. This research tells us what we already knew: creating a new habit takes time and consistency. It’s easier to default to the old way, of course.  If you have been stopping at McDonalds on the way into work for years, this is a strong neurological pattern. Shifting these patterns will be difficult but doable – as they are deeply grooved into your psyche. All you need is what you have – intelligence, determination, compassion, and support.

Emotional patterns are a bit dicey. They aren’t necessarily rational because they were created by you long ago. They can be inspired by love and compassion or fear and judgment. How you feel when you look in the mirror can be an indication of why you have had difficulty with your self-care in the past. It could be that intelligence was honored more than physicality when you were growing up. It might be that you have been struggling with being overweight your entire life and grew up being teased and judged.

Close your eyes. What happens to your breath and your body when you ask yourself: “What will happen if I lose weight and I’m still unhappy? Does being overweight keep me safe? Is it easier to take care of everyone else? Will I ever be enough?” Do your breathing and heart beat quicken? Do you get a knot in your stomach?  This is fear. Hello fear, nice to meet you.

Don’t let fear win – GET HELP!

Fear can be faced. Fear can be shifted. Don’t give up – get help. It’s time to step into the quagmire of the gap, but don’t go there alone. Why? Because you don’t have to. There’s nothing wrong with the fact that you might need more support than your overweight dog to help you to achieve your health and weight loss goals. Seek support from fitness professionals, such as a nutritionist and personal trainer. There are overeating support groups, life/wellness coaches, energy workers, and therapists to help you walk through the gap. Maybe your children can be your motivation. By eating well and exercising you will show them how to have the courage and strength to change their lives. You will teach them about nutrition and the importance of taking care of your body – so that your body can take care of you. You want them to know that health matters and that it’s not selfish to take time for yourself each day.

Having helped hundreds of people lose weight and heal their lives, my recommendation is to get as much support as you can – wherever you can. Don’t be afraid to hire professionals and call in favors with friends and family. Have your kids bike and hike with you. Have them help you clean out your pantry and refrigerator. Get the family dog involved as well: they are always up for a walk! If you want to guarantee weight loss hire a nutritionist, personal trainer, energy worker, and therapist. If this is not feasible, first hire a nutritionist. Holli Thompson is our local nutritionist celebrity. If being overweight has created a battle with depression, start with therapy and/or an energy worker to get through the fog that depression creates. Whatever support and motivation you need, get it! You don’t have to let fear control your life. You are strong enough. You are creative enough. You are worthy enough. You deserve to live a healthy life.

 
Contribute with a Response
500 characters

This entry was posted on
Thursday, May 05, 2012 at 21:05 pm and is
filed under Healing Blog
You can follow any responses to this entry
through the RSS 2.0 feed.