The Last Day of 2013; Time to Reflect..Then Move Forward

One of the most common hurdles I see clients trying to work through is the feeling that they should’ve/could’ve/would’ve done something differently and as a result, be somewhere other than where they are at the moment.

They should’ve lost twenty pounds by now.  They should’ve gotten on track with a sound exercise regime months ago.  They should’ve made better food choices.

That style of thinking does nothing but keep you stuck in the past, enveloped in a discouraging state of mind, beating yourself up your lack of progress.

While it’s very important to set reasonable health, fitness and nutrition goals, it’s counterproductive to ruminate over the lack of doing so.

Instead, change your approach and be proactive.

Take today, the last day of the year, to sit quietly alone, if only for a half hour, to reflect on what they year brought you, and think critically about what things might not have gone according to plan and what you’d like to do going forward to work through any tricky situations in a more productive and positive way, if and when they come up again.

Being kind to yourself and thinking something like, “I wanted to slim down by ten pounds last January and instead of increasing my activity and eating properly, I opted to try a very low calorie diet, which resulted in a gain of ten more pounds!  I know now that by following the Paleo diet, I can trim down healthfully, move more efficiently and expect a slow but steady and permanent weight loss” would be a great example of rationally working through what didn’t work and using the experience as something to learn from.

Don’t be punitive to yourself and think, “I should’ve known that the diet my friend wasn’t going to work and that the gym I joined was going to be too crowded.   I have never been able to lose weight before and now I’m heavier than ever and I look and feel horrible.  Why would I think I could be successful this time?” is nothing more than a recipe for disaster.   Would you address a good friend or dear family member that way if they were to confide in you?

Accept where you are, right now, and move forward.

2014 is less than a day away.  A fresh start, a new year…rather than rehashing those silly old resolutions that have never stuck before, why not start anew with some different goals and objectives, make them reasonable, attainable and with a system of small rewards set up to guide you along your way?

Of course, old habits don’t change at the drop of a hat, or simply because it happens to be January 1st, but if you can at least work on your state of mind, you’ll set the stage for a much higher likelihood of being successful.

If one goal happens to be to implement the Paleo diet, decide if you feel you’d be more successful taking it in stages rather than diving in full speed ahead.

As long as you ultimately get to 100% Paleo, you’re on the right track, even if it takes weeks or months to slowly get there.   

Don’t be surprised, though, if your transition ends up happening more quickly than planned; you’ll start feeling so great, you’ll want more!

Happy, Healthy New Year, from the inside out!