by Autumn Calabrese
Eat more vegetables, control your portion sizes, and exercise regularly. Those are proven steps for losing weight that you're probably tired of hearing about. However, there's a critical component missing from that tried-and-true weight-loss to-do list—mastering the mental game of becoming the healthiest version of you."Eating healthy food, drinking water, getting enough exercise and sleep—that's the (relatively) easy part," says celebrity weight loss coach Autumn Calabrese, author of the new book Lose Weight Like Crazy, Even if You Have a Crazy Life. "So why do we struggle so much? It's because we're battling our mind, heart, and emotions, which are all very powerful. The traumatic experiences you endured in life are there to help build you into the person you are meant to be, but you have to choose how they define you. Do they fill you with self-doubt, self-hate, and self-sabotage or do they build you into a warrior?"
Calabrese, a Beachbody trainer who has helped many people live heathier lives, both physically and mentally, stresses that the first step toward positive life change is recognizing that the only opinion about you that matters is your own opinion.
'To set yourself free from any mentally binding chains, you need to convince yourself that you are brave, you are beautiful, you are worthy, you are smart, you are capable, you are strong, and you are enough just the way you are," says Calabrese. Here are "Autumn's Attitude Adjustments," which have been powerful agents of change in her own life.
1). Choose The Challenge: It can be a challenge to eat healthy foods instead of junk foods and make time for exercise when you're not feeling good about yourself. It can be hard to push yourself to sweat and be out of breath. It also can be discouraging to feel uncomfortable in your own skin. It's tough to feel bad physically and emotionally. It can be disheartening to look in the mirror and not recognize yourself. Regardless of all these legit challenges, you have a choice.
Be deliberate, choose to practice self-care, exercise, and eat right. When you choose all these challenging actions, you'll feel stronger, prouder, and more confident in who you are. It may not be easy, but it is worth it, and the its only way you’ll ever change your situation for the better.
2). Realize That Motivation Wanes: Motivation is hard to sustain. As such, you can’t rely on it to get you through the rough patches. There are days when I'm not feeling motivated, but I can always opt to be disciplined. I have days when I want to have a few more glasses of wine than I should or I want to sit on the couch with a tub of ice cream, but I don't do that because I choose to be disciplined about taking care of my body for my health. You can still have the things you like in moderation, just be mindful of what you’re doing and don't overindulge. That's discipline.
3). Remember That You Are What You Eat: Let this sink in: Every single thing you put into your body is what your body becomes. So, don't be fast, easy, cheap, or fake. Change your attitude about what food truly is—fuel to build, protect, and preserve your body and your health. When you look at it through this lens, it becomes much easier to make healthy choices.
4). Expect Defeat, But Develop A “Never Quit” Response To It: When you were first learning to walk, you didn't fall down and think, "Well that's it, maybe this walking thing isn't for me." No, you got back up and eventually learned to walk. Success doesn’t happen on the first try. When you face defeat—and you will—remember your younger self, the child inside of you who didn't know the meaning of failure. Rise up and try again and again because the only time you truly fail is when you quit. Good thing our younger selves never quit or there would be a lot of crawling adults out there!
5). Memorize A Mantra: Repetition is powerful. The more reps of dumbbell curls you do, the stronger your biceps become. Same goes for strengthening your resolve. Make a practice of repeating a motivating mantra every day whenever you need to tap its power. Need help? Try this one on for size:
"I'm doing this…Not for him/her, but for ME
Not for today, but EVERY DAY
Not to feel good in a dress, but to feel good in my SKIN
Not for the beach, but for my HEALTH
Not for a competition, but for the competition I've created for MYSELF, BY MYSELF to become the best version of MYSELF, EVERY SINGLE DAY."
6). Strive For Progress, Not Perfection: Some people quit because they're frustrated by slow progress. You need to recognize that slow progress is still progress. Stop looking at the weight scale for validation that your healthy habits are working. Look for the "non-scale" victories in your life: You have more energy; your clothing feels and looks better on you; you sleep better at night; you are more optimistic; your skin is clearer; you think clearer, you move better. That's real progress. When you celebrate those victories, you'll find the discipline to overcome the challenges of even the hardest of days.
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