Everyday we wake up and have great intentions of eating and acting healthy all day. We roll out of bed, workout at IPT and then drink a super smoothie for breakfast. We feel great and motivated to have a fantastic healthy day. We say, “Today is the day that I am going to eat healthy”.
Then something happens in our day. We get busy, the kids are fighting, work gets stressful, our blood sugar is low because we haven’t eaten in a few hours and that sets our day into a downward spiral. For many, the immediate reaction is “what can I eat to make me feel better and give me an immediate burst of energy.” We have all done it. We grab for the sugary cookies, the fatty potato chips, the glass of wine, the Starbucks Frappuccino. Then we continue to eat sugar the rest of the day. What happened to our great intentions?! Maybe tomorrow will be better?
As we talked about last week, it is not completely your fault. The sugar and refined carbs you consumed has sent messages to your brain that you feel better on sugar and it makes you crave more sugar. Once you have one cookie or piece of bread, it is then very likely that you will reach for another one. It is the chemical composition of sugar. It is highly addictive. It is a drug.
On the other side of it, what was it that caused you to use food as your feel better vice? We know that once we eat bad carbs the cravings kick in, but why did we do it in the first place?
How many times have you said to yourself, I screwed up today but I will start again tomorrow? Guilty as charged on this one.
So how do we overcome this cycle of bad eating? We all have some emotional attachment to food. As a child you were probably given a sweet treat when you were upset or as a reward. At the Doctors office, kids are rewarded with a lollipop after their visit. Sports teams bring cookies and chips as an after game treat instead of the healthy oranges we ate as kids.
When I first meet with a client there are always great intentions to lose weight and get healthy. The determination is definitely forefront. Then we start talking about what needs to change with regards to diet and lifestyle and the resistance and excuses start immediately.
But I have always eaten that!
But how else will I get my calcium if I give up dairy?
But I couldn’t possibly give up bread! What will I eat for lunch?
But I am too busy to cook!
But it’s too expensive to buy organic!
But I have a party to go to this week!
But it’s summer! I’m on vacation!
If you have used these excuses in the past or use them now then you need to look at how to overcome these internal objections to changing your diet and lifestyle. Only you can change your behavior. But how do you do it? It seems like a daunting task.
95% of behavior is from the unconscious mind. Most of us want to take the next step to a healthier lifestyle but don’t know how. If our behavior is unconscious how do we change our unconscious mind?
We need to look at motivation, obstacles (internal and external), fear (what is holding us back and what are we afraid of), resistance to change. All of these affect our behaviors and ultimately affect our decisions with food and lifestyle. Again, seems pretty daunting but this process doesn’t have to be overwhelming and it doesn’t have to be all at once. Taking the opportunity to look at your body, mind and spirit as interconnecting energy can be a cleansing process and also an eye opening experience. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming, you would be surprised how small changes can have such a huge positive impact on your life.
If you find yourself constantly using above excuses, feel tired all the time, eat poorly and you truly want to change how to look at eating but need guidance on how to get there, it’s time to look at my Holistic Nutrition program which engages the body, mind and spirit through nutrition. If are ready to start feeling better and want to make some changes contact IPT about setting up a holistic nutrition session.
Healthy Regards,
Cathy Falk
B.A. Holistic Nutritionist
