We’ll see how long it lasts this time. You know you can’t do it; you’ve tried before, and it didn’t work. Don’t waste your time. You don’t need to work out; what good does it do you? You’ll never change. You’re not “that bad.” Exercise is for jocks, athletes, and models. Lord knows you are none of those. Those days are behind you. You have too far to go; you’ll never get there. You have work to do. You’ve got no time for this. Your boss is waiting for you to get this done. Your team is waiting for you to get this done. Your kids need you to get this done. Your mate needs you to do this for them. The paperwork needs to be filed. The church, the neighbors, your parents need you right now. There’ll be time for you later. You can start tomorrow. You can start Monday. You can start in January.
Sound familiar? Maybe you’ve heard these words in your head. Maybe you’ve even said them out loud. Maybe you are convinced that these statements are true, and you are okay with following their lead. If so, you may want to stop reading now, but if you’ve heard them and are tired of allowing those negative thoughts call the shots, then read on.
Those words and others like them can derail even the most diligent of us, but do we really need to listen to those negative voices that pour shame, doubt and fear into our heads? What if we just decide that we want something new in the new year? What if we want to be positive this year? What if we choose positive self-talk this year? What if we kick the I CAN’T to the curb, and make room for the I CAN?
"Failure is success if we learn from it." – Malcom Forbes
Learn from your negative self-talk. Where has it gotten you? Does it make you feel strong? Does it make you feel good? Does it make you feel successful? Ask the negative voice in your head, “What have you done for me lately?” What has it done for you, ever?
Change the channel. We can, you know. We have a choice. We can listen to the negative voices in us (or around us) and get lost in our complaints, or we can change the channel, turn it off. The same switch that turns something on, can turn something off.
"Where your mind goes your body will follow." – Stephanie Wolfe
Your past does not need to dictate your future. Your future can look different than your past, but it starts with your thoughts. It takes a bit of work, but if you are reading this blog, your company cares about you and your health because they have invested in Wellview services. Your health matters to them. Does it matter as much to you?
Tell yourself the myriad of excuses that can keep you in bed the extra 30 minutes and you will not have time for that minimum of 150 minutes-a-week of fitness that science has proven can make a huge impact on your physical and mental health. BUT tell yourself, “I can do anything for 30 minutes!” and “I am grateful for my body, and I plan to keep it strong and well for as long as it is in my power.” Or “I know what I need to do, and I can do it. Whatever I don’t know I can learn. I can. I can. I can ...
Talk to yourself – Give yourself a good old-fashioned talking to! Get up in your face!
Tell yourself what you want and tell yourself you are going to get it! Tell yourself to get busy and build the future you desire. Tell yourself to grow up, wise up, and rise up. Tell yourself to get out of bed; get out of your own way. Most importantly, tell yourself that you matter, you are valuable, you are worth the time to take care of you. Tell yourself that your needs are important, your health is a priority, and you deserve a spot on the plate. Tell yourself that taking a 30-minute lunch break won’t keep you from making your deadline and will likely give you a fresh perspective when you return to your desk. Tell yourself that the extra 30-minutes in bed each morning won’t even be missed and that this time on the treadmill or elliptical may give you the mental and physical energy needed to knock that proposal out of the park!
If you tell yourself you can’t, then you can’t. So, stop it! “Can’t never could.”
The single thing that must change if we are going to change is the thoughts in our head. They must be stopped, arrested, dressed down, and jailed for good.
The benefits far outweigh the cost. There is much too good that can come of this kind of change! You know it, you just have to convince your mind. Change your mind, change your life.
Yes, it’s hard, but choose your hard! Working out daily is hard but living on medications or suffering with a preventable disease is hard too. Choose your hard. Red Light foods (see Traffic Light Eating Diet) are for special occasions and avoiding them all the other times when you mind tells you that you can’t make it through a day without them may be hard, but living with weight issues and illnesses is hard, too.
Getting started is always the most difficult, for anyone. Habits are hard to break. and it is pretty easy to fall back into old patterns, after all they are old, and well established. So, they may put up a fight, until they are replaced with positive new patterns that will also become well established! Your past is in the past, and today is a new day.
Positive Self-Talk: (before) This may be tough, but I am tougher. I’ve been through harder things, and whatever doesn’t kill me makes me stronger. I am enough. I am ready. I am able. I am worth it. I am beautiful. I feel great!! Let’s go! Well done! Keep up the good work. That felt good. I am moving forward. I CAN…
Positive Self-Talk (grace): I fell short today, but I like what I did. I am satisfied with my effort. I didn’t get that done, today, but there’s still time. I didn’t get it done today, but I am not giving up. I may do less than I planned, but I will do something. I will keep my commitment to myself. I didn’t drink as much water as I had planned, but I drank more than I would have if I hadn’t planned. I need some support. I’ll reach out to my Health Advisor.
Start small, start slow, but start. Creating healthy habits is a daily choice and a hard one at times, but worth it for sure! Remind yourself of WHY you want what you want and HOW it will feel when you get there. You have WHAT it takes! Change your life, one thought at a time.
I care,
Stephanie
Click HERE to learn more about the Wellview services available to you. We can’t wait to work with you!
– STEPHANIE WOLFE, NBC-HWC
Health Advisor
