Change Your Perspective, Change Your Results

I’ll never forget when my boys were younger, maybe they were 15 and 12 years old. Veggie burgers were newly available in grocery stores. I decided I was going to give them a “healthier” alternative to a cheeseburger for dinner. Instead of telling my kids I was making veggie-cheeseburgers, I thought, I'll just slip a veggie burger on a bun, put the regular fixings out and put some sweet potato fries on their plate and they’ll never notice. Insert a laughing emoji here. I don’t know what I was thinking! Trying to fool two teenage boys into thinking a veggie burger was a cheeseburger was not going to fly. They still tease me about it to this day.

If I would have told my boys I was making veggie burgers instead of hamburgers, it would have been easier to get their taste buds on board with a different perspective. Changing our perspective in regard to what we feed ourselves, how we exercise and what we do for enjoyment is how we make permanent changes in our lifestyle. It’s not some huge shift that happens all at once. It usually happens bit by bit over time.  Let’s explore a few ways a perspective shift comes into play when it comes to your individual journey.

What Is Your Goal?

In health coaching we talk a lot about goals, visualization and outcomes. So many times, we think about attaining a big, end goal and that’s important. But, in order to get to that big goal, we need to accumulate shifts in our perspectives and actions to get there. Try focusing on an action goal for now. A goal that will bring you an outcome you’re desiring. A goal of a lifestyle shift. A goal that once you reach your ultimate end goal, you will have mastered so as to maintain your results for life. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Starting every morning with a protein forward breakfast.

Shutting screens down 90-minutes before bed to help with sleep.

Remaining consistent with a strength training routine twice a week.

Incorporating a meditation or breath work practice to calm your stress reflex.

Incorporating a daily walk aside from exercise that allows you more movement, aid in digestion and stress reduction.

Looking Through a New Lens

When we change our perspective and outlook, we change our life. Let’s take exercise as an example. If you think of exercise as punishment, you may procrastinate, avoid it completely or just go through the motions. If you start thinking about exercise as something that empowers you, is a way of relieving stress and tension, a way to make you stronger and keep you stable and independent as you age, your perspective will shift. Exercise will no longer seem like a chore or a punishment, but an empowering way of reaching your goals. 

Shifting the way we think about the food we put into our bodies is another game changer. Instead of thinking of food as comfort, a reward or holding memories, consider shifting your thoughts of food to nourishment for your body. Consider how food can either heal or hurt you. Here’s an example from my own life: I grew up with home cooked meals, a grandmother who managed a candy store and who had my mom pick up pastries from our local bakery on a regular basis. I used to think that bakery, candy and homemade bread and pies were a way to show love to my family. But changing that narrative in my mind to feeding myself and the people I love with whole foods that provide nourishment was a big shift. It’s one thing to bake a cake for a birthday or bring candy for a special occasion. But trying to feed our soul through unhealthy foods from our past doesn’t work. What is a way you can honor your past without the need to fill your body with unhealthy foods? Instead of feeling like we’re turning away from our past or memories, how about creating new healthy traditions? 

What Are You Hungry For?

When coaching clients, I teach about Primary Foods- the foods off our plate. Foods like relationships, home environment, creativity, health, finances, education, spirituality etc. When these foods are out of balance it can be more challenging to get our Secondary Foods- the foods on our plate into balance. If you find yourself using Secondary Food to fill in for Primary Food it becomes challenging to reach our weight loss and wellness goals. How can we change our perspective to feed our need for excitement, love and happiness without relying on Secondary Foods? 

Allow yourself to feel emotions. If you’re feeling sad, stuck or stressed, it’s ok. Allow yourself to feel those feelings. Be with the feeling instead of trying to suppress it or cover it up with food.

If you’re looking for a treat, something to celebrate or do, think of other ways besides food or drink to fill that position: visit with friends, play games, go for a walk, attend a concert or play.

If you’re feeling lonely or bored, it’s ok to feel those feelings instead of trying to mask them with food or alcohol. Read 16 Tips to Stop Eating Out of Boredom for tips and ideas. 

In Conclusion

If you really want to make changes to your health and wellness that will last a lifetime, it takes changing your perspective and habits. Have an action-oriented goal. Keep it small and simple at the beginning. Consider your perspective. Are your feelings about making changes to your eating habits, exercise and self-care negative or positive? Are you willing to change your perspective? Finally, what are you really hungry for? Is food playing a bigger part in your life than the nutrition it’s meant to provide? If you’re ready to make changes but you know you need more help, schedule your free Discovery Call with me. Working with a health coach can help you shift your mindset and perspective so that you can make the necessary changes to reach your goals.