Using Mindfulness To Reach Your Health Goals

We live in a world where we’re surrounded by activity trackers, food apps, scales, and body fat measurements yet our health is the worst it’s ever been. The internet is in our pocket and there is more health information available to us today than at any other period of history. Why is it that we have all of these tools yet most of us are unsuccessful? We’re not aware of what we’re doing; we’re not mindful.

Let me explain. Everyone is looking for a template. Looking for someone or something to tell them exactly what to do to reach their goals. The problem is that when you’re following what someone else tells you to do you’re not learning it for yourself. Learning happens by making mistakes while you’re in the trenches finding your own way. Sure, some people can follow a protocol, nail it, and stick to it as much as they decide to. However, when I see someone on their 20th round of Whole 30 it begins to look more like an eating disorder. People don’t trust themselves to get it right on their own because diet culture has taught us to fail by the simple fact that 95% of diets fail people.

It’s Not Your Fault

Unfortunately for most people it isn’t their fault. The commercial food industry has one mission in mind: to sell more of their products. How do they do that? They put sugar in everything. Have you ever tried to avoid all added sweeteners? It’s nearly impossible. The thing is, when your body relies on quick carbohydrates it burns through them very quickly. As blood sugar levels fall this triggers a hunger sensation. Think about it, if you were a hunter-gatherer and you HAD to eat every few hours you wouldn’t survive.

Integrating Mindfulness To Reach Your Goals

The majority of people can follow a “plan” for a short period of time but then they end up right back where they started. When you’re letting something outside of yourself be your guide you often don’t fully integrate it as your own because there’s nothing to figure out. You’re doing what you’re told vs finding the answers yourself, i.e. you don’t really learn anything. You get tired of the plan, tired of the recipes, tired of the monthly fee, your hormones sabotage you, and your default mindset (where you started) is what you’re left with. Following a template perfectly doesn’t teach you how to fend for yourself. You’ve lost the skill to be a modern day hunter-gatherer.

Rather than continuing to look for the next diet trend, stop and look at yourself. Through one of the methods I mentioned above reflect on your health journey. What does it look like? Have you ever held yourself accountable to eat real food on a consistent basis without a program or plan telling you to? Where do you think you’ve gotten tripped up in the past? Where are you currently, and where do you want to go? If you need a bit of help getting clear on your subconscious beliefs here’s a Mindfulness Workbook I put together. It’s a .pdf you can print out and fill out when you have time to dedicate to quiet reflection. It’s full of questions to get you thinking so that you can begin to see why you’re not reaching your goals once and for all.

Imagine that: reaching your wellness goals and no more diet trend searching…

Ancestral Health & Mindfulness

Living off of the land, eating single ingredient whole foods is how humans are genetically designed to eat. Most days I think the modern world over complicates health. We’ve created all of these supplements, meal replacements, and programs but most of them don’t work long term. Imagine yourself standing in the forest. What would you eat? You’d eat single ingredients; nothing made in a factory. As the seasons changed your diet would change with it. Hitting the berry patch in summer would give you simple sugars that your body could store as fat for the upcoming winter. Now compare how much sugar is in a traditional supermarket to the natural world.

Unless a person has been completely disconnected from the world we all know that things like fast food, sugar, and artificial additives are things to be avoided. Everyone has heard that they should eat more vegetables yet very few actually do. It isn’t that people don’t know how to do these things; they’ve simply forgotten or were never given the right tools in the first place. Old habits, convenience, false beliefs, and subconscious comfort is why people don’t make life long changes.

When you clear out the cobwebs of your subconscious and become mindful of how it affects your progress and ability to set goals, you can finally make a leap forward. As I said before, we are overwhelmed with information but very little addresses our mindset so that we can make lasting change. Making peace with food and gaining clarity around your goals gives you the balance you need to indulge in a delicious treat without letting it completely throw you back to where you started. That’s what health coaches do. We help you figure out where you get stuck and uncover the subconscious beliefs and habits that hold you back.

How Can Mindfulness Help You Reach Your Health Goals?

Making the decision to live a healthy lifestyle complete with a nourishing diet is something we all know we should be doing. I’ve found that the difficult part is found in the beginning. If you’re like I was before I went paleo I simply ate. I ate the things that I grew up eating. There were a number of dishes that I didn’t have to put thought into; I simply made them. When you decide to change your eating strategy odds are that a lot of that will suddenly become available. For instance, if you’re switching from SAD (Standard American Diet) to Paleo and you suddenly remove grains, dairy, vegetable oil, and processed food; you’ll likely be left wondering what in the world you’re going to eat. In the beginning your level of awareness, mindfulness, is a huge key to your long term success. 

What do you want your future to look like and what does the past tell you? When you know where you’ve been and where you want to go it helps you see where the path between the two may lie. Conversely, running from diet plan to diet plan while unaware of why and when you get stuck is why people keep looking for the next “thing”.

Food As Comfort & Reward

I’m the mom of a little and I can’t tell you how often I see parents pacify their kids with food. The toddler is making noise when they want them to be quiet so they give them food. Trying to get preschoolers to sit and watch an older siblings soccer game the parents hand them food. Unfortunately for most kids portable food = processed and/or fast food. Kids are being wired at a young age to use food to distract themselves and pass the time. 

Then there are the celebrations. Why is conventional thinking to give someone a sugar laden “treat”?

My goal isn’t to bash parents. Trust me, I know it’s the hardest job in the world. The point I’m trying to make is that if these things are happening today they’ve likely happened in the past. What did your childhood look like? How many habits and comforts have you been given when it comes to food? People say they’re emotional eaters. Where does that come from? Who was the first person who comforted you with food? Odds are that many of your habits and beliefs aren’t your own. When you work that out and see that you’ve been programmed it makes it easier to shed those old habits and claim new ones for yourself.

Find Time For Yourself

It’s a fast paced world full of too much drama if you ask me. Opinions are a dime a dozen and people think theirs is the best and if you don’t agree they’ll berate you online. Do yourself a favor. When you have some free time don’t spend it in the comments section online.

Find time for you and what you enjoy doing. Whether it’s a walk, sitting on your back porch, or taking a bath, focus on you. What are your dreams? Goals? Anything new you want to try? Also, if you happen to uncover some thoughts you’d like to change after completing the workbook think on those. Look at them without judgement because we’ve all made the best decisions we could with the information we had at that time. Maybe there are some long held beliefs that simply aren’t yours. Breathe. Exhale the old and inhale the new.

Breathing in and out, while allowing your mind and body to be aware of one another engages the brain and connects you to your body in a way that is calming, yet invigorating. If you are peaceful, relaxed, and free of stresses you will be able to find comfort outside of food. Be mindful of the moment you’re in, and how special you, your mind, and body are. Value all your parts, thoughts, experiences, and self. This type of mindset makes you peaceful, thankful and encourages you to take the time to give yourself the best care, food, and love possible.

Accept Who You Are Now And Be Inspired By Your Journey 

Being able to love yourself, and accept where you’re at in your journey will lend itself nicely to keeping you on track in your healthy eating ambitions. If you constantly feel worthy of the care you’re taking to feed your body healthy fuel and treat yourself well, you’ll be less likely to become discouraged and give up before you reach your healthy goals.

Mindfulness calls you to be calm and recognize your thoughts, and who you are in any moment you’re practicing. Being mindful of your mind, body, and self as one can be very powerful in helping you achieving a healthy balanced life, and diet.

[mailerlite_form form_id=7]

Originally posted on July 8, 2019 @ 12:01

Know someone who needs to read this? Share it!