THE FOOD JOURNAL DILEMMA

The dreaded food journal can be your best friend and accountability partner when it comes to implementing a healthy nutrition program.  I have heard it all when it comes to fitness and food journals and the love/hate relationship that keeping track of food intake can cause. The problem is really not the food journal, but it is the issue of not being honest with ourselves.  When life is going great and our program is on track, we gladly write down every healthy morsel placed in our face with a smile and will even share the exciting events that are producing the positive results.  

On the other side of that coin is the need to hide or even toss our journals to the curb as temptations to go “off plan” creep into the program.  It is almost as if we convince ourselves that being unhealthy is not happening if it is not written down in the journal.  Believe me, you can run but your body will not hide the consequences of unhealthy choices.  The fact is the food journal wants to know all the dirty little secrets whirling around in our heads: our thoughts, if we are having triggers, cycle approaching, crappy day, or anything else that may send us into an unhealthy eating pattern.  Often times using the food journal as an emotional outlet helps to resolve behaviors that may occur, and allows us to get back on track sooner than later.

Giving our food journal the stink eye for poor food choices is not where that stare should be placed.  Living a healthy lifestyle is a personal choice and responsibility that we all need to realize.  If our fitness programs are off track that is on each of us and we need to own the consequences of those choices.  Keeping secrets from our food journal does nothing to help in a positive way, and in fact will prevent us from reaching the goals of a healthy body.

We can come up with all kinds of reasons to not journal our food intake: pain in the ass, waste of time, it’s not working, controls me too much, refuse to feel micromanaged, and the list goes on.  The food journal needs to stop getting the bad rap for our poor food choices, and the fact that it is not working is about the dishonesty that is occurring when we cheat on the journals.  Studies have shown weight loss success and overall health improvement when food and fitness journals are in place.  It is our unwillingness to take our health seriously that prevents us from reaching our goals.  When we cheat on the food journal we only cheat ourselves and it is true “what we eat in private, we wear in public”. Also, we are walking bill boards of the type of life we live, healthy or unhealthy.

We have the choice to view the food journal as friend or foe, and that choice will determine how serious we want to reach our goals and live a healthy life.  If we view the food journal as a friend that will always be there and never let us down, the success rate of weight loss and overall health improvement would increase by a great margin.  I believe it is time to do what we can to be accountable to a healthy lifestyle and although it may be difficult to see the real stuff behind our choices when we journal, it is necessary to make the changes that will get us going in a healthy direction.  Friends should be able to offer constructive criticism and have it be accepted in a positive way without defensiveness.  The food journal is there to do that very thing: show you what has gone wrong, where you can improve, and ultimately help you make better choices for living a healthy lifestyle. 

Heather Agnew Photography

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding!

Stay Healthy!

Darla

SABOTAGE STEALS SUCCESS

Sabotage is a strong word to describe the behavior that can sneak into our life and steal the success that healthy eating and exercise has provided our bodies.  It can come in the form of our own thoughts, an unsupportive spouse, friend, and even co-workers. The important thing is to be on guard so that the forms of sabotage can be recognized and dealt with in a way that is healthy, and keeping us on track with our fitness goals. I am not addressing the occasional cheat meal or even day, I am talking about a chronic issue of falling into a trap of being swayed away from a healthy lifestyle, and allowing that to happen.

Living a healthy lifestyle takes mental strength and a loving commitment to maintain our best self through consistent healthy choices each day. Let’s address self-sabotage and how it can creep into our mind and try to convince that “just this once” or “just a few bites” can become part of the healthy plan.  The issue with this type of sabotage is that it does not stop at the “just once or a few bites”.  Often times, this mindset flows into several days, weeks, and even months, and before it is over, the weight loss achieved is back up to where it started, and possibly more than the initial weight. Convincing ourselves that eating crap on a regular basis is never a good thing for our bodies, and remaining on guard so that self-sabotage can be recognized and dealt with immediately is crucial to stay on track with our fitness and health goals. Keeping a daily fitness journal is a helpful accountability tool to keep us on track.

Another sabotage culprit is that wonderful person you live with until death do you part.  Love has nothing to do with sabotage of this type and the non-supportive spouse may not get the whole new health thing or does and is struggling with acceptance of your new healthy lifestyle.  There are many relationships like this and living a healthy lifestyle becomes difficult, as the processed foods and other temptations continue to hide in your pantry and refrigerator.  Sometimes, a spouse turned healthy and leaving the other behind can cause friction in the relationship as guilt trips occur over the change in lifestyle.  It is so important to realize that each person is ready when they are ready and force-feeding a new healthy lifestyle on your spouse will only drive a wedge in the relationship.  As the one wanting to live a healthy lifestyle, model by example, and when the cupcakes come calling, politely say “no thank you” and grab a yogurt and piece of fruit to eat along with your partner. Mental strength has to be on overtime in these circumstances as there will be a daily guarantee of temptation.  Keep that promise of creating your best healthy self and great positive attitude, and almost assuredly your spouse will eventually join you.  Patience will be your best friend here.

Sabotage among friends exists and it can be ugly.  Creating a healthy lifestyle will mean making hard choices and dismissing ourselves from possible temptations that will steal our accomplishments. Some friends may not understand that you no longer want to eat processed foods or drink alcohol all night long, and are happy to provide the peer pressure to get you to fold on your commitment to self.  A strong mental game is definitely a requirement and sometimes a request of support from your friend will be necessary.  A true friend will understand and come alongside of such an important decision and one that does not care will continue to sabotage your efforts. If you continue to hear that it is OK to let your hair down and relax with your program on a continual basis from a so-called friend, you may want to re-think the motives of this friend.  It is unfortunate, but jealousy does exist and can rear an ugly head during such times, and some may not be able accept that your body is changing in beautiful positive ways.  The important thing in this type of situation is to be true to you, regardless of what is said or pressure felt.  Going out can be limited to a glass of wine and water in addition to healthy food selection.  Continue to enjoy your life and implement the healthy choices and the rest will take care of itself.

It seems like there is no safe place for the healthy person to hide from the forms of sabotage and the workplace is no stranger to being involved.  Do you have a break-room filled with daily temptation, or that co-worker who always brings the donuts and gladly sets one on your desk? Put up the mental defense when it comes to accepting sabotage at work because you do have more control here.  Bringing a cooler filled with your healthy planned meals will keep your fingers off the bagels and cream cheese with a side of cookies.  Be stronger than the saboteur and say “thanks but no thanks” to the invitation of work indulgence eating.  If a strong mental game is not put into play, visiting the break-room can become a daily occurrence with the results showing up on the waist line, and a complete derail of the healthy lifestyle you want to implement.

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Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding!

Stay Healthy!

Darla

TOSSING OUT THE TRASH

So many of us have a hard time accepting the great things about ourselves, the accomplishments achieved, the results gained, and instead zero in on what we think is negative.  I have to admit that I am guilty of this on occasion and I know my hubby would like to beat me over the lack of “mental game” head when I have a vocal slip. Why do we go right for that juggler of what we “think” is not a great attribute on our bodies, even if it is a work in progress? I for one am going to toss any negative stuff that may pop out of my mouth about myself into the mental trash can.  I do not allow negative talk in my studio, and I will not be a hypocrite behind closed doors.  So, next time I complain about how my butt is not as lifted, and go for a squeeze of disappointment on the cheeks, I will slap my own backside for that behavior.

The journey of this life is to be our BEST self at every age, and joining the  50+ club now means my bootie will not be as high and tight as my twenty something beautiful backside daughter (btw … got it from her Mama J), but I applaud that I am happy with my body overall.  Sometimes I think it feels difficult mentally to grow old and more like an inability to believe or accept that it is happening.  We go through the process of living each day not thinking about what is going on with our bodies with each passing day, month, or year.  The reality is that we are all growing older and the changes that go along with that are not an option.  I am not counting the options of medical science elective processes that are chosen to hide what is happening with our aging process and let’s face it, minor elective procedures stop working or look absolutely ridiculous as the years add up.  In my mind I still feel twenty-something, but the mirror reveals a truth that sometimes blows my mind and I am sure many can relate to what I am saying.

It is not that I am being a negative Nancy about me or my body, but I do miss my younger self sometimes. I believe that is an OK feeling to have as long as it does not interfere with accepting the beautiful person that I am right now.  The years have gone by in what seems like a blink of an eye and that is what is so unbelievable.  I look at my daughter and see myself years younger and WOW, if that is not a reality check.  That is when the meaning of life and how generations are ready to step up and into the position of where I am hits home. It truly is a beautiful thing and growing older is an honor and privilege, but for many it is scary to face or accept.   It really is OK to say that I am fifty years old and that I am happy with my fitness level and body appearance. Loving ourselves right where we are is what starts the positive mental game process of improving and progressing.

Trashing who we are, verbally attacking our bodies, and feeling crappy or guilty about it is not a healthy way to live.  It is important to achieve the best health and fitness at every age and that is what matters in addition to being happy through the process.  No one enjoys being around a negative Nancy or Ned, and that can stop with each of us by holding our tongues and immediately changing our thought process to something positive when those negatives try to knock at our door. In fact, it is important to take it out of our door and right into the trash.

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Heather Agnew Photography

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding!

Stay Healthy!

Darla