“Fall in love with the process of becoming the very best version of yourself.” ~ Unknown
“Fall in love with the process.” Interesting. What would happen if your goals revolved around taking the best possible care of yourself rather than a random number of pounds you want to lose???? What if this year the goal is to keep doing what you know is good for your body, mind and soul, regardless of what happens on the scale each week?
January is the time of year we see many people join and/or return to WW. Affectionately dubbed “diet season”. As a Wellness Coach, the question I am most often asked is: How do I get and stay motivated long enough to lose this weight?
Losing weight is the outcome of behavior. We know this. If we modify our behavior long enough to get to a goal weight and then return to our “old ways”, the weight comes back. The difference between a diet and a lifestyle is that one is for a finite amount of time and the other is ongoing.
So how do we end the viscous cycle of losing and gaining, losing and gaining? Or just gaining each year? Well, the first step is understanding if we never quit, we never have to restart. Are we really every “quitting” our lives anyway? We may quit paying attention to what we eat and how much, but our bodies and our subconscious are still registering all of it.
Finding a way to really enjoy the process of living a healthy life can be like a treasure hunt. Because we are all different, the treasures we are searching for will also be different. It takes thought and a little soul searching to find healthy behaviors that fit our own personal preferences and lifestyle. Change can be uncomfortable and making these changes our own doesn’t happen overnight. But the hunt is well worth it because when you find activities, foods and behavior patterns that resonate with you, the impatience of watching the scale to see if we are succeeding subsides and the journey becomes the reward.
I hope you are feeling great and your new year is off to a joyful start!!! Be kind to yourself and do all you can to surround yourself with others who bring you up and help you to feel your best! Leave a comment and share some of the healthy changes you have made that are bringing you the most joy!
All is well❤️
Terra
Terra Ayres,
Wellness Coach🌺
Terra, I am reading ‘into The Magic Shop” by james doty. i think you’d like it. its about taming the mind and setting intentions. very interesting.
Thanks, Monica! I’ll look it up!!
Absolutely love this post…and you Terra!!! You are so special to so many and your words and motivational spirit are with me every day, whether it’s your posts, your quotes, recipes or encouraging stories past or present!! You rock girlfriend and so does this WW way of life!❤❤❤
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lisa!!!!! All you’ve overcome in the last year or so is absolutely incredible and inspiring!! Miss you and thrilled we can stay in touch despite the distance in miles!!
You know, Terra, this post really resonates with me. In the past, I have been a slave to the scale. If I saw success in the numbers, I FELT success in my journey. And, of course, the same goes vice versa. Failure on the scale caused me to doubt the entire process, load myself with guilt and disappointment, and almost always think about just throwing in the towel.
When the people at WW talk about mindset, they really aren’t kidding. Mindset is so crucial to how we measure success. For me, just being IN CONTROL and not a mindless eating machine (which is basically how I live my life outside of the program), makes all the difference in the world. The scale doesn’t always move. But that’s ok. I’m a better ME when I’m living healthy. I FEEL better. I’m happier, in general. And, you’re right, a lot of this journey DOES feel like a treasure hunt. For me, it is with cooking. When I can find a recipe that looks delicious, but I know would not necessarily fit within my healthy living style, and then make a few tweaks and substitutions and end up with a fabulous meal no one would GUESS is healthy??? That’s a total win for me. That’s my treasure.
On a side note, it really has been a delight having you lead workshops. I have never really tried to click with a group through WW, but my first meeting back you talked about the importance of support and it just really stuck out. Now, I actually look forward to workshops and seeing how all the ladies are doing.
Thank you for your diligent work and the addition of this blog for inspiration and ideas.
You’re a gem.
Extremely well said, Natalie!! You definitely inspire me!! I feel so blessed to have met you & our little power house WW group on Tuesday mornings!!
Best post EVER!!
Miss you, T!!!
Terra- thank you for the good ideas. ❤️
My pleasure!!!
If I had to narrow it down to my top 2 healthy habits I’m enjoying the most right now, on my journey, it would be leading my WW Workshops a week and getting organized in the kitchen. All 7 of my workshops have different energy and a different dynamic. I love them all and come away from each one inspired by the members❤️ As for the kitchen…instead of denying food, I’m working in embracing new recipes and trying my hand at cooking. Yes, me, yes, actually cooking! Haha! Never say never! What about you????