The healthier you are, the more metabolically robust you are.
What does that mean? Well, you know how it was pretty easy for most of us to lose or maintain our weight when we were in our 20s? That was because we were more metabolically active. We were more metabolically active because we were, for the most part, healthier.
You may have great health practices today at the age of 50 or 60 but was it always that way? Did you care for your body as well as you should have throughout your 20s, 30s, and 40s?
Most of us cannot claim to have done that. Even for those of us that were careful, stress, sleep deprivation, over- or under-exercising, and just plain old “not caring” all have contributed to the aging process.
Add that to the inevitable breakdown of systems as our bodies age and you end up with a situation where your health is just not what it used to be.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Some people lose weight easily and effortlessly, even when they’re not that healthy. And some people appear to be pretty healthy and still struggle with weight loss.
But the point I want to make here is that the endeavor to losing weight will always be aided by improved health. That will always be true.
It may take a long time but eventually, as your health improves, your ability to lose weight will also improve.
And yes, it is possible for some people to lose weight by eating a low-calorie diet that is completely unhealthy. Alas, that does happen.
But that’s not what I want to talk about here.
What I want to talk about is the fact that so long as you are improving your health, your ability to lose weight will also improve.
Therefore, your main goal is actually NOT to lose weight. Rather your main goal should be to improve your health.
Anything you can do to improve your health will improve the weight loss process for you.
Again, you may not see the results right away. It could take years!!
But as long as you are focusing completely on your clothing size or the numbers on the scale, you are kind of missing the point.
And, more importantly, you are potentially setting yourself up for disappointment and disillusionment.
You are also making yourself vulnerable to the temptations of “quick fixes” and fad diets.
So, how do you improve your health AND support the weight loss process at the same time?
Here are some tips:
- Do not under-eat or over-eat
- Avoid processed food, especially refined flour and sugar, as much as you can
- Practice as much physical activity as you possibly can (the ultimate goal is 2 hours/day of being physically active)
- Give yourself 9 hours a night of sleep “opportunity”
- Practice daily stress management (breathwork, moving meditation, meditation, taking walks in nature, volunteering to help others, reframing stressful situations, etc)
- Practice daily forgiveness and self-love
Note that all of these things are HABITS.
I wish I had a magic wand I could wave that would make anyone reading this wake up tomorrow and practice all of these habits forever.
These things take time.
But the point is this: You are doing those things FOR YOUR HEALTH, not to lose weight.
Okay?
Repeat after me, “I am practicing these healthy habits so that I can live a happy and healthy life.”
Say it again.
Notice there is no mention of weight loss?
That is because, lo and behold, when you do all of those things (and maybe more, depending on the person), your body will get better and better at releasing fat tissue.
Losing weight is a by-product of improved health.
Repeat after me, “Losing weight is a by-product of improved health”
This takes the pressure off of you!
Now you can enjoy the process.
I love you and I hope this helps in some small way to make your journey toward higher health more enjoyable.
If you’re serious about improving your health and improving your relationship with your body but you’re not sure where to start, I recommend getting on a free clarity call with me. Click the link below.
