No More Diets!

I don’t believe in diets and I don’t believe a singular focus on losing weight will get you the results you want. This column is not about dieting and losing weight, but it is about how to adopt a healthier lifestyle so that you can have more energy, feel better and look better too. Diets just don’t work-deep down you know it, I know it, we all know it! Why not? Because dieting to lose weight is a chore, a hardship, something to endure versus something to celebrate. In the end they are just activities or a means to an end. Instead in this column we will start by focusing on “the end” and then talk about “the means.” So, let’s first talk about what weight loss and better health will bring you and then offer some strategies and tips to get there.

So, what will weight loss and better health bring to you? Well, there are the generic, vague answers to that question that we hear all of the time…more energy, longer life, better quality of life, blah, blah, blah…that is great, but what do those things really mean for you?!?! Let’s take a minute and find out.

First, what is your goal weight? Write it down. Now stand up, take a deep breath in and imagine yourself at your goal weight. What do you feel like? What are you doing? What do you look like? How has your life changed? Really breathe in the vision of yourself living life at your goal weight. Next, still standing up, write down 10 things you can do, now that you’re at your goal weight. Be concrete. Maybe you can pick up your child with ease, walk up that big hill in the neighborhood without huffing and puffing, or fit into that dress that has been hanging in your closet for the last 2 years. Make these 10 things count and make them unique to you! Take this vision of yourself doing all of the things you can do and being the person you want to be and emblazon it into your mind. Hold it close to your heart and remind yourself of it every time you want to make a lifestyle choice that opposes your personal vision!

Speaking of lifestyle choices, let’s talk about one that you can start incorporating into your life today! Each column I will offer one easy lifestyle change you can make. Try it. Keep trying it until it becomes a habit. Before you know it, by making small changes that eventually become habits you’ll have become the person you envisioned!

Today’s tip: Stop by your local convenience store and pick up a 2 liter bottle of water. Keep it by your side and sip on it throughout the day until it is gone. Once drinking your 2 liters of water becomes a habit, then, if needed, increase your water intake to ½ oz per pound of body weight. For example, 150 pound woman should consume 70 ounces of water per day. Further add another 12-20 ounces on days that you exercise. If you find plain water too boring, add some lemon or lime. Another alternative is to substitute plain water with sodium free sparking H2O one of my personal favorites! For information on the health benefits of water email me at knewkirk@coaching-consulting.biz.