Your current lifestyle habits are why you are where you are right now in your life. They’re why you have a consistent workout routine or are not quite there yet. They’re why you gravitate towards takeout for dinner rather than cooking a delicious homemade meal. They’re why you have to drag yourself out of bed in the morning or jump up ready to start your day.
Habits are what you do day in and day out almost effortlessly. They affect pretty much every aspect of your health and wellness. If you want to make lasting change with any area of your health (i.e. weight loss) creating habits that move you in the direction of your goals is the key to success.
I’ve worked with clients in the past who were eating whole foods, moving frequently, and getting enough sleep that saw very little progress. This can be incredibly frustrating! Of course, with weight loss there’s several variables involved so the lack of progress could be a number of things.
One important aspect of your weight loss journey (and everything else in life) is your attitude and mindset. These can be a bit challenging to keep in check when you feel defeated by not being able to lose weight and keep it off.
The one habit that’s made a huge difference in my life over the years is a simple one that can literally be done any where at any time: gratitude.
“Be thankful for what you have, you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never ever have enough.”-Oprah Winfrey
Gratitude is the low hanging fruit that many people overlook and is, in my opinion, underappreciated. It’s one of the few actions you can literally do in less than a minute at any time that can improve your day almost instantly. Expressing gratitude can be the catalyst that shifts your mood from “Blah” to “woo-hoo, let’s do this!” And there’s evidence to prove this.
According to this article from Positive Psychology, gratitude actually changes the “neural structures in the brain.” When new neural structures are formed, your ability to learn new things and make changes improves. So, basically when you express gratitude regularly you’re more likely absorb new information and create new lifestyle habits that support your weight loss intentions.
The even better news is that the article also says that gratitude can help you sleep better, be more resilient, lower your anxiety, improve your heart health, and more. We all know great sleep and low stress levels are important for your body being able to burn fat more efficiently.
Gratitude has been known to increase your feel-good hormones such as serotonin and dopamine. So, rather than grabbing your phone to scroll through social media to get your dopamine hit when you want to boost your mood, say out loud (or in your head) one thing that you’re grateful for in the moment.
Feeling anxious? Express gratitude for at least one thing in your life in the moment. You’ll feel your anxiety levels slowly start to go down. Along with the calming sensation, you’ll experience a more positive mindset.
Lacking the motivation to workout? Express gratitude for your physical ability to exercise. You may feel a burst of motivation to get moving.
If you’re feeling frustrated with your weight loss progress, write down every single thing (yes, everything) you do on a daily basis to get you to your weight loss goal. If you ate a salad with chicken and avocado topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, write it down. If you chose sleep over a workout one morning, write it down. If you enjoyed a glass of wine with your girlfriends, write it down.
Start including your small wins in your daily gratitude habit. My hubby and I always share what we’re grateful for when we have a meal together. We thank the animal for giving it’s life. The ranchers, farmers, and even the truck drivers that transported our food to the grocery store. I will also share that I’m grateful for a workout I did or the opportunity to teach fitness classes. If I’m working on creating a new habit in my personal life or business, I’ll express gratitude for taking small steps to make it happen.
Don’t be shy about giving yourself the credit you deserve for taking action towards a healthier lifestyle. Joining a gym, asking for help from a coach, planning your meals for the week ahead, and savoring a delicious piece of dark chocolate are all small wins that you can be grateful for every day. It may not seem like you’re making progress but underneath the surface things are changing. You just can see it yet.
I’m such a big believer in daily gratitude habits that I include it in my 12-Weeks to Sustainable Weight Loss program. Health and wellness isn’t just about nutrition and fitness. It’s about creating lifestyle habits that help you live an abundant life in all areas. Gratitude is an important part the foundation of a rich life, whatever that looks like for you.
Action Step: Write down or say out loud 3-5 things that you’re grateful right now.