Attitude is everything

If you think our topic is all about New Year resolutions, then think again! Been there, done that and failed miserably!

If you’re somehow perfect and always nail every goal you set out to accomplish, then you probably don’t need to read any further. Have a good life and say a prayer for the rest of us! The rest of you can stick around and join me in my lament over past resolutions that never lived to see the light of day!

Now that we grieved all those broken promises we never kept, we can move forward without looking back. Unless, of course, you plan to look back at past mistakes to learn from the experience and remind yourself what works and what doesn’t. Here are a few of mine through the years that have served as signposts; I can try to avoid going down dead-end pathways that lead to nowhere: 

Shaming doesn’t work; it only makes you mess up even more

This dangerous practise should be arrested and put behind bars for life! It only serves to manipulate and destroy what should otherwise be a healthy relationship with food and our body.

Shaming becomes part of a vicious cycle and causes unhealthy behaviour like eating in secret. Shaming numbs our natural, God-given ability to do what we know is best for us. It strips us of our dignity and makes us forget just how strong and capable we are to make real progress not perfection, but progress. Each day becomes better than the day before, which empowers us to make even better choices at our next meal.

Fear will never 

get you anywhere

How ironic is it that the world we live in uses fear to rope us into doing things that aren’t even good for us. Whether it’s the advertisements or the daily news, there will always be people around us who use fear to cripple our thought-process and force us to desperately reach for things that can be downright bad for us.

Whether it’s convincing us to buy something or buy into their skewed philosophies, marketers use fear because they know what an easy target we all make when we are afraid. Fear is the opposite of faith, which empowers us to step into uncomfortable places to make healthier changes based on our current circumstances. Fear stops us in our tracks, but faith propels us to do the next best thing our body, heart and mind will thank us for later!

Obsessing over food and body image

On the contrary, it’ll make it much worse. What you focus on grows, so be careful about focusing too much to the point where you drive yourself crazy trying to be good. That kind of mentality only sets you up for failure. Instead, focus your energy on things you love to do that are not food-related. 

It can be anything that brings you joy, like talking to a good friend or spending time on your favourite hobby. If you don’t have a hobby, then it’s probably time to find one. If you don’t have a good friend, then it’s probably time to make one! You can be sure someone else in your circle needs a friend too.

Ditching the all or nothing mentality

So your spouse feels like going out for ice cream and you give in, to enjoy your favourite flavour. About a third way through your portion, you’re satisfied and can take it or leave it. What do you usually do? If you’re like me and belong to the “clean your plate club”, this is a good time to break that bad habit because they were wrong when they told us we had to finish our plates because of starving children in the world.

Loving yourself enough

Whether it’s the right fuel, enough sleep or a good mental timeout, ensure you give yourself a chance to reset and restart. If you’re running on empty, you risk filling yourself with everything in sight with no regard to your well-being. You may have fun indulging, but as you already know, that feeling is temporary and only causes more headache than it’s worth.

Knowing yourself

Make a plan that you can readily implement when you’re feeling too weak to make a better choice. This can be as simple as keeping a few nuts in your purse to stave off hunger till your next healthy meal or a water bottle to keep you hydrated throughout the day.

Avoiding important decisions when you’re tired and depleted

They call it “Decision Fatigue” at the end of the day when you’re more likely to make wrong choices due to exhaustion. This is why it’s best to go grocery shopping earlier in the day when you have more energy and aren’t starving after a whole day’s work. I guarantee you the chocolate bars at the cash register look a lot tastier when you’re hungry and tired. So give yourself a break and don’t “break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar!”

Move, move, move

Have I repeated that enough? Motion is lotion for our joints and that’s a fact. We were created to move!

Slowing down

Just because the world around us is on fast forward doesn’t mean we always have to be rushing. Rushing through our meals is what got us into this mess in the first place. Sit down and treat yourself to a meal where your phone is in another room and you can enjoy an uninterrupted experience instead of wolfing down your food on the go.

Choosing something that works for you

Okay, so I had nine and I needed a perfect 10 to round things up! But seriously, though, let’s keep our sense of humour. Life already has enough trouble of its own so let’s make it a point to laugh and see the lighter side of the story. Humour is good medicine and can help us flip a tough situation as fast as we can flip a coin. Heads or tails? Keep your head up high and practice seeing the brighter side in every situation. 

Here’s to enjoying the journey despite all the detours that we run into. After all, there will always be construction along the way and being aware and flexible will give us an edge. Let’s keep our eyes on the road as we safely manoeuvre through some rough terrain, and keep moving forward until we get to our destination — Bon voyage!

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine