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Never let your weight keep you from doing the things you love.
By Rena Greenberg — Written on Dec 09, 2019
Does searching for a weight loss solution or obsessing about your weight occupy your every waking moment? Are you constantly surfing the net seeking a way to drop those extra pounds?
When you’re struggling with the battle of the bulge, it can be so frustrating to try to solve the issue. You may find that your obsessive need to trim your waistline is keeping you from experiencing the joy of being alive, killing your self-esteem, and negatively impacting your body image.
One of the best ways to re-ignite your passion for living while at the same time embracing a higher level of health is to make sure that each day you engage in self-care and love your body. In order to learn how to love yourself, every day, spend a little time taking your eye off the scale. Focus on you — the innermost you — and your inner and outer beauty.
No matter what your weight, make these 6 practices a part of your life, and your level of health and happiness will soar.
1. Eat healthy.
You may be so focused on the numbers on the scale that you forget the joy and empowerment that comes from planning ahead and eating healthy meals. Imagine you were caring for a small beautiful, dear baby. Would you feed it chemicals, toxins and sugar? Most likely, the answer is no.
You would feel compelled to offer this precious child the most pure food. Perhaps that would be breast milk or fresh, organic food from the earth or high quality protein. Why treat yourself differently? The more you eat healthy food, the better you will feel. Soon it will become a positive habit.
2. Honor your emotions.
One of the greatest challenges each of us face is dealing with strong emotions — both our own and others. There is no easy solution but one thing is for sure. Suppressing or overly expressing them often leads to feeling worse. Withdrawing or acting out are options that don’t usually create a positive outcome, either.
To honor your emotions, you must first become aware of them. Every day, take time to notice how you are feeling. Name and breathe into your emotions.
You may not be proud of your feelings, but ignoring them won’t make them go away. Say, “Good morning, Anger (for example). What are you needing from me today?” Be still and listen within. You may realize that you feel empty and need some gentleness, warmth or compassion. Ask your deeper self to send these much needed qualities to you.
Making friends with your emotions is a great way to keep them from causing harm to yourself or others.
3. Move your body.
Forget the guilt trip you may be in the habit of inflicting on yourself when you skip the gym. The bottom line is that exercising isn’t only about burning calories.
Moving your body is a way to renew your energy and your passion for life. It’s a very effective way to get serotonin into your brain. Physical activity calms the nervous system and awakens your cells. Exercise is a natural brain balancer, energizer and mood enhancer.
Movement will clear brain fog and help you to shift your perspective, without the need to ingest any chemicals. So start dancing, jumping or running. Physical activity is a drug-free way to shift your state and create balance.
4. Meditate.
The default for the human mind is negative. Unless you consciously seek to uplift yourself, it’s likely you’ll find your energy being brought down. Each day, take time to go within. Connect to your breath and the miracle of the life force energy that’s moving through you.
Take a few moments to center yourself and to connect to the earth, physically. Feel the ground beneath your feet. Let the earth support you. Allow gravity to do its job. Take a break from all the doing, forcing, pushing and controlling that your ego thinks is necessary to keep the world going round. Allow your muscles to go loose and limp, like a rag doll. Focus on something beautiful in nature — a tree, a flower, a lake.
Each day, close your eyes for a few moments to explore and cherish the joy of being alive. Meditation will increase your empathy, improve your memory and reduce stress.
5. Find joy.
What is it that makes your heart sing? Is there something that you’ve wanted to to do but held back because of your extra weight? Do it now.
Perhaps you’re longing for an outdoor adventure but have been putting it off, until you drop some pounds. If your health won’t allow you to hike the Appalachian Trail, you can still find a tranquil wooded path to stroll along. Allow yourself to enjoy whatever it is that your heart is longing for.
Do you cringe when you get a dinner invitation because of the way you look? Is socializing something you avoid because you feel self-conscious? Muster up the courage to seek out activities and people that are interesting to you. Stop being your biggest critic. Focus on doing what makes you happy.
6. Release judgment.
It’s time to face the fact that self-judgment and judging others causes pain. Even spending your precious time worrying about what other people are thinking of you is a waste of your energy. Each day, make a conscious decision to release the past.
Forgiveness is a word that sometimes creates confusion or resistance. Instead, simply choose to let go of the story that has you feeling constricted. Make it practical by reminding yourself that unforgiving thoughts cause you to tense up and loving thoughts let your body relax and open, like a flower.
It’s simply a matter of mental health. Choose positive, loving thoughts. As best you can, release all the other thoughts that cause you to feel stress and anxiety. When you practice this daily, it gets easier and easier and you will find yourself feeling lighter and more free.
Yes, of course you want to live your life at your perfect, healthy weight. You want to look and feel your best. Naturally, you want to be comfortable in your clothes. It’s a good thing to strive to be your best self and put your best self forward.
In the meantime, don’t let this quest for a certain number on the scale dominate your whole existence. Each day, practice eating healthfully, just for the sake of it. Honor your emotions, exercise in one way or another, practice meditation or self-hypnosis, and set your intention to become aware of and release negative thoughts.
Not only are you more likely to drop any unwanted excess weight but you will feel lighter mentally, physically and emotionally. Choose health, life and joy and, more than likely, to your delight, weight loss will be the side benefit.
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Rena Greenberg has been teaching weight loss, through activating the power of the subconscious mind, since 1990, in over 75 hospitals and 100+ major corporations. Visit her website for more information.