February is Heart Health Month and as a Holistic Nutritionist I’m supposed to be talking about the benefits of eating heart healthy foods, exercising regularly, and reducing stress, but I’m not going to do that because I’ve learned that I can impart the wisest of information but it may not be successfully translated into behaviours. How can that be?
When I coach clients one of the main things we look at are limiting factors. What is holding you back? Everyone is totally different. There are 5 main limiting factors:
Genetics:
You may not be as genetically gifted as world champion fighter George St.Pierre. You may not be 6 feet tall. All we can do is optimally support our genetics.
Physiology:
You may have undiagnosed or uncontrolled hormonal imbalances or some type of GI dysfunction. You can always address this by checking in regularly with your ND.
Exercise:
We all know that exercise is great for us. It reduces risk factors for chronic degenerative diseases, speeds up metabolism, improves mood, bone density and balance and increases our insulin sensitivity, which aids in healthy weight loss and maintenance. This is a big limiting factor- but it’s not the biggest…
Nutrition:
This the SECOND MOST IMPORTANT limiting factor (you thought I was going to say it was the most)! Good nutrition will feed your muscles and brain and help you shed fat. It improves mood, organ function and recovery and can be instrumental in regaining great health- not to mention it will help you get the body you dream of!
Mindset:
This is by far the MOST IMPORTANT limiting factor! As we move through life our perceptions can get skewed. Advertised portions are so huge that when shown what a proper portion is, people say, “I can’t live on that” or “I’ll starve eating that little”. We are told that we can lose weight without being hungry or without changing our habits. You may have heard “You never follow through”, “Our whole family is heavy”, or “You’ve always been heavy”. You may tell yourself “I’m too busy” or, “That junk food is for my kids”. The list goes on and on.
The point is that these messages can easily become internalized. They become the stories we tell ourselves and can eventually become our truths.
Are these tapes really true, or just some skewed limiting belief system we’ve adopted that holds us back from making the changes we want to make. I challenge everyone to actually write down all those little tapes! Get them all on paper. If they’re negative and don’t serve you, then crumple them up and throw them away! They aren’t your truths anymore…
Take some time to make some new tapes. Can you see yourself healthy and happy? Can you see yourself lean and athletic? Do you know that you can do anything you set your mind to do? Do you understand that you will have to make changes in your perceptions and habits to reach your goals? Do you know that it may even feel a little uncomfortable at times?
We need to be aware of the role our mindset plays and begin to make some shifts. Adopt a positive ”I can do it” attitude and you’ll find that your behaviours will start aligning with your goals in no time!
Lynne Ryan BSc RHN
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