5 Steps to Success

Well, it’s that time again. Summer is (unofficially) over, lots of people are back at school and work, and it’s the season of new schedules and routines - although I'm still trying to wrap my head around how that happened so fast. With all the new things that you may find yourself fitting into your life, it’s common that you might be struggling to find time to take care of yourself. This time of year seems to be a slippery slope for many people, with holiday dinners and autumn treats right around the corner (there’s already tempting Halloween candy in grocery stores!). Before we know it the holidays will be here and we’ll be tempted to fall into old habits and possibly overdoing it on the comfort foods. Instead of slipping down the potentially slippery slope ahead, take action now to commit to a healthy lifestyle.

Here are my 5 favourite tips for success to give you the upper hand this season, whatever challenges you might face.

Have A Plan 

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up someplace else” -Yogi Berra 

It’s easy to become overwhelmed with so many different diet/exercise/lifestyle plans out there. Often they can be conflicting and downright confusing. The best way to know if something works for you is to trust your intuition and try it out yourself. Not every way of exercising or eating will work for you, and I’m a strong believer that one person’s food can be another person’s poison. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things. The only way to know if something will work is to try it out, but I urge you to stick to one plan and follow it for at least a week or two to really get a feel for whether or not it works for you. Remember why it is you're doing what you're doing - write it down if you need to be reminded - and stay focused by surrounding yourself with motivation (supportive people, pictures, blogs, etc.). After some time if you don’t see any progress, or you're not enjoying it and you feel miserable and tired, try something new!

Set Realistic Goals 

When you decide to make a change for the better, it’s easy to want to jump all in and give up ten different things in your life to begin a strict diet or exercise regime. My advice would be to take it slow. Think baby steps. If you want to start eating gluten free, for example, don’t also cut out animal products, smoking, drinking, and sugar at the same time, or you’ll likely set yourself up for failure.

Give yourself something achievable to work towards, and make sure your goals are SMART - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Based.

Track Your Progress

You’ll want to have a way to track your progress to know that you’re working towards your goal. If you’re trying to lose pounds or inches, snap a before picture, take measurements, or record your starting weight. One of my favourite ways to track my progress is to keep a journal. I write down what I did, ate and drank and how I felt throughout the day. This is a powerful way to clue into what is working and what might be standing in your way towards true wellness, because after all, it’s not about the number on a scale or tape measure, but how you feel on a day-to-day basis.

Don’t Lose Faith

If you fall off the wagon, get right back on! Who cares if you ate a whole pizza for dinner or you skipped a workout. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed and should give up on your plan! Observe how you feel about it, then forgive yourself and let it go. There’s no point beating yourself up for something in the past. Brush it off, stay positive, and keep on moving forward.

Celebrate!

Make sure to reward yourself for even the smallest accomplishments. Maybe you’re down an inch or a pound, or you held triangle pose for the whole posture today. Whatever it is, recognize every accomplishment and congratulate yourself! I wouldn’t suggest making food a reward for these everyday achievements, especially if your goal is to lose weight, but allow yourself to FEEL GOOD about it. Make yourself a delicious pot of tea, run a hot bath, or pick up a feel-good book and spend some time revelling in how great it feels to be you!

Good luck on whatever journey you're on!

Lots of love and light

Namaste