Have you ever embarked on a weight loss journey? It’s hard right? I’ve been on one for almost two years so I know you have to be patient with the process. It hasn’t been easy. I’ve had to make some mindset changes, make adjustments in my life and put in some hard work. But it has been worth it!
The truth is, I know this struggle is not going to go away. I’m almost 50 years old and my metabolism is NOT working with me. Personally I feel like it’s a conspiracy! But there doesn’t seem to be too much I can do about it except put in the work to get results.
And let me tell you, I remember when this struggle wasn’t this hard. Just six years ago I was the healthiest I had ever been (153 lbs, 28.6% body fat, 29.5” waist). I look back at pictures and wonder what happened to that body. Then I remember all the things that happened in life that diverted my attention from caring for myself.
Well, life happened and over time my workout routine became a distant memory. Now I weigh over 200 lbs. And let’s just say I’m happy the other stats are going down, but they aren’t moving fast enough. So when I was ready to make a change, I knew I had to start by developing healthier habits. But even before that, I had to do some mindset work.
So when I slowed down and took a good look at all the things and all the moving pieces, I realized that I was putting myself last. That was hurting my business, hurting my family and more importantly it was holding me back from the things within my reach because I didn’t have the energy I needed to get things done. But over the past few years I’ve been focusing more and more on taking care of myself because after all, I can’t take care of anyone else if I break down.
So I decided that I was going to do something every day to invest in myself. To create this habit I chose two simple things I could do. I started with 15 minutes of morning time just for me and drinking more water. These two simple self-care practices help me prepare mentally, emotionally and spiritually for the day ahead. I was determined that nothing was going to get in the way of my little slice of me time. So I started getting up at least 30 minutes before my husband in the morning. That way the house would be quiet.
Now at first I struggled to just sit and enjoy the quiet. I felt like I should be doing something else. I felt guilty because I wasn’t. After just sitting and enjoying my cup of coffee without my phone or anything else, I realized I was more centered. I was also more at peace and more aware of what I needed to be happy.
So after I ignored the mean girl in my head enough, she stopped talking. And that’s when I was able to really create a better morning routine. And the best part is it’s flexible! Some days I only have 15 minutes and others I have an hour. No matter how much time I have, it fills my cup up for the day. If you want to know how I created my morning routine, check out this blog post.
Weight Loss Journey Lesson #1
I must invest in myself on a daily basis and it DOES NOT have to be big and elaborate things. Sticking to my morning routine has enabled me to regularly read my Bible and meditate on what I read . I’m also able to get in professional development in small increments which has been tremendously helpful. So small things matter!
And as for drinking more water, I had to take baby steps. It meant cutting back on my coffee consumption. If you’re new to the podcast then I confess, I am obsessed with coffee and can drink it all day long. So I invested in a 64 ounce bottle in my favorite color and for a while I was doing great. I even moved up a gallon sized bottle but then I crashed and burned because it was too much water.
I was chatting with Lisa Klein about it. She recommended I keep a bottle of water by my bed and start drinking before I have my coffee. So when I first heard this, I frowned my face up of course because nothing used to touch my lips before water, other than my toothbrush. But I decided to just give it a try to see if it would help, and it did! Now I have 24 ounces before I have my coffee in the morning. And by the end of the day I drink 74 ounces total and that does not include sparkling water. So changing my mindset and my routine worked and I have another healthy habit!
Weight Loss Journey Lesson #2
I have to be willing to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. It has been key to me making progress with weight loss and developing healthy habits.
The next hurdle for me was figuring out how to get in more movement. I was conditioned to think that exercise had to be 30 minutes or more. And I’m an all or nothing type of girl. So if I couldn’t get that in, I would skip my workouts which just held me back. But then I met Jennifer Nagel who is absolutely amazing!
She helped me understand that if I couldn’t get in 30 minutes of exercise at one time that I needed to break it up into smaller increments. So again, I took baby steps. The first move I made July 2020 was to get an Apple Watch. I set a goal to get in at least 4,000 steps a day. To help me get in some strength training, I would do 1 minute sets on my stepper holding 4 lb weights in my hands.
And let me tell you about this Apple Watch in case you don’t have one. It was hard to get up every hour like my watch reminded me and to close all three rings which are calories burned, minutes of exercise and the number of times you stand. But every day I focused on beating myself. Once I got used to 4,000 steps, I increased my goal to 5,000 steps and kept moving it up. Now I get in 8,000 steps or more just about every day.
If you haven’t seen the pattern yet, the key is to take baby steps and to focus on habit stacking. As I got comfortable with one goal, I set another goal. I love seeing the number of steps I’ve taken at the end of the day. It motivates me to do the same or even better the next day. Little steps turn into bigger action.
Weight Loss Journey Lesson #3
I don’t have to do this alone. I’m glad I was able to find a community and a fitness expert that could help me reach my goals. And they are based on my lifestyle without crazy diets and a crazy amount of exercise.
I know your health and fitness is really important to you and your success. Otherwise you wouldn’t be listening to this episode. There is a lot of information out there about how to get and stay in shape. A lot of it doesn’t work because it doesn’t make sense for us at this stage in our lives. We need solutions that make sense for our crazy schedules. Right?!
I can’t imagine having the life that I have now without the elements of self care I’ve shared and more. And I don’t do diets or take bubble baths. I’m talking about taking care of my health in a very intentional way with movement. Eating in a way that honors my health. The best part, I get to eat all of the things I want (within reason) and I didn’t have to give up wine. I’ve just learned how to balance it all out to still get results.
That’s why I continue to recommend my friend Jennifer Nagel’s free masterclass called Maximize Fat Loss Even with a Busy Schedule*. In this masterclass you’re going to learn:
✅ The big mistakes that you’re making (that you probably don’t even realize)
✅ How to eat MORE food without gaining weight
✅ How to turn your body into a calorie burning machine
✅ A simple system to stop dieting and hit your fitness and fat loss goals for good
And I absolutely love the long-term health model that she shared because it aligns with the mindset of long-term self care. Jennifer really knows her stuff. She has nearly a decade of experience coaching women and has been featured in POPSUGAR Fitness, MyFitnessPal, Vital Proteins and is a featured fitness expert for Well + Good. You can watch it ANYTIME! So you can watch it during your morning “me” time or after everyone else in your house is asleep. Or you can create a “meeting” on your calendar and watch it then. Click here to check out the masterclass. If you want to read or listen to my chat with Jennifer, click here.
And my friend Lisa Klein has also been on the podcast and shared some tips that will help you create even more healthy habits AND she shares tips that will simplify meal planning for you. Click here to check that out.
So let me recap the three lessons that I’ve learned on my weight loss journey.
Lesson #1 – I must invest in myself on a daily basis and it DOES NOT have to be big and elaborate things
Lesson #2 – Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. It can mean the difference between your success or failure.
Lesson #3 – You don’t have to take this journey alone. Partner with someone that can help you reach your goals based on your lifestyle.
if you would like to connect with me to ask me questions or just for support, feel free to DM me on Instagram or we can connect inside of my Facebook group. I love the women in my community and they help me stay focused in life and in my business. Click here to join.
*This post contains an affiliate link. There is no extra cost to you and if you decide to join this program I may earn a commission.
If you would like to hear the audio version of this post, feel free to listen to episode 89 on your favorite platform below.
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