#37: Embracing Imperfection & Other Superpowers for Getting (and Staying) Healthy

Episode 37: EMBRACING IMPERFECTION AND OTHER SUPERPOWERS FOR GETTING (AND STAYING!) HEALTHY

One of the most common reasons people give up on their health goals and habits is they make a “mistake”.

This one mistake often leads to a cascade of bad decisions because “I’ve already screwed up anyway”.

The EMOTION around “falling off the wagon” is heavy, weighty, and overwhelming. We often can’t sit in the friction of it. So we tell ourselves one or a combination of:

“I never stick to anything”

“I’ll get back to this when life calms down”

“Nothing every works for me so why try”

“I need someone to hold me accountable/slap food out of my hand”

“What used to work for me doesn’t work anymore!”

This is the endless loop so many of us find ourselves in when we decide to “get healthy”. Today we’re going to share how escape this cycle and figure it out for real!

BUILDING YOUR SUPERPOWERS FOR SUCCESS

Before you even start THINKING about food and exercise, you need to set yourself up for success/not repeating the same mistakes of the past. Below are some of the key ingredients you will need:

SELF-COMPASSION & LETTING GO OF SHAME:

You’ve been doing your best up to this very moment with the tools, resources, information, and support you’ve had. The coping tools you’ve used served a purpose. Perhaps it’s time to build a better tool box but LET GO of judgment about what you’ve needed to feel safe and grounded.

You did NOT invent your relationship with food, body, and diet culture. This was handed to you through your circumstances and your environment. Let go of this baggage and allow space to start to create something new.

A DECISION TO NOT GIVE UP:

This is a big one. Once we decide that we are worth the effort, you start to be able to find solutions to the obstacles that seemed insurmountable.

Not giving up requires us to:

• Embrace imperfection

• Be honest with ourselves

• Set and gently enforce healthy boundaries
• Be solution seekers (lack of time, limited budget, lack of social support, frustration/apathy, etc.)
• Take one choice at a time
• Leave the past behind and don’t borrow trouble from tomorrow

You WILL have learning opportunities but this doesn’t mean anything about your character, degree of willpower, or your destiny. Instead, they are opportunities to learn and to iterate – to become the scientist in your own life!

NOURISH YOURSELF > RESTRICT YOURSELF:

There are life-changing benefits to nourishing your body, the least of which is weight loss or body composition.

These include:

• Better energy
• Improved mood stability (blood sugar balance)
• Shifts in hormone balance (sex, adrenal, thyroid)
• Increased resilience to infection
• Reduced risk of disease (all kinds)
• Significant improvements in cognitive function

CURIOSITY AND EXPERIMENTATION:

Once you let go of rules and start to partner WITH your body instead of battling it, much of the sense of rebellion and confusion starts to dissipate. You logically understand that whole, nourishing food makes more sense than chemical laden processed food products. From here, you can start to experiment with the types of real food that work best for YOUR body, lifestyle, preferences, family, and goals.

Start with one meal. Instead of a fast food breakfast, experiment with making a protein smoothie or an omelet at home. See what shifts. Keep experimenting.

You deserve to feel good. Most of us weren’t taught how to take care of ourselves. The good news is that it’s never too late and it’s not nearly as hard as you might believe.

We’d love to know your thoughts. Was this helpful? Do you have other topics you’d like to hear us discuss? Let us know on our MYB Facebook page!

xo,

Lisa and Jenny, co-hosts

The Mind Your Body Podcast