I see a growing tribe of women that are in control of their career and business priorities. It’s exciting to watch them head start-ups, lead their their teams or create marketing brilliance. Meanwhile, their health priorities get pushed to the bottom of their project list. It’s not their intention, but it happens. They are finding themselves a little or alot overweight, sluggish and not as energetic as they use to be, or would like to be in their body. Dropping in on a periodic yoga class is just not doing it.
Genelle Rich is a successful, driven, working professional. Her weight had been an area she secretly struggled with even though she’s incredibly confident. Watch this 3 minute video of what she has to say click> here
You are ambitious, have areas of focus that you thrive in and are seen as accomplished. Yet behind the scenes you may manage those demands by rewarding yourself with food and alcohol and it’s caused you to put on unnecessary weight. You’ve learned to distract from stress by numbing out, escaping, or feeling instant gratification that comes so easily with salty and sweet foods or a mild buzz. The strategy seemed to work for a while, but now it's caught up with you and it's time to do something.
Your hustle may be stealing your health.
Forbes magazine recently published an article identifying stress as being associated with physical problems such as headaches and weight gain. The American Psychological Association research shows connections between stress and food. “People tend to seek high-calorie, high-fat foods during periods of stress, though in fact, when people are stressed, their bodies store more fat than when they are relaxed.”
Okay so you're getting the message, stress is greatly influencing your poor eating habits. Have you been busy on a project and don’t feel that you have time to make purposeful food choices, so you eat whatever is easy? Other times, you may be eating as a sense of reward because you need that sense of gratification from a long work day? I know, I know....the dog didn't really eat the plate of french fries. We can laugh at this, but I know you’re rolling your eyes.
Beware, those behaviors are a subconscious brain trick!
The feeling of satisfaction produces hormones such as serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine in the reward center of your brain. The feeling (emotion) of gratification or satisfaction is then linked to food unconsciously. Therefore, you associate the food as being the reward and you keep looping in an unhealthy mindset cycle that leaves you overweight, or worse, diet looping and overweight.
When food becomes a component in your habit loops, you develop mindless eating behaviors that lead to extra weight until suddenly one day you realize, "Hey, I 'm not feeling so good in my body!"
You're not the only one. The American Psychological Associations says, “Forty-nine percent 49% (almost half of adults) report feeling disappointed in themselves after having overeaten or eaten unhealthy foods. 46% report feeling bad about their bodies, and more than one-third (36%) say they feel sluggish or lazy.”
What I really want you to create awareness about….
These eating behaviors are likely in direct conflict with your personal values. For example, If your intention is to lead your life with confidence, freedom and self trust in your decision making, you may be eroding your own self value by allowing negative eating behaviors to continue. That is not suitable for a super woman like you. C'mon.
So, what do you do to release from this mindset habit loop? The answer is to resolve the inner conflict. Start by recognizing the high dividends that come from the personal accountability of caring for your body. It is a fundamental practice that provides a sense of internal wealth, self control and self love. You wouldn’t lead your teams with sporadic effort and inconsistencies. Certainly it’s a behavior that is out of alignment with who you are.
Jaylene Welch shed 105 lbs in the Mind Body Fit Club program. The benefits far exceeded her weight loss. She developed the confidence to leave an unhappy marriage, quit a dead-end job and double her income. She’s now a successful professional. Watch her video story here
I support the body-positive movement as it showcases women's worth at all sizes and shapes. It's so empowering and necessary that we’ve had this culture shift. Beyond that, what I'm truly focused on, is your healthy mindset, regardless of size or weight. Stress can be a gripping force that fogs your clarity and influences your ability to make the best choices for your health.
Many of my clients have participated in fun, physical events outside of work. With our mindset training they practice and prove they can do it at a weight they thought would be impossible. The goal is always to facilitate an incredible Mind-Shift that supports their further development and carries over in their leadership skils. The focus is on managing their mind. Weight loss becomes a happy by-product or result of that goal.
You can Reverse the Cycle.
There are astonishing benefits to living in a healthy, thriving body that reverse the cycle and create a healthy mindset loop. When you are actively reducing stress through exercise and good nutrition, you have more energy for all other demands.
Clients have reported feeling more…
-
In tune
-
Energized
-
Engaged
-
Involved
When you feel the magnetic energy that is produced from consistent exercise and nutrition, you naturally feel more confident. It’s a positive cycle. When you are more confident, you feel a greater sense of worth and purpose and you lead with that. It’s inspiring.
In addition…
When you are connected to your worth and purpose, you tend to take more courageous life and career risks and command your value. See how that positive ripple effect works in your favor?
By focusing on shifting your mindset and subconscious eating and exercise habits, you truly possess the qualities of an exuberant leader. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” Knowing how to manage yourself with excellence is an attractive quality people admire and it builds leaderhsip trust. Mostly importantly, you build self trust.
Self trust is the leading internal component a woman must posess for reaching higher level of success. Trusting yourself goes beyond confidence. It is an element that exemplifies what you stand for and how you define yourself as a person.
I encourage you to never underestimate the simplified power of taking care of yourself.
Take action now.
1- Put Real Accountability In Place. Those who manage their weight successfully hold themselves highly accountable to their eating behaviors. Join a specialized group or accountability with a coach that encourages intuitive eating and long term stress management care. Beware of 30 Day challenges and diet-focused programs. These are temporary fixes and can cause the looping effect to continue.
2- Have A Plan For Stress Relief. Often the pitfalls in following through with healthy habits is not having a solid plan in place to relieve stress. Make it simple, repeatable and fun. Your subconscious mind can focus better on specificity and structure so make a short list of activities outside of work and family demands that fill your spirit with joy. Recognize it as a necessity, not a luxury.
3- Practice Self Compassion. The negative internal self talk that arises from depleted energy does not match with the fresh start you need to make better choices and live your worth. Choose to practice compassionate self talk and coach yourself with positive language.
De’Anna Nunez is your Vital Mind Coach. She is a keynote Speaker, Coach, Trainer and Author that travels the world teaching the subconscious facets of success through mindset, belief and behavior change. As a trained Hypnotherapist, she uses her expertise to reveal mental blocks and help you reach higher levels of success without sacrificing your health.
