Nourishing the body well has so many amazing benefits, from sustained energy throughout the day, to glowing skin and a happier, calmer mind. So why is it so hard to stick to for so many of us?
Here’s what to ask about your lifestyle to achieve your ideal shape, weight, and state of mind.
There may well be physical factors, which always need to be checked out, such as hormonal imbalances, pre-diabetic states or a simple imbalance in glucose levels brought on by eating too many simple carbs, fructose or other sugars.
But beyond this, there are three main reasons: your triggers, your personal pattern matches and lack of, or unclear motivation.
So in order to get started on your path to the healthy person you want to be, just start by asking yourself these questions:
1. What are my triggers?
What makes you run for the snack cupboard? What triggers you to say ‘oh, sod it, who cares if I eat this entire family pack of mini Mars bars?’. Triggers generally come down to one of two things: boredom or negative emotion.
So next time you feel that urge to grab the chocolate cake, with a side order of whipped cream, ask yourself – what is this feeling?
If it’s boredom then it’s time to address what’s missing – the basic needs audit is a really good place to start with this and can help you identify what needs to be worked on. If it’s negative emotion it might be anger, sadness, anxiety or that inner critic being mean to you that triggers you.
Once you’ve identified it, you’re half way there – you just need to start working with that feeling and find ways to soothe it before it gets so strong that it forces you to run for the fridge.
This is something I go into in great detail with my clients and will always work on finding solutions to calm those feelings as well as working hypnotically on removing or re-writing triggers.
2. What is my pattern match?
A pattern match is what occurs when we see something and it immediately makes us associate with something else. So for example, if I say sunshine, you will probably be thinking of warmth and that lovely relaxed feeling when the sun soaks into your skin. For many of us we have a pattern match between food and comfort, calm or happiness.
Our subconscious tells us that eating those biscuits will make us feel soothed or happy. Of course the reverse is often true, since we usually feel worse even before we’ve finished the last mouthful.
Unfortunately, even though the thinking mind knows this, the unconscious mind has told you the ‘happy’ story and it’s hard to fight this. Knowing your pattern match, really identifying it, will help with this and we are all able to retrain our minds.
This is where hypnotherapy really comes into its own and I really enjoy working with clients to look at their pattern matches and where they came from, before unhooking them so they can create a whole new, healthy, happy relationship with food.
3. What is my motivation?
What is your motivation for being healthy or for getting to your ideal shape? This is the other vital ingredient in my weight management sessions, and I always make sure that the reason for this change is totally clear in my clients’ minds.
Why are you making this change? Do you want to do it for your kids, to make sure you are healthy and happy and around for many years? Or are you doing it for yourself, to get your energy back and feel comfortable and well in that body?
Whatever your motivation, be clear about it and build a strong picture of it in your mind – this is the gold that you are going to find at the end of the rainbow, so make sure it’s what you want.
These three questions form the core components of my work on healthy eating with clients. They are the seeds of understanding and de-conditioning that we need to sow so that that body can grow more energy-fitted, beautiful and healthy every day.
