While I’d LOVE to talk your ear off about nutrition and metabolism, I have to admit that keeping a healthy mindset is even more important for your overall well-being than both of these things combined!
Let me say that again: your mindset or mental health is more important for your overall health than nutrition and metabolism.
You can be eating all the right things and your metabolism can be revved AF, but if your mindset is on the rocks, things will take a turn off course at some point, and it’s not going to be pretty.
When the majority of my VIP 1:1 clients come to me, the issues that they are struggling with almost always boil down to their mindset. Being too restrictive or believing you have to be all-or-nothing is TOXIC for the goals you have. We almost always have to do some deep work to first get their mindset in a good place, then establish daily habits to keep it there. If we don’t do this, talking about nutrition and healthy habits is an absolute waste of time.
Now, because I love you, I’m going to give you 7 of my favorite healthy habits you can start incorporating into your daily life in order to keep your mindset in the best place possible. (you don’t have to do all of them, but in my opinion, the more the merrier when it comes to your brain!).
#1 Do NOT step on the scale
I’m honestly to the point where I don’t think anybody benefits from stepping on the scale every day. Like seriously, who wants to do that? It doesn’t prevent the number from changing, and it just screws with your head.
Do you really want the quality of your day to be determined by the little number staring back at you between your toes? No thanks.
I beg of you, put it away and start focusing on other measurements of success. Like:
- How do feel? Are you energized? Are you sleeping well?
- How do your clothes fit?
- Progress pics!
- Strength performance
The scale doesn’t tell you ANY of these things. Let’s not be discouraged for no reason anymore? Ok cool.
#2 Wear clothes that actually fit
Nothing starts your day off worse than putting on a pair of pants that don’t let you freaking breathe. And listen, I get it. I’ve done this. I’ve refused to buy different clothes because I was so determined to lose weight quickly. But did this ever actually work out? No. And I felt like shit for months putting on those damn pants every day.
If you are working on a goal of weight loss or metabolic repair, being comfortable every day is the best gift you can give yourself during the journey. This is such an easy thing to do that prevents you from so many mental triggers along the way. And this ultimately creates better consistency. Sweet!
Remember: clothes are meant to fit YOU, not the other way around.
And another tip: you don’t have to buy a whole new wardrobe, but make sure you have some staples that are comfortable. And I highly recommend hitting up your local second-hand stores or an online consignment shop like ThredUp. We love a budget-conscious babe.
#3 Shhh..you need some quiet time
Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, or an introverted extrovert like me, you NEED some alone time. You absolutely need time for yourself to do whatever it is that prioritizes your mental health. Maybe it’s 15 minutes of journaling, some breathwork/meditation, or quality time in devotions. This time is critical to re-ground you and refocus. What are your intentions for the day? How is your goal of ____ going? What do you need to focus more on? What is going well or not well?
This is time to actually think and also time to just be. You cannot keep pouring from an empty cup. I know you keep trying to do this, but does it actually work? No, sis, it does not.
#4 Unfollow people
You can’t keep a healthy mindset if you’re a regular social media consumer (no shame, guilty) and you have negative energy plastered all over your feed.
You have full permission to unfollow! Whether it’s someone you actually know in real life or an influencer from Instagram, you don’t have to keep consuming their content.
If you know that hearing about the latest and greatest diet always triggers you, it’s time to unfollow those accounts.
If you know that seeing Aunt Susan start Optavia to lose 5 pounds on Facebook is not beneficial to you, you can unfollow (which btw you can do without unfriending someone).
If you’re sick of seeing unhealthy body image goals, again, you know what to do.
We spend so much time on social media these days and it’s super important to filter the content you’re seeing for your own mental health. You won’t regret it.
#5 Follow positive accounts!
Speaking of social media, fill your feed with accounts that actually support a healthy mindset!
For mental health and body positivity:
For realistic nutrition:
#6 Keep a tidy space
I feel like no matter who you are, keeping a somewhat tidy space (and we all vary on what tidy means) is really helpful to keep a clear mindset. Feeling stressed in a messy environment is not a coincidence.
Staying on top of at least one chore or setting a timer for 15 minutes every day to clean/tidy could make such a difference for your week and productivity.
For me, having all the dishes done before going to bed is non-negotiable. Waking up to a clean kitchen helps me feel ahead of the game and ready to tackle the day. Waking up to a disaster kitchen is not good for my mindset.
Now, on the other hand, I could care less about making my bed most of the time. Is it just me?
#7 Go to therapy
I’m just being honest here, I think we can all benefit from therapy at some point in our lives. What if now is the time? Don’t sleep on the benefits of talking to a mental health professional.
Whether you are really not ok (we’ve all 100% been there), or simply just want to stay in a healthy mindset, a therapist could be such a great addition to your routine. Now, it’s not necessarily a daily habit, but seeing someone regularly could help you reroute the way you think about a variety of things in your life day to day and have such a huge impact!
I can’t say enough good things about the benefit I’ve gotten out of therapy this year, and I wish I didn’t wait until I reached a breaking point. My mental health is in such a better place and it has trickled down into all the other areas of my health.
What do YOU do for a healthy mindset on a regular basis? I’d love to know! Tag us @themetabolismmakeover and I’ll share it with the community!
Stay healthy –
Elle, MM Coach
