Mindfulness is being aware of your current state or situation and accepting it. Being mindful means you are aware of your values, how you feel about a certain situation, and what makes YOU feel good health-wise. This can apply SO much to our healthy eating behaviors and goals, and can actually increase our chances to sticking to our new habits for the long-haul.
Listen, getting healthy is hard. Losing weight is hard. Being more active is hard. Choosing the apple over the brownie...is HARD! Mindfulness helps us accept the fact that this journey is a tricky one, full of 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. But, it helps us be more forgiving with ourselves, accepting of our tendencies, and helps us gain a better grasp of what we want, why we want it, and how to get there. And in turn, mindfulness techniques actually improve our outcomes with our healthy living journeys and help us reach our goals in a healthier and more motivated way. I plan on starting to use mindfulness techniques with my clients, especially in this busy season of the year, to help them gain a fresh perspective of what they are desiring while trying to "lose X amount of lbs" or "eat X amount of calories." For example, some of my mindful October goals include:
1. Writing from my heart with this blog (instead of "blog X amount of days/week")
2. Nourish my body and listen to it in regards to what it NEEDS (instead of "cut out all sweets and junk food")
3. Take evening walks with my husband and enjoy the outdoors more (instead of "burn X amount of calories every day)
4. Brainstorming a NEW Holiday Accountability group (stay tuned!!!)
This mindset helps me shift my focus from the outcomes of my goals to why I am setting them in the first place. I want to write more genuine, heartfelt posts centered around nutrition, health, and overall well-being, so that's what I am going to do! I want to be more active while enjoying quality time with my husband. I want to nourish myself and feel free in my food choices. I love hosting accountability groups to help people stay on track with their goals while having a community to back them up, so that's what makes this goal super important to me. These are all personal values to me (quality time with my hubby, genuineness, feeling healthy and well-fed, and being a light to others) so they all have a part in my goals for the month. This doesn't mean I won't be doing intense workouts, won't be tightening up my nutrition, or won't be writing for hours trying to get a post published. It just means that I will always keep the WHY behind my goals at the forefront of my mind! These goals truly MEAN something to me, instead of just a haphazard list of rigid rules that I hope to follow during the month ahead.
It is so refreshing and motivating to make these goals for the month with a clear head and a happy heart, knowing that I am striving to do things that match my personal values and that will make me happier and healthier in the long run! If you want to begin working on your health in a more mindful way, I would love to chat with you! I love working with clients and helping them reach their goals and grow in the areas of their health that are important to them! Email me at tveen.verano@gmail.com and we can get started!
Have a happy first Monday of October everyone!
