I woke up one day with 15 pounds on me that had never been there before. Do you know this one? I know I was there every day while it happened, but somehow it snuck up on me and I was living in a body that didn’t seem to be my own. I missed myself.
Suddenly I was faced with the mountain of advice and struggle that so many people I know go through every day. For a year I struggled to pick out what might work best for me and give it a try. No results. A lot of money spent. A litany of reasons why I couldn’t work out today, why I couldn’t make more changes in my diet.
And then one day I cracked the code. “Was it diet or exercise?” a friend asked me excitedly, sure that the answer was in one of these pillars of weight loss strategies. The answer is neither. It is my mind, my internal state that has changed. It gives me free, easy access to both eating and living in a spontaneous state of actually craving what works best for me. I have effortlessly lost ten pounds and know that the next five to ten pounds will be just as much fun. Yes, I did just use that word: fun.
Here’s two critical things I do differently:
- Instead of looking in the mirror every day thinking “What a disaster!” and noticing how big I feel, I hold a vision of the body I want inside me. It’s more than just a picture in my mind. I actually imagine feeling that body, as if I had it already. “Be the change you want,” I tell myself. “Your body is getting lighter, stronger, healthier every day.”
- Instead of wrestling with myself every day about how I “should work out”, I set intention for wanting to do some kind of exercise or movement every day, then followed my natural desire. I ask myself, “What do I feel like doing today?” On days when I feel tired, it’s walking or yoga. On days when I have energy, I find I actually want to do something more active like a cardio routine, bike ride, or weights. I give myself permission to do even a few minutes of something.
As I focus on my desire, I am delighted to find that my body is now craving better food and more movement. I am no longer fighting myself, I am working with my natural desire and making progress continues to be effortless.
These positive techniques are rooted in NLP, which I learned while I got my NLP Master Practioner and NLP Coach certifications. (I just burned a good hour trying to find a clear, succinct definition of NLP. Surprisingly hard to find. Here’s a good quick definition, though I don’t know anything about the training company behind it.) I found a number of specific weight loss techniques with NLP foundations that you might also find useful at HolisticOnline.com.
Focusing on desire is a way to reach any goal. What to learn more about how to use desire to motivate you towards work goals? Contact Jane for a free introductory coaching session to see if coaching is right for you.
