ARE YOU STARTING THAT JANUARY DIET TOMORROW?

In the world where everyone’s telling you to ditch the January detox and that new diet, I want to tell you something else. Chances are, you probably will do it anyway.. on some level. Regardless of what you read and hear. Right? You’ll put some sort of restrictions, and limitations on yourself and your diet. Declare NOs and ‘never agains’ to certain foods. Use ‘detox’ techniques, add slimming teas, green juices, do frantic 7 times per week gym sweat up… Sounds familiar? Uhhhmmmm. We’ve all been there. But there’s that same problem again- fad diets don’t actually work and make you feel like a failure. They are an illusion of healthy lifestyle that is temporary, and afterwards you are usually back to where you started.

So I am here to tell you that you have a couple of possible outcomes: 1) realize how to shift your mindset and start something great OR 2) sustain the restrictions for 3-4 weeks (ok, maybe 2) and then fail (again?). 

What I want for you

I want to support you. Help you through it, whatever you decide. Be your guide, if you let me. Ultimately, you’re the one that calls the shots, so I’d help you to call the right ones!

How to say no to diet in January?

Here are a few tips for those starting January with a ‘I’m stopping all my unhealthy behavior as of tomorrow, stat’ kind of mindset: 

• PLAN & WRITE IT DOWN- write down everything you plan to eat. I mean, e v e r y t h i n g. each snack and meal. Each drink. If you want a chocolate, plan it. if you want a burger with chips, plan it. If not on a list, suck it – you’re not having it! Stay with the plan; eyes on the prize (which is your longterm health, by the way). There’s a power in a written world, we make it formal and getting it out from our head to the world. There’s a reason why journaling is so powerful! Also, sticking to what you’ve planned will give you a boost of confidence and feeling that you can count on yourself (so: extra motivation).
• EDUCATE YOURSELF – well, this one is one of my favorites. What is detox? Do I need that supplement? How doing so/eating this/ not eating this will affect my body or other areas of my life? Can I do it long term? If you take time to learn, for example, you’d know that your body does a perfectly good job at detoxing every single day (thanks, kidneys and liver). You’d also get better at understanding how our thoughts affect emotions and choices, and therefore (healthier) actions. 
• LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, REALLY – ask yourself what do I need right? Will a restricted diet help me to be healthier and like my body? How do I want to feel and how could I get there? Chances are that a tiny little something in you (hello intuition) already tells you all that, you just need to listen. Really, shoooosh and listen.
• KNOW WHAT’S GOOD, DON’T JUST FOLLOW BLINDLY – don’t ever follow yo-yo diets from celeb magazines or do something ‘because it worked for that lady from the accounting department’. If you’re really serious about this whole getting in shape healthy business, consider working with a health coach or a nutritional therapist that will guide you, look at you as an individual and help you to consider not only your constitution, but also your limiting beliefs, mindset and environment. It all matters for long lasting results!
• START SMALL. I MEAN, VERY SMALL – I’ve talked a lot about micro actions and baby steps this year. Why? Because it’s really the way forward and proven to be the most effective for lifetime wellness. Start as small as: ‘I will add 1 veg to my daily lunch’, or ‘I will workout for 5 minutes each day’. It all adds up and what’s more important, it creates a mindset of change and confidence in your abilities.
• STAY PRESENT- stay with that feeling. A little secret how not to give in to urges: stay with the feeling that’s coming up for you. It can be tricky or even painful. Your mind will tell you to quick, to do something rebellious, to just break your promise one time. But noting it, observing that thought and allowing it to just be, will make it more trivial and powerless. 

I talk all of those things and more during coaching sessions with my clients. Everyone is different so we may go deep on some things and only touch on others. It’s all a process, and coaching is something that helps you to go through it, stay present and challenge your behaviors.

How are you planning on starting the New Years? What are the healthy habits you will try to create to avoid the diet syndrome?