Disclaimer: I am not a health professional and the views stated in this post are of my own personal observations and experiences, and are not intended to replace the opinion or diagnosis of medical doctors. Affiliate links are included.
It’s such a beautiful Tuesday. I’m so thankful to have wonderful weather and pretty sunshine, even though I typically prefer the dark gloomy rainy days. Things are going pretty great and I get to stay busy doing a few things that I love. Such a huge weight has been lifted since leaving California. I’m still discovering even more reasons that California and I just wouldn’t be happy in a continuous long-term relationship. It’s truly an exceptional blessing to be alive and living somewhere I choose to live and not just haphazardly dumped somewhere by way of someone else’s poor choices. I just had a birthday and by some standards, I’M OLD haha. But I don’t feel old. After 20 years of periodically smoking aside from quitting during pregnancy; I don’t count that time since I quit for my little one and not wholly for myself, it’s been over eight months since my last nicotine use and over seven months without alcohol, I have people guessing that I’m 10 years younger than I actually am. No, I’m not bragging necessarily, but I am sharing what it’s like to eliminate unfortunate choices from my lifestyle. If you are trying to quit smoking, let me tell you that getting over those cravings and the mental struggle of aching for a puff is so worth it.
So I had to reevaluate some mental weight-loss tricks I previously mentioned sharing. Seeming that I can be spunkier than the average, I realized that the tricks I had in mind were pretty brazen and took some intense acknowledgement of what final change is being sought after. Here’s what I call the soft version of facing the truth.
The first trick is possibly the toughest. Facing your temptations and then ignoring them completely. I’m currently challenging myself to quit eating sugar. At first I thought I would eliminate all sweets and snacks from my home, but my tiny tot is still allowed sweet treats, so that just wasn’t fair. I had to become comfortable with snacks right in front of my face but not eat them. This trick also worked for quitting cigs. The many times over the past years that I wanted to completely kick the habit, I would make sure to get rid of all signs of it, no ashtrays, no cigarettes or cigarette butts, avert my eyes driving by the smoke shops lol. But in the end of it, I needed to have the strength to see it and not want it. I kept my last cigarette for a long time before lighting it and then only smoked half of it. Then I left the other half in the ashtray for months before tossing it all out. This worked wonders for me. Finally the smell of it is repulsive and doesn’t make me think about taking smoky substances into my lungs.
The next trick is to have help. Even though I had lost weight in the past, I never felt the confidence of a healthy mindset because of it. So I would gain the weight back. I needed motivation from someone that had no ulterior motives to giving me guidance and emotional support and a kick in the butt when I wanted to be lazy. Knowing that there was at least one person other than myself that hoped I met and even exceeded my goals was the difference I needed. Daily motivation kept me in check.
The next trick is to eat a little less. Physically we all have different needs due to health and have to consume certain types and amounts of calories for specific reasons. But I can’t figure a time that gluttoning out on an entire banana cream pie can be necessary. It doesn’t have to be something as extreme as cutting out an entire meal, or even cutting a portion in half, but taking two less bites during a meal or snack time is an ok place to start making changes.
The next trick is to quit making excuses. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, right? From my observations, the people that say they don’t have time to work out really wouldn’t know if they have the time or not because they aren’t doing it to begin with, so how do you really know how long it takes? Plus putting in five minutes of crunches, or jumping jacks, or arm circles, or simply sitting in a yoga pose for a few consecutive minutes can make a difference when it’s something that you don’t regularly do. I prefer home workouts where I can follow a video on YouTube and use my beloved pause button as needed, or my main favorite of random moves with these kettlebells.
The final trick is to drink water. It’s shocking what I’ve seen people consider water. AriZona teas or sodas may contain water but it is not water. Drink straight water. If you need flavor to get it down, skip the flavored sugar powders and infuse it with some fruit and herbs.
Let me know if any of these tricks help you or if you need some moral support. Making changes can be so challenging, but that doesn’t mean that it’s negative or impossible to implement.
Have a blessed week…<3