A vision
I've heard that you can re-program your brain to believe whatever you tell it is true. For instance, if you're in a potentially scary situation and you tell yourself that this is an adventure that will help expand your horizons, your brain will believe that and behave accordingly. I'm not sure that's entirely true in my case, but I've had a lot of luck with positive self-talk in the past, so I'm going to write out my vision of what I want my life to look like, how I want to feel, and what I'm doing now to make that a reality.
Dear Self,
After nearly a year of struggling to string together multiple days of eating that supports good diabetic control, I'm ending day 4 of South Beach phase 1; I feel great. Not only am I following through on my commitment to myself (which makes me happy), I'm also lowering my blood sugar readings to a more steady, predictable level that should keep my body healthy.
It always surprises me how easily I can give up emotional binge eating when I create the right mindset for myself: focusing on caring for my body and eating properly to control my diabetes (as measured by my regular blood glucose test results), rather than looking to the number on a scale to tell me how I'm doing. The older I get, the clearer it becomes to me that healthy living, getting to a healthy body weight and staying there, and creating a happier life overall are truly all about "mind over matter".
So, with four days of healthy living consistency behind me, where do I want to go from here?
Dear Self,
After nearly a year of struggling to string together multiple days of eating that supports good diabetic control, I'm ending day 4 of South Beach phase 1; I feel great. Not only am I following through on my commitment to myself (which makes me happy), I'm also lowering my blood sugar readings to a more steady, predictable level that should keep my body healthy.
It always surprises me how easily I can give up emotional binge eating when I create the right mindset for myself: focusing on caring for my body and eating properly to control my diabetes (as measured by my regular blood glucose test results), rather than looking to the number on a scale to tell me how I'm doing. The older I get, the clearer it becomes to me that healthy living, getting to a healthy body weight and staying there, and creating a happier life overall are truly all about "mind over matter".
So, with four days of healthy living consistency behind me, where do I want to go from here?
- When I leave for FitBloggin' five weeks from today, I'd like to be:
- Within 10 pounds of my lowest weight, which, coincidentally, was achieved the week I attended FitBloggin' last year - I need to get this regained weight back off and keep it off
- Practicing yoga three or more nights a week - not only does this help with my flexibility and strength, it's also a great way to deal with anxiety, which can lead to my overeating if not managed
- Writing here consistently most nights during the week plus creating one post each weekend for my Type 2 Diabetes blog - blogging has always been a great vehicle for creating a positive mindset for me and it helps reinforce the positive changes I'm making in my life
- Working with a physical therapist, in addition to my chiropractor, general practitioner, and massage therapist, to strengthen whatever muscular imbalances are leading to the post-run pain I feel - I'm too old to believe in "no pain, no gain", especially when it affects my ability to perform routine tasks at work (like sitting in front of my computer)
All of those goals seem eminently do-able to me, but time will tell.
I wish you love, happiness, and abundant good health!
Love,
Me
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