5 Health-Boosting Beliefs

Yesterday was International Health Day! For the occasion, I thought I would talk about five different beliefs that can serve your health. You know how I very often talk about limiting beliefs? Well, this week, we're going to be talking about serving beliefs. Keep reading or watch the video below to find out what they are...

1. "I Can Learn to Do This"

I would even add to this: "I can learn to do this too." Very often, remembering something we were not good at before and that we got used to gives us energy. We're then able to move forward with more energy and motivation to do that thing you we need to learn how to do.

Let's say you want to start exercising, or stop eating a certain type of food, for example. Try remembering something that you've done in the past that you were not good at before. You can learn to do this too, because you've learned how to do other things before. You got used to other things as well, and you can learn to get used to this new, beautiful, great habit you're about to implement.

2. "I Don't Need to Feel Full"

That's a serving belief that will actually serve you when you are eating, if quantity is a problem for you. I'll give you a true story. My husband wanted to lose a few pounds, and he asked me: "Can you help me find a different kind of bread? We eat oatmeal in the mornings, and I like to eat some toast with it, but I find bread is not really good for my figure. Can you help me find a type of bread that has less calories?" I said: "Instead of trying to find a different kind of bread, how about we change the limiting belief that you need to feel full?"

You don't need to feel full. The big stomach that we have, was because our ancestors needed to walk for two or three days before they would find the next prey to feed themselves and their family, but we don't have to. We have fridges, and my husband is retired so he can even grab an apple at 10:00 AM if he's still hungry after breakfast. So yes, a bowl of oatmeal is perfectly fine for breakfast, and one portion on a smaller plate is perfectly fine as well. The problem is that we feel like we need to feel full. We believe that until we actually feel full, that we haven't eaten enough. This is not serving us. Know that you don't need to feel full.

3. "It's Just a Rare Exception"

Whenever you eat something you shouldn't, maybe some chocolate or a cookie or something like that,

there are two ways you can respond to it. You can say: "Oh, well of course I'm eating a cookie. Obviously, I have zero willpower. I'm a sugarholic. That's why. I love junk food all the time. That's my downfall." If this is what you repeat, guess what's going to happen? But here's the other option. Instead, you can say: "This is just a rare exception. I eat very healthy most of the time. I choose healthy food. I'm a very healthy person. I have great willpower. I'm pretty awesome, and I eat really well. This is just an exception. I'm going to savor it, savor this cookie. It's just one little piece, it's one exception, and I'm just enjoying it and I am awesome."

4. "My Thermostat Has Changed"

"My thermostat has changed." Either for the good or not. You know when you have a thermostat in your house and it's set at 19 degrees, all of a sudden it gets really hot. Of course, the air conditioning will kick in to lower it back to 19 degrees. If it gets colder, then, the heat will kick in and bring it back up to 19. Now, the same goes for our health.?

Let's say you start exercising and you start feeling great. Don't be surprised and don't go saying: "Oh my gosh, I don't understand what's going on. I have so much energy now and usually I feel so sluggish and tired." No, this is a good thing! Change your thermostat to this. This is your new normal now, or this diet that you're on is not just temporary. Very often, we find ourselves saying: "Okay, I'm not going to eat any of this this month, because it's temporary." If it's temporary, that means that your thermostat is still set at eating junk food all the time. You have to change the thermostat to your new normal and say: "This is my new normal. It's not a diet. I'm not depriving myself of this only for a short period of time. I don't eat this anymore. This is my new normal." Change the thermostat for what is right and what is good.

If you've gained a lot of weight during the pandemic and you're a size XL now instead of a size L when you buy clothes, don't set the thermostat to XL and say: "Oh, well this is my new size, this is my new thermostat." Don't accept the Extra Large! Just say: "No. Me, my size, my identity, I am a Large, this is my size." Then, your unconscious mind will kick everything in and turn the heat or the air conditioning on in order to bring it back to the size you're supposed to be. Now for the record, being a size XL is PERFECTLY FINE. This was just an example. Size or numbers on the scale DO NOT MATTER. What we look like does not matter. I am talking strictly from a health perspective; if your doctor says that the few extra pounds are not helping your heart condition, or if it impairs your ability to live your life the way you want to, that is when you want to decide that you have to lose weight.

5. "Healthy Food Makes Me Feel Good"

You know how we tend to celebrate with food? Start celebrating with something healthy so that you connect, and you anchor the good feeling with something healthy. For example, whenever I have a speaking engagement, I always have a very good meal, a healthy meal the night before, and I sleep very well, because I know that when I eat healthy, it makes me feel better. I don't want to be all sluggish on stage. Whenever I want to celebrate, you know how sometimes we celebrate with ice cream or with a bottle of wine? Do the opposite! Celebrate with something healthy, not with something that makes you feel bad.

Or sometimes, we don't feel good, and we try to console ourselves with a chocolate cake or with something bad for you. Why would we use bad food thinking that it's going to be good for us and make us feel good? Bad food never makes us feel good. So, celebrate with something that makes you feel good and associate success with healthy food that makes you feel good. It can also be with exercise: "I get to take time for myself and move my body today."

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Hopefully, you enjoyed the blog today on health-boosting beliefs. Happy belated International Health Day! I'll see you next time.