Feb 23, 2019 | Blog
I know this can be a divisive topic: is there any merit to using affirmations for weight loss? Is it just woo-woo-hippy-dippy happy talk?
From my experience with weight loss, business building and finances, affirmations make a huge difference and here’s why: your thoughts drive your choices.
The way you think has a massive influence on the actions you take and the decisions you make.
Affirmations are a valuable (free) tool that will help you optimize your choices and overcome excuses. Today I want to share an affirmation one of my 12 WT clients is using and I think it’s a great starting point!
Affirmations for Weight Loss or Overcoming Excuses
I’ve spent the last 10 days reaching out to my 12 Weeks to Transformation clients. I want to know what’s going well. I want to know what’s not going well. I want to know how I can help.
As much as I send these emails to help them, inevitably, they inspire ME.
One of my clients replied yesterday and, in the process of sharing with me what she’s going to do differently this week, she said:
I choose to be rare.
I absolutely LOVE that. I choose to be rare.
Think about it:
Your excuses, exceptions, excuses, doubts and delay….they’re overplayed. They’re common. Average. They are anything but rare.
“I choose to be rare” is a powerful mantra.
When you’re facing a decision, do you want to maintain your status quo? Continue to live in your comfort zone? Continue to settle for average? Continue to fuel your excuses, doubts or delays?
Or will you choose to be rare?
I choose to be rare in my work ethic.
I choose to be rare in my committment to choices that make me feel my best.
I choose to be rare in my decision to be present instead of distracted.
I choose to be rare in the way I communicate with kindess, patience and generosity.
I choose to be rare.
Want to see more affirmations for weight loss, behavior change or overcoming excuses? I created this list a couple years ago. And I created this list more recently after spending an inspiring weekend with the Primal Potential Masters Club.
If this is a topic you want to learn more about or optimize in your own life, here are a couple podcast episodes related to positive affirmations for weight loss, for success and really, for overall life optimization.
205: Use Your Mind to Transform Your Body
472: Change Your Mind
Learn more about the 12 Weeks to Transformation!
Feb 21, 2019 | Podcast
If you have accepted chronic stress as a way of life, this episode is for you. Chronic stress isn’t just a quality of life issue, it’s a health issue. Remaining under chronic stress decreases your ability to burn fat while increasing your likelihood of storing it. Chronic stress impairs your metabolism and your immune system. It creates systemic hormonal chaos.
Stress is not meant to be chronic. If you are experiencing ongoing stress, day in and day out, it’s time to create a change – for the sake of your health.
Just as important to note: stress isn’t just mental or emotional. In today’s episode, we talk about toxins, thoughts and trauma – the three types of stress that contribute to living in a state of chronic stress.
In today’s episode we’ll talk with Dr. Beth Westie about types of stress, the dangers of chronic stress and what you can do to reduce your exposure to stressors while improving your response to others you might not be able to easily avoid.
We’ll also talk about the strategies we each use in our own lives to respond more intelligently to periods of stress and individual stressors.
Funny site note: when Dr. Beth and I hopped on video for the interview, we were both wearing Klassy Network blue blocker glasses! These are actually one of the ways we minimize exposure to toxins from blue light! You can save 10% on your Klassy glasses with the coupon code primal – I’d love to see a pic of you in your new glasses! Such a crazy coincidence that we were both wearing them AND talking about stress strategies!
Chronic Stress – Types of Stress
- Toxins – this can include environmental toxins, toxins in products you use, toxins in food or water, etc
- Thoughts – worry, stress, negativity, complaining, gossip, etc
- Trauma – illness, injury, infection, recovery, over-exercising, emotional trauma
Resources:
Connect with Dr. Beth Westie on Facebook or Instagram
Listen to Dr. Beth’s Westies Podcast
Want to check out Klassy Network blue blocker glasses? We’re obsessed! Use the coupon code primal to save 10%!
Learn more about Transcendental Meditation and how it’s improved my life!
Want to work with me to create LASTING change in your life? Learn more about the 12 Weeks to Transformation!
Follow me on Instagram
Feb 14, 2019 | Podcast
If you’re living together but have different health goals and priorities, how do you navigate it?
That’s one of the most common questions I get about my relationships. My boyfriend and I are now living together but we have very different lifestyles and personalities. Though we are in no way relationship experts, today we’re answering your questions about love, food, weight, personality differences and much more.
Curious about what questions we answer on the episode? Here are a few of them. If you have questions we didn’t answer, shoot me a message on Instagram or comment in the show notes and we’ll absolutely answer them! The episode got kind of long so we didn’t get to all that were submitted but there are more answers to more questions below!
Bonus questions:
Are you planning to get married? We are planning to rennovate our house. That’s our only plan. Haha.
Do you want kids? I texted him this question and this is his exact response: “We seem pretty fluid on that one.” I love the idea of children. I don’t love the idea of the responsibility. We don’t have immediate plans for kids but we aren’t against it either. He has a daughter, I should add. I’m answering this as to whether or not we want to have kids together.
What does he do for work? A little bit of everything. He’s a real estate agent, a drone pilot and works for a local appliance company. He’s also resident handyman around the house.
What are your love languages? He hasn’t read the book. He says his love language is English. Mine are physical touch and words of affirmation.
Does he get to call you Betsy? Nope, “Betsy” is what my family calls me – only my family. He usually calls me “Bunny” or “babe”. He introduces me as “Elizabeth” and doesn’t call me Betsy.
Resources:
If you want to learn more about working with me, make sure you’re on the wait list for the next 12 Weeks to Transformation!
Follow me on Instagram!
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
Feb 12, 2019 | Blog
If you’re human, you’ve probably had moments where you feel stuck in your job, stuck in your relationship or just feel stuck in life in general. Frustrated. Disappointed. Off-track. Have you said it before? Thought it? Reached out for help because of it?
“I feel stuck.”
When you feel stuck, it can quickly turn into doubting yourself and feeling like your goals are out of reach.
Here’s what I need you to know: just because you feel stuck doesn’t mean you are stuck. There is so much you can do today to overcome the sense of being stuck.
You’re not stuck. You stopped. There is a difference.
If you’ve ever felt stuck or overwhelmed, you’ve got to watch this video before continuing to read. I’m serious. This is you when you’re telling yourself you’re stuck.
via GIPHY
If you’d rather listen to this blog than read it, please click play. Otherwise, keep reading below!
When my 12 Weeks to Transformation clients tell me they feel stuck, I remind them that often, claiming that we’re stuck is the equivalent to pulling our car off the side of the road, putting it in park, taking the key out of the ignition and then freaking out that we’re stuck.
You’re not stuck. You stopped. There is a difference.
Here are 5 reminders you can use to set yourself free.
- Don’t let how you feel about the problem overshadow what you can do to create the solution.
- Feeling stuck is vague and general. In specificity you will find your superpowers.
- Are you letting the problem lead? Stop following the struggle.
- You will feel more free when you let go of “life overgrowth”.
- Put someone else in your shoes.
Don’t let how you feel about the problem overshadow what you can do to create the solution.
This one might hurt a little, but here’s the truth: if you feel stuck, you’ve talked yourself into it. Seriously. You can, at any time, convince yourself that you’re stuck.
You can also convince yourself that you’re not stuck.
Let’s use a super-familiar example: weight loss.
If you focus on all the things you haven’t done and all the times you’ve given up or given in in the past, you might feel stuck. If you focus on all the things you don’t want to do or aren’t willing to do, you might feel stuck.
However, you could also choose to focus on all the opportunities for improvement you could choose today. You can choose to focus on baby steps that are possible. You can make a list of all things you are able and willing to do today that represent an improvement for you and pick goals for this day based on that list.
When you feel stuck, check yourself: are you focused on how you feel about the problem or are you focused on what you can do to bring about the solution?
Feeling stuck is vague and general. In specificity you can find your superpowers.
Thinking in generalities and being vague is one of the reasons you feel stuck.
There’s a huge difference between, “I feel stuck” and “I want to lose weight and I’m not doing the work. I feel stuck behind my excuses. My most common excuses include…”
Feeling stuck is your starting point, not your end point. In Chasing Cupcakes, one of the recurrent tools I suggest are questions. Here are a few questions you can use to move from generalities to specifics:
Why do you feel stuck?
What is it that you want?
Is there something you can do today to create progress?
What’s in the way?
If there was a solution, what would it look like?
Is there something you can adopt today, via your behaviors, to move closer to the solution?
Identify the thing you feel like you should be doing or the thing you wish you were doing and find a way to move in that direction today. Get specific about what is in the way and what your options for forward progress are. Be specific!
Are you letting the problem lead? Stop following the struggle.
In your thoughts and feelings, what’s out in front? The problem or the solution?
Are you thinking about the past patterns? The struggles? What’s in the way?
Don’t let the problem lead you. Lead with the solution.
I’m not suggesting that the problem and your feelings about it don’t exist, but choose to lead with the solution.
Recently, my roof was leaking. Though it had been “repaired” just a couple weeks earlier, it was leaking. Again. Water was all over the kitchen.
I won’t deny that my tendency was to lead with the problem:
I can’t believe this! It was just fixed! Why is this happening? The guy who fixed it screwed up! This is a disaster!
Leading with the problem makes you feel all sorts of negative emotions ranging from overwhelmed to infuriated.
Leading with the solution is empowering: what do we need to do to get this fixed?
Remove the fixation on the problem. Dial back the emotion that is problem-focused.
Lead with the solution: how do we make this right?
You will feel more free when you let go of life overgrowth.
Sometimes you feel stuck because you’re overwhelmed. There’s so much chaos in your thoughts, your feelings or your circumstances that the path to the solution is simply obstructed. You can’t see it.
I realized just how true and powerful this idea is the other day when I was pruning the apple trees on my property.
It’s been about 5 years since they were properly cut back. The limbs were overgrown, crossing over eachother and blocking the light.
The same thing happens in our lives. We add new obligations, commitments, tasks, responsibilities. We add fears, past experiences, pressures, goals.
At some point, we have to cut back. We have to take a look at our lives and identify what needs to go. What’s blocking the light? Where is there overgrowth?
Have you taken on additional responsibilities that you need to let go of? Are there things you can outsource? Are there grudges you can release? Resentment you’re willing to let go of? Fears you can stop focusing on?
Get rid of excess. Turn off the TV. Spend less time on social media. Clean out your fridge. Stop spending money on stupid stuff.
Clear your own path.
Put someone else in your shoes.
If someone else felt stuck in the same situation, how would you advise them? What steps would you encourage them to take? How would you help a friend or loved one if they were in your shoes?
Write down your advice.
Now, take it.
Stuck is a perspective. Stuck is a choice. You have options, including whether or not to continue telling yourself that you’re stuck.
Learn More About Creating Momentum
To learn more about working with me in the 12 Weeks to Transformation, click here!
Bonus: Check out this amazing list of 11 TED talks you need to watch when you feel stuck in a rut.
Related episodes include:
512: When You Can’t Seem to Make the Struggle End
441: Why You Feel Stuck
If your excuses are why you feel stuck, check out my free strategy guide and audio on overcoming excuses!
