Health happens when you practice healthy habits consistently. This means that even the best plan will bring you no benefit if you’re unable to stick with it.

That’s the problem with diets…they’re not exactly created with consistency in mind. We know this because dieting is downright torturous. Do you want to make deprivation and discomfort a way of life? I didn’t think so. Which is why if you can’t envision yourself sticking with it, I’d recommend not starting with it at all.

Instead, the trick is learning to LOVE your lifestyle. Because if you love it, you will live it.

Don’t get me wrong, loving your lifestyle doesn’t mean that you’ll never need convincing to go out for an early morning run or to decide whether or not to have that second helping of pasta. It still requires commitment. But when you love your lifestyle, the mindset behind your habits is motivated by health and keeps you going.

Unfortunately, I’ve been noticing versions of healthy living that completely miss the mark on this concept, by being unpleasant and unsustainable. Here are some clues…

You’ve got healthy living wrong if:

• You eat foods you hate, just because they’re healthy.

• Your food focus is mainly on quantity (read calories)  instead of quality.

• You determine portion size based on what your colleague eats…because to look like her, you have to eat like her right?

• You find yourself cycling back and forth between weeks of clean eating and then overeating (not realizing that the former is driving you to the latter).

• You have a long list of foods you can’t and shouldn’t eat. This isn’t based on dietary restrictions or recommendation from your doctor or dietitian…this laundry list of forbidden foods comes from things you’ve read and heard.

• You feel overwhelmed with guilt anytime you indulge.

• You often cancel on friends and family because it’s the only way to comply to your lifestyle.

• You exercise to punish yourself for overindulging (or to do give yourself permission to do so).

• You feel most motivated to exercise after a bout of social media scanning and feeling bad about your body.

• You motivate yourself using negative self-talk, body shame, comparison and criticism.

There are tons of healthy living labels out there but there isn’t enough green juice, bone broth or kale chips in the world to convince me that this is healthy living and I want YOU to be well aware of this too.

If you’re stuck living a healthy lifestyle you absolutely HATE, here are some thoughts to get you on track to loving your lifestyle.

 

You’ve got healthy living right if:

• You choose whole foods because of their nourishing and energizing power. Not their comforting or slimming power.

• You take pleasure in food indulgences and don’t need excessive quantity to feel satisfied.

• You exercise because it makes you stronger, it improves your mood and makes you more productive.

• You move your body because you CAN, you want to challenge yourself, improve your fitness, get that PR. You do it for you. Not to look like someone else.

• You motivate yourself using positive self-talk, compassion and a plan that is tailored to YOU.

• You feel at ease in social situations and adapt by planning ahead and doing the best that you can.

 

So there you have it.  Loving your lifestyle is about shifting that mindset and committing to healthy habits for reasons that empower you, not put you down. Do it because it makes you feel good. If something makes you feel good, you will stick with it. If you love it, you will live it.

 

Now it’s your turn, Lifestyle Lover:

What does loving your lifestyle mean to YOU? Have you every been stuck “healthy living”?

Thank you for sharing in the comment section below:)