How To Have a Healthy Mindset

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How To Have a Healthy Mindset

It’s challenging staying committed to a healthy lifestyle if you can’t keep a positive outlook. If you have a healthy mindset, you’ll be more likely to stay on course and reach your goals. 

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I believe fear is a big motivating factor. After my back injury, the fear of not being able to walk without pain and the thought of needing to use a motorized scooter caused me to lose 125 lbs. 

I still reflect on those feelings even today and remember on purpose what it felt like to not be able to move without pain. I remember how I felt when I had to use a wheelchair to get through the airport and the look of pity from the flight attendants when I tried to get into my seat. All the while, I knew I had done this to myself by not exercising and eating terribly.

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I also believe gratitude is a helpful motivator. The (horrible) picture of me at the top of this post is a selfie from the Des Moines Iowa Half Marathon. I now run (loose term, more like wog (walk/jog)) half marathons because I can move and I am grateful that I’m not using a scooter. My goal is to participate in one in all 50 states. 13 down (one race was a full marathon – whew!) and 37 to go. I used to care about my speed and setting a PR every time, but now I just move with gratitude. It doesn’t matter how slow I go or how fast I go, I’m moving and that’s what’s important to me.

Lastly, I believe fellowship is motivating. We were meant to help one another and be there for each other.

 

Galatians 6:2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (NIV)

John 15:12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (NIV)

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.(NIV)

 

It’s always easier to stay committed to a healthy lifestyle when we have friends to encourage us. We need others to be there for us when things get tough and we also need to be there for others in their hard times.

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Here are 3 tips that might just help you stay positive and have a healthy mindset:

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1. Let fear motivate you.

Fear can keep you in a prison of predictability and compromise, but you can learn to leverage it to your advantage instead. You can recognize when FEAR is talking, when those old excuses creep into your mind -“I’m too busy, my family won’t like eating healthy, it’s genetics”. Don’t hide behind those safe thoughts or you will stay where you are forever. Dismiss them and have a healthy mindset.

Change those excuses to “I am in control of my schedule and I will make time to take care of myself”, “My family deserves to feel good and be healthy”, and “I can lose weight and become healthier. I’m in charge of what I put into my body.”

Are you afraid to not reach your health goal? Is your goal a “must” or a “should”? It HAS to be a MUST or you won’t reach it, so let the fear of not reaching it motivate you.

 

2. Appreciate the little things.

We are so busy in our lives that we can forget to notice the little things. Slow down, take a walk or just sit and breathe. Turn off your phone, computer, television and unplug, even if its only for 5 minutes. Try doing this everyday and feel the difference in your attitude. Instead of focusing on the one thing you ate that isn’t healthy focus on the foods you ate that were nourishing. Try listing 5 things everyday that you’re grateful for or 5 things that made you smile. Take a moment before you go to sleep to either write those things down or mentally think of them. You’ll begin to notice you feel a little happier or peaceful. Even if you have the worst day ever you were breathing, not to say everyday is a picnic, but if we look for the positives soon the negatives will float to the background.

 

 3. Find a friend.

We often gain weight because we turn to food and act as if its our best friend. We have to have emotional support because when our “friend” is gone due to dieting, we need to replace it. With social media its easy to find someone that you can be accountable to and someone that you can help as well, however, there is nothing like seeing a weight loss comrade face to face.  You can find friends through Meet Up or Facebook groups like Fitbit for Weightloss or Intentional Eaters.

Remember, you are not alone. Ultimately, eating healthy, following an exercise routine and changing lifestyle habits has to be up to the you. No one else can make the decision for you to eat or not, to exercise or not, to understand what caused the weight gain and to learn how to prevent it in the future. Your accountability bud or friend can’t take your place in your journey to weight loss success. But they can take away the loneliness of getting there.

 

With these 3 tips you can learn how to have a healthy mindset.

image of Cindy Newland with a half marathon medal around her neck and posing in front of the des moines iowa sign for how to have a healthy mindset by intentionally eatPin

I made it to the finish!

If you want to read more about how your thoughts effect your health, read Is Stinking Thinking Sabotaging Your Health.

 

I am so EXCITED when you reach a goal, try a new vegetable or a new workout! Share your pics and tag #intentionallyeat with your fab shots of you rockin it!

 

Share your weight loss story, struggle, victory, recipe or just drop a hello!

 

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Intentionally Eat,

Cindy

 

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30 Comments

  1. I am glad I read this today because I was just telling my boyfriend about how I am improving myself to have a healthier mindset. You gave out some great tips I feel like everybody should hear mainly about fear.

  2. I’ve needed to read about this for a while. Thank you so much for outlining it! It’s time to get healthy 😀

  3. I totally agree that gratitude is key in having a healthy mindset…. Appreciating the little things and moments is really what matters most and helps us function so much better…

  4. Oh my, your words are so true! I’d never considered fear to be such a positive driving force before, maybe because I’ve always been the type to shy away from it and bury my head as soon as something makes me feel uneasy. But sometimes I think I need to step out of that comfort zone and use the feeling that would normally make me run for the hills to instead urge me into a more positive direction. Thank you!!

  5. I follow the same tips and my life slowly turned into something I’ve always been dreaming of. I can’t say everything is perfect to me but what I can say for sure is that I am happy

  6. I definitely agree that having a positive outlook can help you to achieve a healthier lifestyle and it’s integral when it comes to staying motivated. Having a friend to encourage you and support you with any changes is a big help too!

  7. You are absolutely right when you talk of healthy mindset. With positive mindset we can achieve all we set our priorities in. I like your tips on how to get healthy mindset.

  8. This is so inspiring post, healthy mindset gives birth to happiness and satisfaction. Appreciating the little things which we do not even think about is the key, once you know the importance, you automatically start appreciating the life every single day the time you wake up.

  9. Most people try to focus more on their physical attributes when they try to look fit or healthy. But the amazing changes that often get overlooked is our mental state of mind.
    Our mental and physical health needs to be in top form if we want to be truly happy in life. And with a positive mind, we’ll be able to function much better particularly when we are facing challenges.

  10. This was a motivating post, I agree wholeheartedly with your tips. I particularly liked the “Let fear motivate you” one, I can relate to that one.

  11. Those are some great ways to have a healthy mindset. I really like your point on let fear motivate you. We don’t think of things that we fear. let’s think about the things we should/want to do in our lives.

  12. Wow! 125 pounds. That’s a lot to lose. Hope that you are okay. That Galatians quote is just beautiful!

  13. I believe that letting go plays a huge part in having a healthy mindset. I really enjoyed your post thanks for sharing.

  14. I have struggled with my weight since I was a teen. I find that if I eat small meals and a snack inbetween it helps me with losing weight and drink nothing but water helps as well.

    1. I’m glad you found the scriptures encouraging. If you need a friend/accountability you can join Intentional Eaters on my Facebook Page. It’s a great group!

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