Earlier this week, I asked the Habits of Health Facebook Group what Macro Habit of Health they would like to learn more about.
As you can see, Habits of Healthy Weight Management was the clear winner:
For many of us, our Habits of Health journey begins because we don’t like how our weight makes us look and feel. With that starting point, reaching a healthy weight sounds like the end point. We saw that our weight was our problem, so we fixed it, and now the project is done.
But that’s not how health really works, right? You–and you aren’t alone in this–have probably lost some weight before but saw it come back. We call this yo-yo dieting where we feel trapped in a frustrating cycle of doing the work to lose weight only to watch all of our effort slip away and the pounds return.
Health is Not a Destination
Optimal Health is not a destination or the conclusion of a story. When we think about reaching our goal weight as being the finish line, we are in danger of framing weight loss like a task on your to-do list, something that you cross out and forget about as soon as it’s done.
That’s not the case.
You may not realize it, but you’re learning all of the tools and strategies you need to continue living a vibrant, healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life, and you’re doing it long before you’ve reached your goal weight. You’re learning how to think about food, how to think about motion, how to improve your sleep – all of these lessons are just as important after you’ve reached your goal weight as they are leading up to it.
You’re not running a race. You’re not chasing a finish line where all of your momentum suddenly stops and the journey is over. Instead, we are building a new lifestyle for you, a lifestyle that unlocks countless possibilities for where you take your life and what you accomplish along the way.
Build Habits of Healthy Weight Management Today
If you’re still feeling intimidated about what comes after reaching your healthy weight, the good news is that you’re not alone, and we can use your worries to build stronger Habits of Health today to make tomorrow even easier.
As you are building habits now, take note of what feels challenging and what gives you concerns. For example, if you worry that you won’t be able to make healthy fueling choices without OPTAVIA meals, you can use your lean & green meals as an opportunity to explore delicious but healthy foods and recipes. Try as many as you can, and keep a recipe book of the healthy meals you loved so that you have a treasure trove of great tasting meals at your fingertips.
As another example, if you find Habits of Healthy Motion exceptionally challenging, you can start today to look for ways to relieve that pressure. Maybe your dog should join you on your walks, or maybe you join a walking group to be with friends, or maybe you add podcasts and audiobooks to your walks. At the same time, you can try a variety of active hobbies so that you can find something you enjoy doing that also keeps your body in motion, such as a rec league sport or a yoga class or a martial arts program.
Your health coach and the Habits of Health Community are great sounding boards for this process. They can give you the ideas and support you need to establish a lifestyle that you’re excited to continue for the rest of your life, and you can build that lifestyle well before you reach your goal weight.
That way, when you reach your goal weight, you’re not stopping. You’re continuing to grow as a person, enthusiastic about the new potential of every new day.