When we think of weight loss & happy living, the immediate reaction is to downgrade our food, increase exercise, work ourselves to death & become deprived for the rest of our lives.
Well, that’s one way to pursue weight loss & success, & it might work for some. But at what expense?
I spent a big chunk of my life that way — a very long & hard pursuit in my 20’s & most of my 30’s.
You end up putting weight back on, becoming miserable & embarrassed about your body. You chase all the wrong things & end up pissed off & unhappy wondering if this is all there is to life? One struggle bus after the other.
If you have been dieting & seem to feel like you’ve been unhappy & unfilled forever, not gaining any momentum, it’s time to flip the switch. It’s time to rewrite your story.
Thinking about health & happiness in terms of peace & fulfillment rather than scarcity will create a new environment for success in fitness & life!
It’s not about being as lean as possible.
It’s not about being as monetarily rich as possible.
It’s not about being married, or partnered, or single, or divorced, etc.
It’s about love & savoring the journey!
What’s the point if you’re not enjoying life?
Here are some huge playmakers I’ve learned in the game of life!
Get off the bench.
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Your #1 focus should be on reducing stress & optimizing hormones.
Stress, anxiety & depression are huge factors that inhibit weight loss & quality of life. If you experience chronic, excess stress on a day-to-day basis, this needs to be at the top of your list. This also means eating well & ENOUGH. Chronic dieting is also a stress.
Sometimes it’s a challenge, well, because life – we need our jobs to make a living, or perhaps our children are driving us crazy. Do the best to control what you can control.
Elevated cortisol levels have a sneaky way of increasing your hunger & cravings for junk foods (or overeating good food sources, too!). This can easily escalate to overeating & weight gain.
Some natural alternatives that help mitigate stress & anxiety:
- Spending time in nature, walking is always the answer
- Listening to your favorite music while your kids are b*tchin
- Exercising so you don’t punch the offending person (I recommend lifting weights)
- Meditation, yoga, have a spa day
- Stretching & massage (even if you have to do it yourself)
- Spending time with animals (especially the cute ones)
Get more sleep & get movement in 1st thing in the morning before you eat.
Sh*tty sleep makes you tired throughout the day, throws hormones off, makes you hungrier, & causes you to give fux about things you most likely don’t need to give fux about. All can cause more fat gain.
A study in 2010 found that adding 3 hours of sleep resulted in burning 400 calories at night. Subjects who slept for 8.5 hours/night lost 60% less muscle than those with 5.5 hours of sleep/night. In addition, extra sleep helped them boost their metabolism.
Also, stop telling yourself you’re not a morning person. Knock out 20 minutes of movement 1st thing in the morning before you eat. When your body is in a fasted state, you are more likely to burn fat for energy since there isn’t any instant fuel available.
Lift weights & simply do sh*t you love to celebrate what your body can do.
I modify CrossFit classes + Lift & “body build” 5d/wk. Haven’t looked or felt better! Lifting heavy weights not only burns calories (because it takes a lot of energy to do this), but it helps you build extra muscle. This is important for us seasoned ladies, who lose muscle mass more rapidly as we age.
Lifting weights helps keep your bones strong & healthy & eliminates your chances of fat gain as menopause starts to creep (as in, belly pouches & weight gain as long as you are also prioritizing stress management & happy hormones).
The more muscle you have, the better you look nekkid & the more food you can eat because muscle allows you to burn extra calories at rest & throughout the day.
The hardest climbs lead to the best views.
I wake up early, get outside in the sun & nature as much as possible, walk 15k steps/d, eat plenty of protein & healthy fats via meat & eggs, & give gratitude for all that I have now & every mistake that has made me better.
It’s the struggles in life that shape us & determine who we become. My elderly patients & clients frequently tell me that they have finally been able to see their difficulties in life as sources of both strength & character. They are proud of the challenges they have faced & wish they had adopted this thinking when going through difficult times.
As one patient told me, “Just keep moving. Minutes of pain can lead to years of growth.” You can use this mindset to achieve your goals, both in life & fitness.
You are the main character of your life.
A lot of us forget that each of us has a different story. When we try to align our stories with what other people expect or want, that’s when we lose our own.
Think about dreams you want to fulfill. Whenever we don’t know what to do, we should ask ourselves, “Will this make me happy? Will it add legacy to my story & value to other people?”. “Rich & successful” mean different things to us all!
In your healthy living journey, remember that you are the main character. You don’t need to compare your results to others; they are your own! Your story will unfold, maybe just in a different way.
Embrace aging is inevitable, but living well with a young spirit & nourished vessel is a choice.
Resting doesn’t mean quitting.
Sometimes life gets really hard & common wisdom tells us to keep persisting. We should, but what’s often left out is that it is ok to take a break. Taking a break from challenges in our lives makes sure that we have the time & energy to come back with a better mindset. Taking a break does not have to mean “giving up”… it just means we’re re-energizing ourselves for a bigger comeback!
How does this lead to happier living? If you find yourself completely stressed out, take a break! It’s ok! You can meditate or just rest your mind & body. When you come back after this rest period, you’ll have a clearer mind & renewed purpose.
The secret to having it all is believing abundantly you already do! A healthy, happy mind & spirit mean a healthy, happy life. That also takes rest & presence.
It’s the little things & There’s no such thing as false hope.
Yeah, the big things are great but if you sit down & talk to the elderly, they rarely talk about what they’ve achieved. They speak of candid moments of generosity & kindness that they still remember, even decades later.
We often forget that making others happy can also help us become happier too. So be kind, both to others & yourself!
Hope is the desire that a situation or circumstance will turn out favorably. By its definition, it can’t be false. It’s either there or not there. Would you rather spend time with someone who lives a life of positivity & optimism or despair?
It is possible for you to become healthier, happier, more fit, etc…whatever you want is possible! Have faith because sometimes it’s all we have & you create your reality!
Share with a friend who needs this too!
There is a light inside all of us. No matter how hard we try to shove it down.
It glows. Always glows — even the faintest, no matter how dark it may seem.
Shine bright family!
oxox Coach K
She specializes in gut health, sports nutrition, disordered eating, social branding, human connection, and how to optimize life to attract health, wealth, & happiness.
Katie welcomes all preferences & skill levels with a no diet dogma or one size-size-fits-all approach to health, wellness, fitness, & nutrition.
After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohn’s, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, hormonal imbalances, & being a competitive athlete, she is passionate about helping others find self love, achieve their goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!
You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com