Elimination or Addition: The science of positivity+++
Do you dread the feeling of needing to go on a diet in order to be congruent with your health goals? Maybe your doctor has told you that you need to cut back on sweets, or fat. So many times I’ve had the pattern of indulging on all the “bad” foods to fasting and starving myself, which feels like being on a hamster wheel.
Taking positive action by contributing to the healthy vision that you have for yourself is a way to increase positivity and optimism. I like to focus on what we can add instead of what we need to take away. Being mindful of adding healthy habits means that the things that are not serving you will get crowded out naturally.
John Hopkin’s expert Lisa Yanek M.P.H. found that…
“positive people from the general population were 13 percent less likely than their negative counterparts to have a heart attack or other coronary event”.
This begs the question, what can you add?
More sleep?
More water?
More veggies?
Journaling?
Weighing yourself regularly?
We’re all busy so it can seem daunting to add something new. But consider what you will also be adding in the way of more time, mindfulness, less weight, and better health markers!
Here’s some easy ways to start…
- ADD Lemon to your water and drink 1 L before 10 AM
- ADD blueberries and 2 cups of greens to your lunch
- ADD a gratitude journal with the five things you’re grateful for before bed
- ADD reading instead of binging on Netflix so that you get to sleep earlier
- ADD your favorite herbal tea instead of a cup of coffee
- ADD a new scale that analyzes your body composition to your bathroom landscape so that you are aware of your metrics
- ADD raw almonds and an apple to your afternoon snack
- ADD a 20 minute walk at a brisk pace
- ADD 15 squats before you go to bed, or push-ups, or both!
These micro adjustments to your schedule overtime will become big results.
Thinking about taking things away like a traditional diet leads us down a path of negativity from loss and the changes that are made probably won’t stick. It’s better to think of what we can add in our life and making choices that support our lifestyle.
Negativity is very heavy and adding things is an act of positivity on ourselves. What good thing can you say yes to and have in your mind today? By giving something new a try you open yourself up to a fresh positive change. And if it doesn’t feel right, just move onto something that does.
It’s not about losing, it’s about gaining. You are perfect just the way you are, maybe you need to hear that right now. What would you like to add today?
