Honesty with Tracking

Learn the importance of being honest with yourself, and where you want to be. You'll understand how to track your food, why it's important, and what you can learn from it.

“Wellness encompasses 8 mutually interdependent dimensions:

• PHYSICAL • INTELLECTUAL • EMOTIONAL

• SOCIAL • SPIRITUAL • VOCATIONAL

• FINANCIAL • ENVIRONMENTAL

with attention being given to all dimensions, as neglect of any one over time will adversely affect the others, and ultimately one’s health, well-being, and quality of life”. -Dr. Debbie Stoewen

WHO ARE YOU NOW? WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE?

American population is now at 337.2 million people and rising; with half of the population (160 million) estimated to be either obese or overweight. It stands to reason most of them have tried or thought about trying to lose weight. With so many efforts, why aren’t there more wellness success stories? Shouldn’t changing the way you eat change everything? Dr. Debbie Stoewen states, “Change becomes much more achievable if you pay attention to who you are and insert routines that take advantage of your strengths, tendencies, and aptitudes.” Today we will focus on YOU and how your “strengths, tendencies, and aptitudes” can be used to better assist in making the necessary changes only you can achieve.

Find a quiet place to answer the following questions as openly and honestly as possible. Being honest with yourself is very important in personal growth and it increases your ability to learn more. Be willing to acknowledge the good and the bad in your life. Remember, you will be the only person looking at the responses.

Self-Reflection Questions:

• What have I tried in the past to do to live healthier? What worked? What didn’t?

• What are my strengths in regards to improving my health?

• What aspects of myself should I improve to increase my chances for success?

• What makes me unique?

• What makes me truly happy?

• Am I pleasing myself or others?

• What are my current goals?

• Where do I see myself in 5 years?

After answering the above questions, write a letter to your future self, weeks, even months from now. Set at least one major goal and one minor goal and write it down. Envision your future and make a prediction about where you will end up. Use the self-reflection answers you just provided to give you inspiration. Once you’ve completed the letter, seal it up and place it somewhere safe (a place you’ll remember, of course). You will be pulling this letter back out in the future to read and reflect upon when you're ready.

Happy writing!!

FOOD TRACKING...

Those who track their food are more likely to be successful in losing weight and keeping it off. When you know what's going into your body, you can make connections with what's helping or hurting your progress and adjust accordingly. When tracking, be:

*HONEST: track everything you put in your mouth. Bites, licks, tastes, and sucks count!

*ACCURATE: record servings and quantity consumed as best as possible. Try not to "eyeball" it.

*IN THE MOMENT: try tracking as soon as you finish eating versus at the end of the day. It's much easier to remember in the moment rather than later after a long and stressful day.

Some ways you can track your food:

✓ Paper and Pen

✓ Phone Apps

✓ Pictures

“BEING ENTIRELY HONEST WITH ONESELF IS A GOOD EXERCISE.” – SIGMUND FREUD

If you have any questions, or need help, I'm always here for ya! Chat later my friends!