From Diets to Mindsets

What I find most interesting about the state of health in the UK and the challenges we currently face, is that we know most can be reversed through food and exercise.  So why are 2.5m of UK adults right now unable to work due to illness, when so many of us know what we should be doing about it? Because it does not start with food and/or exercise.

In my opinion, this is 100% linked to a recent statistic highlighting that 25% of UK adults suffer from a mental ‘issue’. Coincidentally (or not) this is the same percentage of. UK adults who are obese.

How I’ve changed the way I work with clients

Having worked with many people deeply impacted by stress, anxiety and other mental ‘challenges’, I find that trying to make even the smallest change to diets or lifestyle habits, can not only prove impossible, but actually compounds the problem further by instilling guilt and a sense of failure.

So with my clients I now start working on ‘nourishing’ their souls and shifting mindsets first, before focusing on food or habits. This usually means that most will regain some physical and mental energy and the motivation to want to do more.

Here are some small steps you could try for yourself:

• Think first: how do I want to feel in x amount of time – What will that look like, how do I feel now just thinking about it?
• List and notice the things that make you smile: taking a candlelit bath, walking barefoot on grass, starting a new book, hugging your pet or another human, watching a funny programme etc.
• Say “no” more to others, and say “yes” to yourself instead.
• Write daily – whatever comes to mind, get it on paper.
• Ask for help. Accept that you need it and allow others in.  Whether professional or friends’ help, research shows that talking about one’s problems, worries or other blocks can generate faster healing.
• Make one tiny decision now for yourself. Will it be getting up 20 minutes earlier every day? Drinking one extra glass of water today? Writing your thoughts for 10 minutes (even if all you write is gibberish to you)?

Any small step you make for yourself could lead to greater leaps to you achieving bigger goals in the long run. Just think small first.