10 Ways to Shift Your Mindset for Better Weight Loss

Food is not a reward, and exercise is not a punishment. They are both ways of caring for your body and helping you feel your best. 

Take a few minutes at the beginning of your workout, or even at the beginning of your day, to slow down and simply focus on the act of breathing.  

It can help you set your intentions, connect with your body and even lower your body's stress response. 

Patience is important when you are losing weight in a healthy and sustainable matter.

If you focus on meeting truly actionable goals, like taking 10,000 steps each and every day, there's no need to get wrapped up in a timeline of goals ahead. 

Identify the thoughts that get you into trouble and work to stop and change them. Maybe it's your internal dialogue when you look into the mirror. Or cravings when you get stressed. 

Consciously make them stop by saying 'stop' out loud. It might sound silly, but that simple action will break your chain of thought and allow yourself the opportunity to introduce a new, healthier one.

A lot of us have learned to associate the scale with self-destructive thoughts and actions. 

If that's you, don't even bother stepping on the scale until you get to a place in which the number on the scale doesn't define your worth.

When it comes to ideals of beauty and body image, we are incredibly hard on ourselves. 

We'd never hold our friends or loved ones to many of the standards we hold ourselves to. 

Somewhere along the line, we've learned to feel either proud or guilty about every food choice we make. 

It's just food, and you shouldn't have to feel guilty about wanting the occasional cookie.