Setting Boundaries with Your Nutrition
Learning how and why to set boundaries can help you progress with the changes you need to make with your nutrition.
We’re not talking about physically and mentally restricting food here.
We are discussing the emotional aspect to food behaviour change.
When change occurs, there are so many emotions that come along with it. Change can be exciting and happy for many people, while many others find it overwhelming and frightening. Then there is also adjusting to change. This is important in nutrition for 2 reasons:
a) Making better food choices and b) prioritising exercise, requires a change in your existing patterns. If you apply both a) and b)whilst also remaining consistent, you will likely experience positive physical and emotional changes.
Not every person you are close to will be easily accepting of these changes. Some reasons why include because these changes impact their life in some way, and/or because the changes you make may trigger them emotionally and subconsciously.
When you embark on change, it can be scary and challenging, but also powerful. Clients who get the results from sessions, are the ones who are willing to push their own boundaries and ignore the ‘noise’ and instead focus on their own goals. This ‘noise’ is can come from other people in your life.
Are you the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with?
Motivational speaker Jim Rohn claims that “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. This is the theory that the result of any given situation will be the average of all outcomes...
However, whilst I would challenge this theory to a degree based on us all being individuals, I do see this theme come through strongly in client sessions (and in daily life) when it comes to an individual’s nutrition practices.
Think of the five people in your life who you spend the most time with. This may be a partner, friend, family members, work colleague or someone else.
What is a typical interaction is like with them?
What do their nutrition practices look like?
Are your nutrition practices similar or different?
When working together, this question is insightful for most. As we go deeper into the transformational journey, this becomes challenging and even a test of self-development and growth.
Do you want to continue being the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with, or do you need to grow?
If and when you decide it’s time to take the next step into better your health (e.g. pushing another limit in your fitness, compete in an event, or simply be a healthier version of you), you’ll need to decide if you are ready. Checking your readiness will provide insight into how much you are willing to prioritise the change you will make for better health longer-term.
Next, when you have decided it’s time for growth, then you need set boundaries. These may be in the form of saying ‘no’ the offer of seconds or another drink…’no’ to take-out most nights, ‘no’ to eating food that doesn’t make you feel good just because everyone else is having it, ‘no’ to sleeping in and instead getting up for a 6am fitness class….this may also come from putting boundaries on your time and blocking out exercise in your calendar as a daily recurring calendar invite to yourself.
Where are your boundaries?
If you’re not sure where to start, list a couple! If you feel you need to support on how to start with setting boundaries with your nutrition, book a free call here today.
Karen
