Our beliefs dictate our behavior. This simple statement has proven itself true again and again, especially when it comes to weight loss or creating healthy habits. 

I constantly see 3 beliefs that lead to failure in this area. And I consistently see that people harboring these beliefs don’t know they’re there. I’m going to share the beliefs, tell you how to recognize them and (the best part), tell you how you can kick them to the curb to become the healthy, strong, confident person you are meant to be. 

Belief #1: I’m not worthy or I don’t deserve to be healthy, strong, happy. 

•  How to recognize it: Your self-talk is harsh, mean, and negative. “I can’t get my f@t a$$ to the gym.” “I’m too stupid to meal prep.” I don’t know WTF is wrong with me that I can’t do this.” Being mean to ourselves has led to the success of exactly zero people. Contrary to what you see on TV and in the...

Have you said this, “If only someone would tell me what to eat, I’d be so much healthier?” 

Or, even better, “If someone would come to my home and cook healthy, delicious meals for me, I’d finally lose the weight (or lower my blood pressure or not be pre-diabetic). 

I have some bad news for you. 

It won’t work. 

It never does. 

How do I know? 

I’ve handed out thousands of meal plans. Each plan was customized to my client's caloric needs (for weight loss, maintenance, or weight gain) and customized for different food preferences (gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, low-carb, even fast food, and dozens of other options). They included shopping lists, recipes, and food substitution lists.

Do you want to know the truth?

The overwhelming majority of people didn't follow their plan. 

Sure, a few did, but they were not the norm. The people who do follow the plan all have...

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Did you see the Adele-Oprah interview? Even if you haven’t, it’s almost impossible to miss the hundreds of articles that have been posted and video clips popping up everywhere online.

While the fitness industry capitalizes on “Adele goes to the gym and loses 100 pounds,” I noticed something different in her comments about her body.

Her reason for going to the gym in the first place had nothing to do with weight-loss or body image. She seems perfectly comfortable with her body regardless of her size. 

She started going to the gym to manage the crippling anxiety she had as she went through her divorce.

Why this is important: Adele looked at going to the gym as a reward. It was the one task in her day that kept her grounded when things were spiraling out of control. The “I’m working out at this time with my trainer” appointment gave her structure at a time when her world seemed to be collapsing. 

"Set SMART Goals," they said.

"SMART Goals are how to get things done," they said.

"SMART Goals are the secret to success," they said.

I thought and thought. I diagramed, white-boarded, and analyzed what I wanted to achieve. I refined, re-framed, and word-smithed. Finally, I had it. I had a SMART goal.

You know that feeling? You're struggling with a concept, and your brain hurts from thinking about it so much? It's followed by a flood of relief when you realize you've worked out the problem. I was at that point. I thought, "I've got it! I've figured it out." I have my goal, and it's SMART, and now everything is going to change.

But it didn't.

The goal was there. It checked all of the boxes. It was SMART. Apparently, I wasn't quite so smart.

What was the goal?

I will lose 25 pounds by (insert date here, usually six months out).

Let's double-check it for SMARTness.

Specific? Yup…25 pounds.

Measurable? Yup…25 pounds.

Achievable? Yup…6 months is 24-26 weeks, 1-2...

Getting started adding more veggies into your current meal rotation can be intimidating. I spent years avoiding the kitchen for two reasons:

1. I didn't want to take on a stereotypical "woman in the kitchen" role. Truth be told, I failed "Home Economics" in high school partly on purpose because I didn't want to excel at being a housewife. 
2. I didn't believe I had the skills to make food that was palatable, much less delicious. 

I would love to hear YOUR reasons for not cooking for yourself. If you're a member of The Women's Wellness Academy, visit the Community Chat and share why you don't cook. If you're not a member, send an email to me at [email protected]. 

Here's the truth. Both of these beliefs were preventing me from being my healthiest. Could I change what I believe? Yes! And once I did, I started loving time in the kitchen. I have the skills to make delicious food, and so do you. 

Let's look at my first belief. I...

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" may seem like a silly question in a blog post. Stay with me because what you think about most creates your success or failure.

What you think about yourself is reflected in the mirror. 

That means that if you can change what you think about, you can change what is reflected in your mirror. 

In the 1950s, a plastic surgeon named Maxwell Maltz noticed that his work improving his patients' faces didn't always have the life-changing, positive effects he anticipated it would have. Every so often, he would complete a nose job or repair a scar for a patient, and post-surgery, the patient would complain that nothing changed. He would show them their "before and after" photos, point out the dramatic improvements, and the patient would say, "yes, but nothing has changed." His explorations into this phenomenon resulted in the classic book, Psycho-Cybernetics.

Here's what he found:

• Our brain works on targets. 
• ...

How do you feel about Mondays?

I know, there are people out there who LOVE them. “It’s a brand new week!” they say. “It’s another opportunity to change my life!” they say. They begin the week fully charged after a weekend of resting and relaxing.

While I don’t hate Mondays, I generally don’t come rushing into them ready to take on the world. I’m more of a mellow-Monday kind of woman. I try to gather my thoughts and make a plan for the week. I tend to see Monday as a day to get organized. It’s more of a “start your engines,” kind of a day.

Then there are the Monday-haters. I had a friend in my 20s who used to drink to excess on Sunday evenings on purpose. “Mondays suck anyway,” was his philosophy, “so why not be hungover?”

Monday can be a smack-in-the-face, return-to-the-grind kind of day. On Monday we may find ourselves facing what we put off on Friday. I know many who feel the dread...

“I just need a little motivation,” she said as we sat sipping coffee and deciding if we should work together. She had over 50 pounds she wanted to lose, she was on medication to reduce her blood pressure and she was recently diagnosed as pre-diabetic.