WEIGHT MANAGEMENT TIPS Seven Tips to Choosing the Right One!By Chat Mills In August of 2020 I went through one of the most difficult mental road blocks of my life to date. The Covid-19 pandemic was in full force and I was forced to make some serious life decisions regarding my career and my children's schooling. Of course the questions started popping up (I'm sure you can relate!): Do I need to resign my position? Are my children going to be safe if I send them to school? What does school look like if they are home? Am I going to be safe at work? What happens if we reduce our income? Are we going to have to stop seeing people in our bubble? I was finally faced with making a decision - I was asked to either show up to work or resign. I had never felt such stress before in my life. I was hurt that I was just being let go of; not one hint of "let's see what we can do." I became terrified that the loss of income would hurt us badly and that their ultimatum was forcing me to make a decision I didn't want to make. For the first time in my life I experienced real anxiety. I had my first sleepless nights and my first ever weight gain that didn't include growing a human. After everything was said and done and I had come to terms with my situation I decided to trust that what I was about to embark upon was a blessing in disguise and that I wouldn't be in the situation in the first place if I couldn't handle it. As time passed and our schedules and routines became consistent I was finally able to take a moment and recognize that I had done some damage to my body and that it was time for a reset. Now the question I needed to answer was how was going to go about doing that? There are so many programs, coaches, and systems out there. You've probably asked yourself these questions before: How do I know that the investment I am about to make is going to work? What makes one program better than another? Should I just choose based on the price? On the reviews? The answer isn't as black and white as "yes" and "no," creating a situation where you overthink and analyze and then nothing happens. How to make the right choice?It can be incredibly overwhelming choosing a health and wellness program. There are so many factors that need to be considered and that alone can have you deciding perhaps it's not worth it. Here are my top recommendations when considering a program: Cost This was the number one issue for me. I was on a very tight budget when I started and I was nervous to start with personal trainers, programs, and supplements that would all have their own separate cost. Ultimately, I realized it was fear that was holding me back. Two thoughts that helped me release the fear of spending money: 1) My health is an investment, not an expense. I am going to be paying for my health in some way: either through doctor's visit and medication or through being proactive. I chose to invest in my health so I would never know what the expense of medications and doctor's visits would amount to. 2) Am I allowing the excuse of money to hold me back from living a fulfilled life? I had already said time and energy were an issue and now I was using money as yet another excuse to keep me from feeling better. I was really saying, "I don't deserve this." It was heartbreaking when I thought about it. We live on budget yes, but it didn't mean that I couldn't move things around to make this happen for myself. It was easier to make the excuse and wallow. This belief had to change or I was NEVER going to. Ultimately you need to do what is best for your budget. Somethings that you can consider are: What exactly are you paying for? Is there flexibility in the program to allow for tighter budgets, or is it an all or nothing kind of deal? Are there payment plan options? What is the cost breakdown? Are there any surprise costs? Are there any long term costs? When I chose the Arbonne program I knew exactly what I was paying for. I was given a list of total costs that included the discount program I was signing up for, tax, and shipping. I was also given a price breakdown of what it would cost me daily - I was spending roughly $9 a day. The shake mix and supplements had me covered for breakfast and lunch, so I recouped the cost by lowering my grocery bill and that is what sold me on the price. There is no shame in shopping around and asking questions. If you are not comfortable with the price, you are more likely to become frustrated and overwhelmed and not do anything. Coaching Whether it is a personal trainer or a consultant, like myself, having support is really important. I had no idea what I was doing when I started my program and my coach was great at guiding me through the process. I didn't realize how helpful she would be, especially in the first week when I wanted all the sugar! How do you find the right coach? Here are the things I look at when seeking support: Do I vibe with them? Do I get a good feeling from their website/Facebook page/Instagram? How quickly do they respond? Do they learn more about me in the first 15 minutes of meeting or do I get their entire life story first? Are they guiding me through the whole experience or are they giving me the introduction to the program and then letting me fly? How do they plan to support me? Are they willing to hold me accountable or are they going to just tell me what I want to hear? I had no issue going through Arbonne's program on my own but I know that I wouldn't have been as successful if my coach hadn't checked in with me regularly, asked me questions throughout our time together, gave me the tough love when I needed it, and validated my feelings when it was needed. There is so much value in having the right someone work with you. Community I remember being added to a Facebook group when I started my program and thinking, "Ugh, now I have to interact with people?" I was initially really turned off by it because I was embarrassed with how my life had progressed and I didn't want complete strangers judging me. As it turns out a community of supportive, encouraging and likeminded people was the best thing that ever happened to me on my health journey. A few things to think about when joining a community are: how do the group members act with one another? Do the moderators handle difficult members with kindness and grace or do they just remove them? What kind of educational information is being posted, if any? Is there an opportunity to express frustration, lows, challenges or does everything HAVE to be rainbows and unicorns? Do the moderators help build the community? Lastly, it's important to recognize that not everything you read has to pertain to you. I like to live by the "if the shoe fits" method. If something resonates with me I keep it and if it doesn't I pay no mind to it and will consult with my coach instead. Amount of time This was another sticking point for me. At the time I was a new mother, my husband was between jobs and I was the sole income provider (AND I was a dance coach on the side). I had so little time that I needed a program that would allow me to schedule new habits with ease. I also knew that I needed something that was going to last more than a week - The Arbonne program was perfect for me because it was consistent. I could easily move my new habits around to keep them going even if they were not always at the same time each day and the program was for 30 days, so I would be building these new habits over time in order to continue them long term. Take a moment to consider how much you are required to do daily, weekly, monthly in the program you're considering. Is this something sustainable long term? Are you able to move things around with ease? Are you going to be spending hours cooking and meal prepping? How long will your program last? Your time is valuable and the last thing you need is to add something that creates more stress to your plate. Your program should allow for flexibility in your schedule and run long enough that you can create the habits over time. Flexibility and Expectations When I was first looking at the Arbonne program I can remember at one point saying, "you want me to do what?!?!" to my soon-to-be coach. Again, that was a limiting belief I had about my ability to let go of certain foods, the strength to make it through 30 days of conscious focus on my health, and the release of fear. What drew me to this particular program was that I had the flexibility to control what I wanted to remove from my diet and when. And my coach was amenable to this flexibility, which was SUPER important to me because I was feeling so much shame that if she had been too rigid with me I would have stopped. I was given a comparison of results if I went all in or one baby step at a time - what my energy level would be, how fit I would feel, and my weight management/weight loss progress. This helped me make the choice that would work for me. When considering your program you want to look at the expectations of the program. While I had flexibility in my program, if I had chosen to not follow the program as intended I wouldn't have gotten the results I was seeking. Realistic and healthy expectations are important when considering a program in order to make the best choice for yourself, but also so that you are aware of what will happen over the duration of your program. I wanted the maximum results from the Arbonne program so I made my choices to reflect that. There were no surprises and I knew exactly what to expect. Your program and coach should allow for the same. Habits or Quick Fix? I was so sick of the fad diets. I saw friends starving themselves, refusing foods, eating nothing but fruit for three days, and running for hours on end to manage their weight and feel more fit. I was not that person. I needed something that would allow me to build habits over time and provided me the guidance to do so. Does the program you're considering allow for you to address issues around sleep and movement? Are you building habits that you can sustain over time? Will you see change in the other direction once you stop? Is the program helping you build a healthy relationship with nutritious foods? Are you able to become more in tune with the messages your body is sending you? Tracking I was vehemently opposed to counting calories or anything like this because I was terrible at it. I didn't like being told what to do and my thinking was "if I am restricted with my calorie intake then I will surly starve." I get it, I'm ridiculous! Another limiting belief holding me back. While I still do not count calories, I also had to get a grip that tracking my new habits was important so I could see what changes I needed to make to my plan so I could reach my goals. If I was running for an hour, 4 days a week and eating 1200 calories trust and believe I wasn't going to be losing weight! That's something that didn't work for my body. I wasn't getting enough of the right calories to fuel my body for the amount of work I was putting in. At the time, I just become frustrated and didn't know to change so I could actually reach my health goals. Does the program you're considering allow for you to track your habits in a way that allows you to make the changes needed to help you reach your health goals? Have the difficult conversation with yourselfI had never been here before. I had only ever gained weight when I was pregnant and I almost never felt stress for too long because I am far too forgetful to remember what caused me the stress in the first place. It is a blessing and a curse really. I didn't want to look at myself in the mirror. My clothes felt uncomfortable. I ran from people taking photos. I was embarrassed because I knew better. What kind of health and wellness consultant does this to themselves? It was easier for me to ignore my feelings by binge watching Netflix than it was to feel them during a 30-minute workout. I hit rock bottom when I looked at photo taken of me and our new puppy and I didn't recognize myself. I knew it was time to really sit with the feelings so I could honor them and release them. There is no more important conversation than the one that you have with yourself. I cried a lot but here's why that conversation with myself was so crucial:
It was hard to face my reality but I wasn't ready to allow myself to stay in this place. I knew that my fear of living this way forever was FAR greater than making changes to my diet or a 30-minute workout. Plus, I had the best system available to me. One that I was familiar with, that allowed me to not only to look at what I was eating but help me create habits that I could sustain long term. So What do I do Now?First, let's recap real quick. Here's what to look for when choosing the right program:
1. Cost - what exactly are you paying for? Service, products, support. 2. Coach - you've got to vibe with this person so you can accepting of tough love if needed. 3. Community - surround yourself with likeminded and encouraging people. 4. Time - how long is the program for and can you easily fit new habits into your day? 5. Expectations and flexibility - are they real and can they be flexible? 6. Sustainable habits or a quick fix? - You want to maintain your goals long term. 7. Tracking - can you easily track and make adjustments as you go? Take the time to get in tune with what you want your health goals to be. If it's lowering stress or losing weight it is helpful to have some idea of where you'd like to start. I started by doing some reading (this website was helpful) much like you're doing now, so I could narrow down my goals. If you're having some mental blocks or fears then check out this free guide on how I got myself together. You can also learn more about the Arbonne program that I use to teach people how to feel more fit, manage their weight, and have more energy --> here. Lastly keep in mind that everyone's journey is different because their needs are different. Just because other lose weight faster doesn't make you incapable of losing weight. Just because someone is able to bounce back from stress more easily doesn't mean that you will live with stress forever. What causes anxiety in someone else may be a cake walk for you. Your journey doesn't need to match anyone else's. I think that is why I didn't completely lose all sense of reality when I found myself back at square one; this is my path and I am on it to heal, grow, and help others. You can do the same and until then,
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After going through a difficult loss, I had lost myself and was putting everyone and everything ahead of myself. I wanted my energy back, to find my passion for the activities I enjoy, to reconnect with my body & my inner athlete. Now that I am on that path, I teach busy people to prioritize their health so they can live a happier, healthier, sustainable lifestyle.
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