May'17 may17 | Page 15

www.newellstrength.com www.unlockingyourinnerstrength.com There is a reason why the following three questions have absolutely nothing to do with food and everything to do with self-honesty. #1: What’s your WHY? Why is losing weight important to you? Obviously, looking good naked or fitting into old clothes is a great motivator, but it goes way beyond that. It requires self-examination and digging a little deeper to help you uncover some important emotional aspects of who you are and what is driving you. This can be very difficult and uncomfortable but where there is discomfort, also lies truth. The “5-6-7” is a powerful exercise we use with every client to help them gain clarity about why their goals are important to them. The “5-6-7” holds the significance and is the fuel that lights the fire in achieving your goals. If losing fat is your goal ask yourself, “Why is that important?” If it’s to look good in your bathing suit, ask yourself “Why does that matter?” and continue down that path until you find the answer that truly motivates you. #2 Are you ready to change? Have you ever said, “I want to eat healthier” only to start a diet and end up feeling like a failure when you didn’t stick with it? Maybe you’ve said “I want to start going to the gym 3x/week” only to go for one day and not return back in weeks? You may want to eat healthier. You may want to make fitness a bigger part of your life but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are ready to yet. And by the way, that is 100% okay! Identify your “WHY”, examine what you want to change, and then establish how confident you are in making that change. #3 How much change can you handle? When building habits, making one change at a time has about an 87% success rate. Add in a second habit and your success rate drops to about 30%. Now add in a third habit and your success rate drops to 10%. This is not to discourage you but it’s been shown time and time again that focusing on less allows you to achieve more. By trying to walk before we crawl with nutrition we can end up disappointed and frustrated. Allow yourself to master one thing before taking on the next. This is why it’s important to consider all areas of your life and then ask yourself, “Right now, how much change can I handle?” If you’re already stressed about aspects of your life, trying to make too many dietary changes at once can just add to it. None of these questions have anything to do with protein, carbs or fat but they can bring you to a level of self-awareness that is needed before any true and sustainable change can happen. Clarity is needed for transformation. Self-awareness brings about change. Nutrition can certainly be challenging, but with introspection and patience, you can change your life. Announcments: -We are currently running a food drive at Newell Strength. Non- perishable items are welcome and you can drop them in the box at the gym.