Some of you may be asking, “what does my self-talk or how I think of myself have to do with heart health or health in general or even nutrition for that matter?”…..The truth is, that our minds will accept, as our own truth, just about anything we feed it. If our mind believes it, so does every cell in our body – therefore, potentially effecting, how our body functions and acts. We are creative beings, always creating our own reality. Once we can pay more attention to our own thinking and be more intentional about placing and repeating certain thoughts, the more our health and quality of life can potentially improve.

Consider your thoughts as an outside observer. Observe how your mind reacts to aspects of the day, just take note. Even write it down. That way, you can choose an opposite phrase to replace it with in the future. The negative, automatic thoughts, will soon turn into supportive thoughts and statements with time and practice.

There is tendency to “prove” our thoughts as truth. Statements like “Isn’t that always the truth though?” “Doesn’t that always happen that way?” or “Life hates me”, “I hate life”, “I never get ahead” “I’m always getting sick” etc. I think you get the idea. But haven’t you noticed how those statements actually become the truth. Instead of focusing and putting attention on the thing that went wrong and then solidifying into your subconscious as your typical life experience, how about we focus on what we want, how we feel or want to feel, how we want to see our world and so forth. Changing our thoughts from “I hate life”, to “I love life and life loves me”, “I always find the best parking spots”, “I prosper wherever I turn”, “I go beyond my fears and limitations”, “I make sound decisions that support my needs, health and goals”, “my body is strong, healthy and wise. It heals itself with ease and grace”. See how many you can create for yourself and start repeating these phrases whenever possible. I have kept index cards in my visor of my car. Whenever I am at a stop light, instead of grabbing my phone, I center myself with an affirmation and some self-care. Make them your screen savers, put them on the home screen of your phone, use sticky notes on your mirrors, place notes strategically in drawers you open repetitively each day. Get creative on planting powerful seeds for yourself on the daily.

For inspiration, check out this list! And check out the list of references below!

Books to Encourage Body Kindness/Acceptance & Support Versus Restriction and Control

• Fueling on Purpose: An interactive workbook to help shift perspectives around nutrition, movement, & health by Nicole Kerneen,RD,CD,CSSD & Annie Weiss,MS,RD
• Good Food Bad Diet by Abby Langer, RD
• Health at Every Sizeby Lindo Bacon.
• Radical Belonging: How to Survive and Thrive in an Unjust World (While Transforming it for the Better)
• Intuitive Eating Book and Intuitive Eating Workbook by Tribole and Resch..
• Body Kindnessby Rebecca Scritchfield.
• The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Loveand The Body is Not an Apology Workbook by Sonya Renee Taylor.
• Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eatingby Christy Harrison, host of the podcast Food Psych
• Eat to Love, an intuitive and mindful eating book with a Buddhist approach, by Jenna Hollenstein, MS, RD
• The Diet-Free Revolutionby Alexis Conason. Reframing dieting and diet “failure” as pervasive aspects of our culture–not individual failures–The Diet-Free Revolution offers a roadmap to healing, self-acceptance, and radical new ways of relating to and loving our bodies.
• More Than a Body: Your Body Is an Instrument, Not an Ornamentby Lexie and Lindsay Kite.
• Unapologetic Eating: Make Peace with Food and Transform Your Lifeby Alissa Rumsey.

Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash