Your beliefs have a lot more to do with your lifestyle than you may think; everything from your body size to your level of fitness to the types of food you eat most often - and more. Basically, everything you do or don't do in life is based on a set of beliefs that support the actions. For example, you may have always avoided exercise because you kept telling yourself you didn't like it. Or you may have told yourself since childhood that you don't enjoy eating vegetables.

Questioning and examining these beliefs is important because you may find that they have been holding you back from achieving your health goals. Spend time each day exploring your beliefs about yourself, your body, your health, and everything else related to your current goals. Write down what you believe to be true about these things. Your list might look something like this: "It's hard for me to lose weight because I have a slow metabolism. I never lose weight on low fat diets, only low carb. I inherited my mother's genes; she's overweight just like me." As you write these things down, think carefully about them and consider whether they are really true or not. You may be surprised to discover that some of these beliefs are misleading or downright false.

Once you identify a false or otherwise limiting belief, begin changing it by telling yourself a new story. After all, that's exactly what your existing beliefs are - stories you have been telling yourself for years! Your new story might go something like this: "It's true that my metabolism has slowed down some over the years, but I can boost it again by eating healthful foods and working out each day. I will lose weight naturally just by moderating my intake of carbs and fat. I may have inherited the tendency for obesity from my mother, but I can still choose to live a healthy or unhealthy lifestyle and my body weight will be affected either positively or negatively because of it."

As you change the stories you tell yourself, you change your own behaviors and ultimately, your results!

by Dianne R Maurer
Weight Loss Success Coach