I decided to write this article because after Christmas and new years a few of my clients came back in for their regular sessions telling me that they didn’t do so well over the season.

Upon further investigation with one client in particular, it appeared that her actual results far exceeded her own expectations.

Why is that? Why did she actually move forward towards her goal but at the same be convinced that she had messed up.

The reason for this may surprise you.

But first let me tell you how I would determine what doing well is and what it’s not.

The first thing I will ask is – What are your expectations for yourself? If your expectations are too high then your feeling is based on an unrealistic expectation. If they are too low, then you will tend to not believe the results you achieve.

To help determine whether those expectations are reasonable or not, I will be assessing the consistency of 2 specific areas:

Food prep and Exercise.

Its these two habits that are the most important for you to make part of your life in order to achieve your ideal body.

What we do every day becomes who we are.

It does not matter how determined you are, how much motivation you may seem to have, or how much you really want your goal, the simple thing that I have learnt from other successful people, is that our habits define us.

So now you know it has something to do with habits I want to go a bit deeper and show you precisely how she did it.

Let me introduce you to my client Sue, and she does not mind that she is on display here.

Her top priorities are below

– Kids

– Work

– Housework

– Gym

– Food prep

– Husband

– Relax/tv/read a book

Here are the top 3 most important things in her life

– Kids

– Husband

– Work

And this is what her priorities looked like over the holiday season

– Exercise

– Kids

– Food prep

– Shopping

– Time with kids and extended family

– Relax/tv/read a book

– Housework

Note that Food Prep and Exercise were in her top 3. So even though, she had been operating out of her normal environment and on a couple of occasions had had some treats, she still moved towards her goal.

When Sue came to see me she had her mind fixated on the things she did wrong. To her, those few slip ups totally outweighed the good things she had done. But when we sat down and looked at her food journal it was obvious to me that she’d done well. I was focused on the things she’d done well which in reality completely trumped the odd slip up she’d had here and there.

There is something else to note about your top 3 priorities. What ever they are they will always get done, always! Your 4th and 5th priority will likely get done most days but not everyday.

So its about what we do consistently that counts for much much more. The 2 areas are Food prep and Exercise and they must be in your top 3, if not your Top 5.

One of the biggest barriers to making this a reality for you is you. We can be our own worst enemy. Who knows where Sue might have gone with her actions and thinking had she not had that positive reinforcement of her weekly nutrition coach.

If you’re ready to make a lasting change to your diet and lifestyle, I’d highly recommend professional health coaching. It’s not just me that thinks so, check out tons of stories from happy clients here.

I’d love to hear from you and answer any questions you might have. You can do that by clicking here.

If you’re good right now I understand. Let me give you a heads up on some of the other useful content that’s coming your way in future posts.

Look out for my next posts on:

Nutrition and eating habits – When should you eat, how much, should you avoid carbs? How can you eat healthy and set a good example for your family… without dieting.

Exercise habits – Should you lift weights or use machines, how much cardio should you do? What about yoga or running? Do you need to go to the gym?

Lifestyle habits – How can you get more restful sleep, and wake up feeling happy and full of positive energy? How can you feel more confident and attractive?

Yours in health

Tarryn Thompson