Are you a priority?

22nd May 2015

Live the way you want to be remembered.

I love nothing more than a meeting where all my members are already interacting, supporting each other and having the banter with each other before I even start my talk, it's great to observe and listen from the scales, seeing them take some time out of their lives for themselves. 

Prioritising yourself is something we all need to learn to do, we need to set aside the time to focus on our goals is essential for our long term weight loss success and a healthy and happy life.  It's difficult enough to stay on track and keep our motivation going, and I know that finding the time to focus on taking care of ourselves when we're busy can disappear of that 'to do' list.

Let's decide today to stop putting ourselves at the bottom of our 'to do' list, we're important too and need to prioritise ourselves.  How & why?

When the why I'd say is because when we don't it affects our eating, we tend to comfort eat more when we're busy, if you're last on your list of priorities then you're not really going to be very happy, nor are you setting a good example for those younger people in your world - you're telling them it's ok to put themselves last and it's not. Making yourself number one isn't 'selfish' it's self-care and it's essential for a healthy and happy life.

You've got to notice that you have less motivation and certainly less energy when you're just getting by and not focusing on yourself, we usually end up going back to our bad habits too, eating irregularly and not the best quality food and we laugh less because there just isn't time to stop and relax.  You just don't function at your best when you put yourself last!

So how can we get back to being top of our 'to do' list, well for me one thing I'm doing is stopping for lunch, I could work none stop because there's always something to do and I've realised I've gone back to eating at my desk so this week, I've take time out of my day to stop, cook lunch and sit down and eat it with my mom rather than rushing it whilst typing at the same time.  It's a bit of me time, I'm thinking about what we're eating, I'm enjoying cooking it and it doesn't take that long to knock something up then I'm enjoying spending a bit of time with mom in the middle of my day. 

So if you're thinking I can't do that, how about claiming 15 minutes a day for you - trust me you'll still get everything done, it will actually increase your productivity because it's make you feel better.  Do whatever you like in that time, read, meditate, write your food journal for the next day, have a bath, take a long shower, just sit and enjoy a cuppa, you know you're worth it.  Taking time for you isn't a luxury, it's a necessity - you can't function if you're not happy, so don't feel guilty for putting yourself first.

Remind yourself it's okay if it doesn't all get done, you're doing your best!  If you're life feels like on long 'to do' list then it's time to get control over it and make sure you're at the top.  It's okay for you to take time out of your day to do something that you enjoy, whether that be grabbing a coffee with a friend, going to the cinema or having a massage, we all need to turn off from the normality and reality of life once in a while. 

If you keep a diary why not book an appointment with yourself and don't let anyone invade that time, if you're one of my members, I hope you do that with your meeting, it should be in your meeting and unless your ill or on holiday then no one should be allowed to steal that hour, it's yours so that you can get the support and motivation needed to keep you on track and heading towards your weight loss goals. 

'Me time' can easily get scratched off that to do list so if it's in your diary as an appointment you're more likely to stick to it, you wouldn't just cancel a dentist appointment because you hadn't finished cleaning the kitchen so you don't cancel your 'me time' yep, make yourself a priority and it will show your children and your loved ones that you respect yourself enough to prioritise yourself, be that role model, drop the guilt if you still have any about putting yourself first and start making some 'me time' appointments.

Mines this afternoon, my massage is the one thing I do not cancel, it's my most valuable 'me time', I think I might be finding me some more this week too and having me a trip to the cinema, fancy Mad Max. I'm also going to continue to take that hour out each day to cook and enjoy some time with mom, I love a bit of 'me time'

Have a great day BeYOUtiful, think how to find yourself that 15 minutes.  I'm guessing you're thinking 'I wish, I just don't have time'.  Mmm you really do need to find it then.