5 Health Fibs We Tell Ourselves (and how to stop them before the holidays)

The joy of the holidays sometimes comes with unintentional sabotaging of our health goals. It’s time to start being mindful now of the little white lies we tell ourselves when it comes to why we can or can’t achieve those goals so that you can make the decision to avoid them this holiday season. If you’ve said one of these fibs to yourself keep on reading.

1. It’s too expensive.
2. I can start on Monday/January 1st/when my kids go back to school/after the holiday…
3. I can exercise to cancel out poor choices.
4. I’ll never succeed because I have bad genes.
5. I just don’t have the time.

Remove those phrases from your vocabulary and start speaking to yourself differently. Below are a few tips on how to approach those false and limiting beliefs to keep them from coming back. Are you ready to commit?

It’s too expensive.

Try saying to yourself, “My health goals are not important to me.” If that doesn’t make you feel so great then the time has come to re-prioritize your spending and reinvest that money into your health. You’ll be surprised by how much you were spending on daily lattes or happy hours and once you change your habits and mindset you may actually find yourself spending less when focusing on your health!

I can start on Monday/January 1st/when my kids go back to school/after the holiday…

Make a decision to start now and KNOW going into any holiday or celebration where food and drink are involved that you are not perfect. No one is. Focus on the end goal. If you start now that means you’ll be feeling better sooner. Start to visualize what that looks like, what that feels like for you. Also, if you check out your calendar, you’ll see that there is a holiday, birthday, wedding or some form of celebration pretty much every month so that excuse is just silly. Start with one mindful choice at a time, even if that’s something as simple as aiming to drink more water in a day and take it from there!

I can exercise to cancel out poor choices.

Exercise is always a good thing, but it shouldn’t be used as a way to try ‘undoing’ a string of poor eating or drinking choices. If you don’t have proper fuel you may find yourself feeling worse after a workout. Change takes time,= and I’ve also found that by working out more frequently, even if it’s just going for walks, you are actually more likely to make better choices overall.

I’ll never succeed because I have bad genes.

I can go on and on about this one from personal experience (but please don’t ask me to, I’ll never get anything else done) Yes, your genes play a role in your health, but you still have control over what you are putting into your body and how you are treating it. When I was suffering from autoimmune issues and stuck in a food and drink pity party this was one of my go-to excuses. It was when I started listening to my body and treating it a bit nicer that I started to notice how it affected my overall health. My only regret is not doing something sooner.

I just don’t have the time.

You’re right, unless you make the time it won’t exist. Try saying to yourself “My work/tv show/kid’s soccer camp… is more important than my health,” and see how that feels. If you don’t have the health or energy to do those things, or even worse you’re not around long enough to enjoy them for years to come then why wouldn’t you want to make the time?

Decide. Prioritize. Commit. Take Action. Succeed.