No matter where I go in Monaco – EQvita, Song Qi or Maya Bay – I overhear women chatting about their weight, saying “how fat I am” or “how I bloated I feel”. It’s a particularly repetitive conversation at the beginning of the New after weeks of holiday indulging with food or alcohol – or both!
So here’s my advice. If you’re going to invest in anything to lose weight and feel good about yourself this year, make it this: a Health Coach.
I’m not just saying that because I happen to be one, but for the reason that “what got you here won’t get you there”.
Let me explain.
Your way of eating, moving and thinking – your “pattern” – is what determines the way you look and feel, and this is also responsible for that extra weight you want to get rid of. We all have a pattern and it’s a comfortable place to be because most of the time it operates on auto-pilot.
Every once in a while, though, and often at the beginning of January, we have the urge to break free from the mold.
I’m sure right now you’re full of hope, motivation and willpower to make a fresh start so that 2018 is your healthiest, happiest and most successful year yet … right?
You may have started a new diet or detox, a juice cleanse or committed to a new workout regime. Maybe you got yourself a new trainer, like Morgan Biancone, or a new gym membership to Thirty Nine, Ms Fit or Boost, and that’s great.
But we all know that the motivation and the drive you are feeling right now, will likely fade.
The moment your schedule get a bit tricky, you get busy taking the kids to the Monte Carlo Circus or make plans for a romantic Cinq Mondes Spa Valentine’s weekend at Monte-Carlo Bay, you or a family member gets the flu, or you get burned out from all those workouts, your pattern will be there, waiting for you with open arms.
Falling back into a pattern has nothing to do with willpower, motivation or discipline. It’s human nature and I’m afraid we’re all in the same boat here.
Those who manage to break free from their pattern are often people who either have, unfortunately, endured a trauma or somehow manage to shift their way of thinking to create a new pattern.
This is the shift we create as Health Coaches. We don’t just want you to loose weight. We want you to keep it off by addressing the reasons why it got there in the first place, like why you automatically order your favourite dessert – the velvety Tablette au Chocolat Crémeux – at Bagatelle even though you know you shouldn’t, and don’t even feel like it.
We want to know what is creating stress in your life and preventing you from getting that good night’s sleep and help you to distance yourself from it.
We treat the causes, not just the symptoms, to find what truly works for you because the only way for you to break free from your pattern and to make this the new chapter you so badly crave, is to help you create a Monaco life you truly love and that makes you feel good from the inside out.
No amount of willpower, of calorie burning workouts, powders, pills or diet plans can do this for you, but you can do it for yourself.
So if you are ready for this to be the last time you make resolutions about your weight, health and fitness, and want to drop those few extra pounds and keep them off, then remember: what got you here won’t get you there.
Reach out to a qualified Health Coach. It’s time to chat.
Maddy is the Founder of Nutrition For Naughty People, aimed at helping individuals find a better balance between the things that keep them healthy and the things that make them happy! Any questions? mk@nutritionfornaughtypeople.com.