Your physical and mental health are connected. How can you tap into your mind-body connection and use this awareness to maintain a healthy weight and feel great?

I believe any weight loss journey must start with awareness and intention.

Ask yourself some important questions, and give yourself time to really reflect on the answers.

Why do you want to lose weight?
What’s your motivation to make this change?
Are you interested in making a change you can sustain long-term?
In what areas of your life are you feeling like you’re not ‘enough?’
What would it take for you to love and accept your body exactly as it is today?

Meditation can lead to powerful motivation.

Once you have the right mindset— and a sense of calm, clear focus— you can begin to set reasonable and powerful goals for your health.

Here are a few considerations to keep in mind.

Set Clear Goals

What exactly do you want to achieve? What small steps can you take to get there?

Set meaningful, realistic goals and you will be more motivated to stay consistent.

The more specific you can be with your goals, the better. For example, instead of setting the goal to lose a set number of pounds in a month, set a goal to walk a certain number of minutes per day, add greens to your plate at every meal, or increase your water intake. If you are making changes to your nutrition, you might consider swapping in foods that have less calories than you’ve been eating, for example, instead of using beef, try ground bison recipes.

Incorporate Joyfulness Into Your Routine

Remember to celebrate your success. How and when you reward yourself can be custom to your needs and what makes you feel good. How can you make achieving your next goal more enjoyable? Can you have fun in the process? You might consider rewarding yourself with something unique like a beautiful bouquet of flowers or an exciting trip to somewhere you’ve never been, rather than a food or meal that could leave you feeling like you’ve over-indulged.

Get a Support System

Having the support of family, friends, loved ones, and peers can make all the difference in your health and healing journey. There are many resources online as well as in local community groups. Support groups exist to help you achieve your desired, healthy weight with less pressure. Search for the resources that will help you feel supported, encouraged, and grounded. Surround yourself with positive people who will help hold you accountable and help you on days where you struggle or get discouraged.

Be Kind to Yourself

Changing your habits can bring up a lot of emotions. You might find that the sound of your inner critic becomes loud and harsh. Acknowledge your struggles and allow yourself to feel, process your emotions, and do the deep inner work of discovering what’s keeping you from loving yourself as you are.

Take a deep breath whenever you feel overwhelmed. Turn to your yoga practice, spend time in nature, and allow yourself the gift of rest when you need it.