A few days ago, a client knocked on my door. As I answered the door, I could see right away that he was fuming mad. It took me off guard because he is usually a pretty happy guy! He angrily said, “Griff, I have been eating like a rabbit, and I still can’t lose weight!” His frustration was palatable, and I took the next half hour to explore the root of his problem. It turns out that this particular gentleman WAS actually eating healthily and was getting enough water. I quickly went into my holistic coaching mode and dug for more.
As I began probing, I quickly learned that my client was sleeping under six hours a night, was stressed out by his work, and his romantic relationship was also suffering. In addition, his compounding stress was creating some rather nasty some self-esteem issues. In short, his body was out of balance, both mentally and physiologically.
How can this relate to weight loss?
I want you to start viewing weight loss as the byproduct of hormonal balance. The governor of your hormonal balance comes down to one single thing: STRESS! My client was stressed in the following ways:
-Sleep deprivation
-Lack of intimacy with his wife
-Over-exercising (yes, there is too much of a good thing)
-Too many deadlines/expectations (pressure)
-Negative internal dialogue (mental stress)
-Lack of self-time (no time to decompress)
-Felt uncertain concerning his relationships (emotional stress)
-Thermal stress (was fake-baking all of the time and getting burnt)
Remember, in his mind he was “fine” because he was eating well and
working out! It is so tempting to break health into a simplistic two-phased model of diet and exercise, but, in reality, we human beings are MUCH more complex! When we become imbalanced in ANY area of our lives, our body is forced into a fight or flight mode. When this happens, we begin to secrete excessive amounts of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline.
While these hormones play a very pivotal role in our every day lives, they can make it nearly impossible to lose weight, especially when they are produced in excess. The body essentially says, “I am under attack, and I need resources to deal with the incoming threats.” At this point our body begins holding on to food as if it is the last time it was ever going to eat! To make matters worse, you PUSH HARDER to force those extra pounds off just to find out that you gained an extra pound!
Instead of trying to force the round peg into the square hole, why not try to find a round hole? Look at your life in the following areas:
-Physically
-Mentally
-Emotionally
-Spiritually
What do you see when you take an introspective look inside? Do you see balance, or do you see STRESS and IMBALANCE? Only you can honestly answer these questions. These factors are just as important as diet and exercise. We are multi-faceted beings with multi-faceted needs, and when we neglect those needs because “we are in a hurry” or “don’t have time,” our body forces us to deal with consequences that we may not like. In essence, it is shouting to us, “WAKE UP! You’re out of balance!”
My challenge is to find ONE area of your life in which you feel imbalanced and begin working on it! Have a bad relationship that needs a little work? Work on it! Need to eat better? Start with adding a few veggies into your diet. Need to sleep more? Stop making excuses, and make a deadline for being in bed. Just focus on ONE thing at a time so that you don’t get overwhelmed. Begin to today to restore that balance that your body is so desperately craving.
It is time to start viewing weight loss through the lens of holistic health. When you come to the understanding that your body is merely a reflection of HOW BALANCED YOU ARE physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, you will have found the golden key to not only weight loss, but also to the treasure trove of holistic health.
Please let me know what you are planning to change. I literally ready every email and am more than willing to help!
Life is Good!
Griff