Tag Archive for: new year

5 Tips for a More Mindful New Year

It’s just about that time of year, when the New Year nears, and it’s all about “New Year, New Me.” The “new me” is usually associated with joining the gym and going on a crash diet, all to lose a few pounds. Instead of starting your New Year off with enjoyment and ready to tackle what comes your way, you’re starting it off with food restrictions and stress about going to the gym and “needing” to lose weight.

 

The New Year means a new season to improve yourself, however for many that means weight loss. Let’s try something different this New Year and reframe your thought process.

 

Change your “New Year, New Me” mentality into “New Year, More Mindfulness.”

 

By taking a step back from focusing solely on weight loss and what your body looks like, you’ll develop a greater appreciation for what your body is capable of and what it needs to be at its best.

 

Here are 5 Tips for a More Mindful New Year:

 

  1. Recommit To Your Diet-Free Journey

 

Remind yourself why you began your intuitive eating journey or are planning to begin it. Then every time another commercial hits the airwaves, an email pops up in your inbox, or your friend chews your ear off with the new diet they are on, quietly repeat this mantra to yourself “I have committed to a diet-free life. I rock!”

 

  1. State Your New Year Intention

 

Set a clear intention about what you want to experience in 2023 and what steps you will take to reach your goals. Write down your big intention and keep it in a visible spot around your home. Reflect on it throughout the year when you need a reminder about what you want to accomplish by 2024!!

 

  1. Listen to Your Body

 

Instead of focusing on the weight you “need” to lose and restricting your favorite foods, focus on listening to your body. What is your body trying to tell you?  Does it want you to stop dieting?  Does it want you to feed it nourishing meals?  By taking the time to listen to your body, you’ll develop a stronger relationship with it, and you’ll learn to love your body.

 

  1. Practice Moderation, Not Deprivation

 

You may feel like you need to deprive yourself to avoid weight gain, but that’s not true. When you deprive yourself, the backlash is overeating and bingeing.  If you take the time to listen to your body and savor each bite, you’ll find you are satisfied with smaller portions.

 

  1. Avoid Celebrating with Food

 

Whenever something good happens in life, a birthday, promotion, anniversary, etc., going out to eat is the common way to celebrate. But, if you’re struggling with your relationship with food, this can be a difficult time. Instead of going out to eat to celebrate an occasion, find another way to celebrate that makes you feel comfortable and happy.

 

By becoming more mindful of your body and what your body needs, you’ll be able to honor and respect it!  With mindfulness, you’ll learn to become an intuitive eater.  You’ll be able to avoid overeating, feeding your emotions, and loving your body once again.

6 Steps to a Diet-Free Commitment in 2021

Whoo hoo! We are just about ready to say goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021! I don’t think there is anyone who isn’t happy to leave this year behind us.

 

The only problem is that with a New Year, comes all the pressure to start a new diet! Wherever you turn, you will be bombarded with diet talk- in the salon, supermarket, office, on the radio, newspaper ads etc. It’s sometimes difficult not to fall prey to the New Year diet marketing, even if you’ve already commited to no more diets! That’s how strong those messages can be.

 

The #1 barrier to a healthy relationship with food and your body is believing that “this will be the diet that works for me.”

 

And just like that, you hold yourself back from finally finding freedom from the battle with food and your body that you’ve been living with for years.

 

Busting through the Diet Temptation Barrier

 

I promise you that dieting is not going to bring you any peace in your life. All that dieting will do is keep you on the roller coaster of restriction – binge eating – guilt – shame.

 

If dieting was the answer, it would have “worked” a long time ago.

 

So, how do you bust through this temptation to do “just one more diet”?

 

6 Steps to a Diet-Free Commitment

 

First and foremost, I want you to know that I understand the temptation to try that one last diet. I’ve been there before, so I really do get it. Here are 6 steps to help you commit to being diet free in 2021.

 

1.Take quiet time: Take a few minutes tonight and sit with yourself quietly. Be sure that you are relaxed, not hungry, and tell your family that you don’t want to be interrupted for at least 30 minutes. You’ll need to have a pad and pen handy.

 

2.Reflect on your dieting history: Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and ask yourself the following questions:

  • What has been the emotional cost of all my years of dieting? (examples – depression, anxiety, poor body image etc.)

 

  • What has been the relationship cost of all my years of dieting? (examples – lost friendships, broken relationships, social anxiety etc.)

 

  • What has been the health cost of all my years of dieting? (Example – blood sugar swings, elevated blood pressure, hair falling out, menstrual irregularities, GI trouble etc.)

 

After each question, open your eyes and begin writing. Don’t edit your words, just write.

 

3.Review your responses: Read your responses to each question OUT LOUD (this part is really crucial), and now ask yourself this last MOST IMPORTANT question:

 

If I don’t break this chronic dieting pattern, how will that affect my future, and that of my daughters (and sons) who are watching me and learning from me?

 

4.Declare your diet-free commitment: “I am committed to never dieting again!”

 

5.Seek community: Join other women on the journey towards breaking free of dieting in my Intuitive Eating for a Diet Free Life Facebook Group. Click here to request to join! (Please answer the membership questions for admission).

 

6.Take a leap of faith: Click HERE to schedule a complementary call with me to get started on your intuitive eating journey in 2021.

 

You don’t need to walk this journey alone, nor should you. We all need support along the way. I’m here for you if you are ready.

 

Join me for a LIVE TRAINING today at 12:15 pm EST where I will dive deeper into living diet free!

 

It’s all happening in the Intuitive Eating for a Diet Free Life private Facebook Group right HERE. Join us!

 

5 Steps to a Diet-Free Commitment this Year

Happy New Year! I’m excited that it’s a new year…there is so much that I want to do in 2019. First and foremost, on the TOP of my list is to spend more time with my kids and grandchildren. Every time I see my yummy grandsons (Evan, 5 years old and Zach, 3 years old), my heart lights up!

 

In truth, I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like mostly due to my and my husband’s work schedules, and the work schedules of my son and daughter-in-law. And, it doesn’t help that they, and my other married son live across 2 bridges. But I always say that we have to count our blessings and I am thankful that I don’t have to get on a plane to see them!

 

 

Sometimes there are barriers to achieving the things we really want in life. If we let those barriers hold us back, then we will rarely achieve our goals. It’s important to do what is within our power to make happen what we want to happen.

 

The Number One Barrier to a Healthy Relationship with Food and Your Body

 

Right now, during the first week of January, the number one barrier to you creating a healthy relationship with food and your body is the slew of dieting ads and commercials that promise you the weight loss you so desire.

 

You may not see it this way. Perhaps you are reading these ads and thinking “this will be the diet that works for me.” And just like that, you hold yourself back from finally finding freedom from the battle with food and your body that you’ve been living with for years.

 

Busting through the Diet Temptation Barrier

 

I promise you that dieting is not going to bring you any peace in your life. All that dieting will do is keep you on the roller coaster of restriction – binge eating – guilt – shame.

 

If dieting was the answer, it would have “worked” a long time ago.

 

So, how do you bust through this temptation to do “just one more diet”?

 

First and foremost, I want you to know that I understand the temptation to try that one last diet. I’ve been there before, so I really do get it. Here are 5 steps to help you commit to being diet-free in 2019!

 

  1. Take a few minutes tonight and sit with yourself quietly. Be sure that you are relaxed, not hungry, and tell your family that you don’t want to be interrupted for at least 30 minutes. You’ll need to have a pad and pen handy.

 

  1. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and ask yourself the following questions:
  • What has been the emotional cost of all my years of dieting? (examples – depression, anxiety, poor body image etc.)
  • What has been the relationship cost of all my years of dieting? (examples – lost friendships, broken relationships, social anxiety etc.)
  • What has been the health cost of all my years of dieting? (Example – blood sugar swings, elevated blood pressure, hair falling out, menstrual irregularities, GI trouble etc.)

 

After each question, open your eyes and begin writing. Don’t edit your words, just write.

 

  1. Read your responses to each question OUT LOUD (this part is really crucial), and now ask yourself this last MOST IMPORTANT question:

 

If I don’t break this chronic dieting pattern, how will that affect my future and that of my daughters (and sons) who are watching me and learning from me?

 

  1. Declare “I am committed to never dieting again!”.

 

  1. Click HERE to schedule a quick complementary call with me to get started on your intuitive eating journey in 2019!

 

You don’t need to walk this journey alone, nor should you. We all need support along the way. I’m here for you if you are ready. Are you ready? Let me know in the comments below!

My 2018 Theme Word Revealed

Happy New Year! This is the first blog of 2018. I’m very excited for what’s to come in the New Year as I’ve been speaking to so many women (and a few good men!) who are truly ready to give up dieting. Hard to believe especially on January 3rd when there is so much talk about New Year’s resolutions and the new diets that will finally “help” you get the body you always wanted.

 

You are smarter than that. How do I know that? Because you are reading my blog:)

 

Okay, seriously. No good will come from starting a new diet now that a new year is here. But it’s so darn tempting! Even those of you on the intuitive eating journey might find it a wee bit tempting to just try the new diet you read about, and then come back to intuitive eating.

 

It won’t work. Don’t fall prey to that.

 

I know that giving up dieting and your ‘dream’ body is tough. I get it. But really what you are giving up is disappointment and false hope, which is what every diet gives you. And I’ll take that any day! Can I get an Amen!

 

Every year I reflect on my own life and journey, both personal and professional. And I choose a theme word that will drive all my thoughts, decisions and actions for the next year. I’ve given this a lot of thought and I’m ready to reveal my word for 2018…

 

Self-Care!

 

This is not a new concept to many of you, I’m fully aware of that. And, it’s not a new concept to me either! I teach my clients to move their self-care up the totem pole, from the back burner to the front burner…as part of their intuitive eating journey. As a matter of fact, Building Your Support and Self-Care Plan is Step 2 in my 5 Step Intuitive Eating Program called Freedom to Eat Forever™.

 

But you know what. I am human. And what I reflected on at the end of 2017 is that my own self-care was starting to move back down the totem pole. And, I felt it in many ways, including physically, mentally and emotionally.

 

So, I am committed to moving my own self-care back up to the top so that I can refill my cup and then better serve my family and my clients.

 

I’ll share more about how I’m going to do this on a special Real Talk with Bonnie Facebook Live tomorrow, Thursday January 4th at 6:15 pm EST on my Facebook Business page.

 

Make sure you LIKE my page HERE so you get notified the moment I go live. You don’t want to miss this!

 

In the meantime, comment below and let me know what YOUR theme word is for 2018!

 

Oh, and if you’d like me to help you build your self-care plan, just request to speak with me at www.TalkWithBonnie.com

 

 

 

Did You Get Sucked in to the New Year’s Diet Scheme?

I’m sure it feels like everyone you know is starting a new diet or workout regime this month. In the past I’m sure that even YOU have fallen into the hypnosis of the “January start a new diet” trend set by the diet industry. I want to challenge you to try a different approach to your health this year.

 

The truth is that every “new diet” you see is actually the same. There is always going to be the latest trend hitting the internet or newsstands. But at the end of the day, all diets have one thing in common: someone other than yourself is telling you what to eat, when to eat, and how to eat.  And truth be told, they aren’t going to help you feel better about your relationship with food OR yourself.

 

So, let’s not kick off 2017 with a cloud of dieting thoughts over your head, okay? It’s time to jump OFF the diet roller coaster and to start listening to your inner wisdom.

 

Who better to listen to than your own body?

 

Okay, so this sounds all great, right? And the new programs that are being marketed now are calling themselves “Lifestyle Programs”. But let me let you in on a little secret. Those “Lifestyle Programs” are just fancy names for diets. They say they want to help you make lifestyle changes, but they are still giving you lists of foods to eat and not to eat.

 

Oh, by the way, don’t even get me started on those doctors with Harvard degrees that are promoting “Detoxes”. Give me a break! Anyone is going to lose weight if they drink these concoctions for a week or a month. Then what happens after the detox is over? You know what happens….

 

But I divert. Let me get back on course here.
If you are riding the diet roller coaster, you’re probably unhappy with your body and have an unhealthy relationship with food.

 

Coming next month I have a free training called “The 5 Steps to Break Free of Dieting” where I explain the 5 steps you need to get the body and life you love without the pain and restriction of dieting.

 

Come join our Facebook community group to get notified when this free training will take place, or check back to this blog next week for more information!

 

Revealing My ‘Word’ of 2017

We are 5 days into the New Year….how are you doing with your New Year’s Intentions?

 

Remember from last week’s post, I am not a believer in resolutions! I like to think instead of “Intentions for the New Year”

 

There’s a lot of talk online about picking a word or theme for the year. This is a word or theme that will define how you want to feel and act in the New Year. I’ve never been one to actually pick a word or theme, but this year was different.

 

It just happened. I felt it in my bones. It was intuitive. And all of a sudden I was posting in my business support group my intentions for the New Year and my word for 2017 came alive.

 

Ready for it?? Here it comes………….

 

FUN!

 

I have decided that I want to add more fun to my life on both a personal level and a professional level. Now, I’m sure you can figure out how I’ll add fun to my personal level. Think date nights with hubby, fun activities with my kids, and giggles with my grandsons.

 

But how will I infuse fun into my professional life?

 

Well, it happened organically at our New Year’s party Facebook Live! I put on my New Year’s hat, 2017 funky glasses and had my party horn, with music playing and was dancing live in our private FB group. The members of my group joined in…posting selfies in their New Year’s getup and dancing wherever they were (home, in a hotel, in their car – as a passenger!).

 

In between all the fun, we settled down and got down to business, learning about the mental blocks that keep you spinning in the diet-deprivation vicious cycle.

 

It was amazing! I got positive feedback and made some great connections (seems my 2nd word for the year is becoming ‘connection’). And from this experience, my 2017 word was born…FUN. We can have fun and overcome our deepest struggles at the same time.

 

Are you ready to have fun AND leave your food and body struggles behind?

 

If so, I have an opportunity for you! And, here it is:

 

Freedom to Eat Forever™ is a LIVE group program where I take you through my 5 step system to breaking free of dieting to become an intuitive eater. The program is opening for enrollment in February. But don’t wait until then.

 

Register in January to receive 2 amazing bonuses:

 

  1. 36 Ready-to-Go Nourishing Meals and Bonus Recipes

 

  1. 60 minute Private Coaching Call with me

 

 

Email me at Bonnie@DietFreeRadiantMe.com to set up a complementary time to speak with me to learn more about the program and to see if it is a right fit for you. No pressure! If it’s not a fit, I will tell you!

 

These January bonuses disappear on January 20th and will NOT be offered to those who enroll in February!

 

Freedom to Eat Forever™ is your opportunity to make peace with food, enjoy guilt-free eating a life free of dieting and a body you love.  

I’m waiting here for your email. Or, just call me direct at 516-486-4569.

 

P.S. What’s YOUR word of 2017? Tell me in the comments below!

 

New Year, More Mindfulness

Whenever the New Year nears, it’s all about “New Year, New Me”.  The “new me” is usually associated with joining the gym and going on a crash diet, all to lose a few pounds.  Instead of starting your New Year off with enjoyment and ready to tackle what comes your way, you’re starting it off with food restrictions and stress about going to the gym and “needing” to lose the weight.

 

Why do you associate the New Year with weight loss?

 

Let’s try something different this New Year and reframe your thought process.  Change your “New Year, New Me” mentality into “New Year, More Mindfulness”.  By taking a step back from focusing solely on weight loss and what your body looks like, you’ll develop a greater appreciation for what your body is capable of and what it needs to be its best.

 

Here are 5 tips on how to, or continue to, be mindful in the New Year:

 

  1. Recommit to your diet-free journey. Remind yourself why you began your intuitive eating journey, or are planning to begin it. Then every time another commercial hits the airwaves, an email pops up in your inbox or your friend chews your ear off with the new diet she is on, quietly repeat this mantra to yourself “I have committed to a diet-free life. I rock!”

 

  1. State your New Year intention. Set a clear intention about what you want to experience in 2017 and what steps you will take to reach your goals. Write down your big intention and keep it in a visible spot around your home.  Reflect back on it throughout the year when you need a reminder about what you want to accomplish by 2018!!

 

  1. Listen to your body. Instead of focusing on the weight you “need” to lose and restricting your favorite foods, focus on listening to your body. What is your body trying to tell you?  Does it want you to stop dieting?  Does it want you to feed it nourishing meals?  By taking the time to listen to your body, you’ll develop a stronger relationship with it and you’ll learn to love your body.

 

  1. Practice moderation, not deprivation. You may feel like you need to deprive yourself to avoid weight gain, but that’s not true. When you deprive yourself, the backlash is overeating and bingeing.  If you take the time to listen to your body and savor each bite, you’ll find you are satisfied with smaller portions.

 

  1. Avoid celebrating with food. Whenever something good happens in life, birthday, promotion, anniversary, etc., going out to eat is the common way to celebrate. But, if you’re struggling with your relationship with food, this can be a difficult time.  Instead of going out to eat to celebrate an occasion, find another way to celebrate that makes you feel comfortable and happy,

 

By becoming more mindful of your body and what your body needs, you’ll be able to give your body what it wants.  With mindfulness, you’ll learn to become an intuitive eater.  You’ll be able to avoid overeating, feeding your emotions and loving your body once again.

 

If you want to talk, just contact me here.