Posted on

TWM 23 – Wellness Choices: Easy or Hard? It’s how you frame it in your mind.

TWM-23

Wellness Choices: Easy or Hard? It’s how you frame it in your mind.

Today's Will Power Moment - 23

with Dr. James Meschino

Over the years I have heard many patients tell me that it’s so hard to not to eat the following foods:

  • Cheesecake
  • French fries
  • Butter tarts
  • Donuts
  • Spareribs
  • Cream cheese
  • Name your poison…

Or it’s so hard to find the energy to exercise 30 minutes a day. The truth is that these things are as easy or as hard as you deem them to be. If you tell yourself these things are hard to do, then they will be hard to do, and you’ll probably fail in the long run. If you tell yourself they are quite easy to do, then guess what? They become very easy to do and you follow through.

To adopt a new habit of any kind means “reframing an action in your mind”. A thing can be as hard or as easy as you deem it to be. The same is very true for wellness habits. If you tell yourself that giving up cake is hard, then it will be, which taxes your self-control and increases the chances of failure under stressful conditions. If you tell yourself that giving up cake is a breeze and I can find a healthier substitute in the moment that is rewarding, then it feels easy. I continually tell myself it’s easy. I have found small little indulgences along the way that don’t make me feel deprived or that I’m on some gruelling, hardship program that is taking all the fun out of life.

There are much harder things in this world than making a few simple dietary changes that will ultimately give you a better looking and healthier body. Just think about how hard it would be to be refugee in some worn-torn country, where you are forced to flee your home and walk miles on end each day through an arid desert to find a safe haven in a refugee camp on the other side of the world. Now that looks hard to me. Exercising for 30 minutes a day in an air-conditioned building, or outside on beautiful spring, summer or fall day, with state -of -the-art exercise equipment and athletic wear, by comparison, is a walk in the park. That’s not hard, it’s easy. It’s all a matter of how you build it up in your mind.

People who succeed with wellness make it look easy, because in their mind – IT IS EASY. And that translates into following through and enjoying and appreciating the body and health they have achieved and continue to maintain. So, if you’ve been struggling to give up the bad foods and can’t find the time or energy to exercise regularly, it’s probably because you’ve been telling yourself it’s so hard to do. I suggest you change the internal dialogue and start telling yourself it’s easy as pie (now that doesn’t mean I want you to eat pie, but you get the idea).

Any time you find yourself in a moment of temptation where you’re telling yourself it’s hard not to eat a particular food, remember my words today. Catch yourself in the moment and tell yourself, “this is gonna be easy”. Many times, all you have to do is find something else that is on your approved list of foods that still tastes good and does not sabotage your plan to achieve the healthy body you want and deserve.

Okay, easy or hard, it’s nothing more than a mind game. Easy-Peasy, that’s the internal conversation that removes all the anxiety and allows you to stay on track.

Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next time.

Dr. James Meschino
DC,MS, ROHP

Dr. James Meschino

Dr. James Meschino

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. James Meschino, DC, MS, ROHP, is an educator, author, and researcher having lectured to thousands of healthcare professionals across North America. He holds a Master’s Degree in Science with specialties in human nutrition and biology and is recognized as an expert in the field of nutrition, anti-aging, fitness, and wellness as well as the author of numerous books.

Share this:
Share