What If?

What If?

I remember asking myself this question many years ago when my body image was less than desirable and I was more than worn out from all of the negative self-talk I had mastered over my life.

If you can relate to feelings of inadequacy, feeling like an imposter, feeling like you don’t look the way you should, feeling like you’re not going to succeed, so why bother, then you’re likely a human! If you can’t think of a time in your life when you could relate to any of those statements, please show me the stable of unicorns you keep.

Back on that fabled day that I remember so sharply, I began asking myself the “What If” question. It started with, “What If I incorporated one set of squats after my cardio workout?” (Back then I was all cardio and no strength training and I had no idea why my body wasn’t toned the way I thought it should be after spending countless hours running and cycling). Now, to be honest, that first “what if” came from the fact that I couldn’t stand the way I looked in shorts and I wondered if these people in the gym lifting weights might be on to something. I figured I had nothing to lose by adding one set of squats to my workout to see what the outcome might be. This positive way of thinking slowly started to infect other areas of my life. Instead of thinking, what if I try something and fail, my thinking changed to, what if I try something and I succeed? What more am I capable of?

After years of being everyone else’s cheerleader, I finally learned how to become my own.

What if you changed your thinking on New Year’s Resolutions? What if you chose to gain something from them?

Here are some examples:

Instead of, “I’m going to lose weight.”

Try, “I’m going to be able to hold a 60s plank”, “I’m going to learn how to use my strength training equipment.”, “I’m going to register for a community race and train properly for it.”
How - Write your goal down and make a plan! Register for a strength training class, try a free fitness app, recruit a buddy!

Instead of, “I’m going to give up drinking.”

Try, “I’m going to discover what drinking offers me.”
How - Journal, write a quick note of how you feel physically, mentally and emotionally every morning. Are there any changes between the mornings when you didn’t have a drink the night before? Be curious.

Instead of, “I’m going to give up sweets/cut down on carbs, bla, bla, boring!”
Try, “I’m going to increase my fruit & veggie intake”
How - Write your goal down. Prep cut up veggies every Sunday afternoon, choose a soup or salad for lunch on most days, choose a piece of fruit when you have a sugar craving, plan an indulgent meal/snack.

Will you stray from your goal over the next 12 months? Yes (because you’re human). BUT, what if, you give yourself permission to be less than perfect? What if you keep practicing and reaching for your goal as often as you can? What if you believed in yourself like you believe in others?

You will be stronger and you’ll begin to see what everyone else sees in you.

I wish you all a Happy New Year full of love, peace, health and happiness.

-Nikki