Do you do it, too? Do you judge yourself – what you eat and who you are? From TV shows to social media influencers and, heck, from society at large, every single day you’re told that you’re doing things wrong. And it hurts.

How does this make you feel: If you have a slice of cake, you’re “bad”; if you don’t work out enough, you don’t have enough “discipline”. And then there’s the “lack of will power” condemnation you get every day for anything less than perfection. It feels awful. No wonder we’re stressed and depressed all the time.

We’re smart, successful women. Why do we keep buying in to and internalizing these messages?

That elusive perfection they say you’ve got to get is a ridiculously hollow goal. Genuine joy comes from being true to yourself and sharing your unique gifts in ways that make you feel content. Refreshing thought, yes? Feels calming just to consider it. Now, you’d be swimming upstream if you lived like that, that’s for sure. You’d need support to make that kind of a shift, no doubt about it.

Crushing self-judgement has been a big part of my story. For a lot of my adult life I’ve felt less than and that I couldn’t do anything right. In recent years I’ve put a lot of focus, practice, and persistence into changing that, and today I feel good about myself and my choices (most all the time 😉). Making this kind of deep inner shift took help, guidance, and encouragement. I had an experienced guide. I can be that person for you.

The challenge: most of what you’ve been told about food, health, and happiness has been wrong and truly short sighted. If you’ve been focusing on diet and exercise and still don’t feel good about yourself, it’s NOT your fault. You’ve been misled into misdirecting your energy.

You don’t have to be frustrated and critical of yourself anymore. Here are some facts:

Fact #1: Calories in – calories out does NOT equal weight loss. Check it out: The Calorie Myth.

Fact #2: There are some things about your body that you simply cannot change. It’s empowering to know what they are so you can give yourself a break. From my last newsletter: The Things You Cannot Change.

Fact #3: There are many things you CAN change that will affect your health and your opinion of yourself. That’s what I’m writing about today.

If you’re looking to improve your body and your thinking in terms of attitude, energy, and self esteem, here are some things you CAN change.

Drumroll, please!

Stop Using Artificial Sweeteners: The pink, the yellow, the blue– they’re 100x sweeter than sugar and totally skew your taste buds . They’re made in a laboratory, carcinogenic, and are associated with heart disease and weight gain.

Stop Dieting: Repeated rounds of restricting foods and boomerang binging negatively impact your physical, emotional, and mental health. Plus, less than 5% of the people who lose weight keep it off. Lousy odds, right?

Manage Your Stress: Fat storing, sleep disturbing, and self confidence busting, stress wreaks havoc on your physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Get More Sleep: Studies suggest being short slept can negatively impact your weight and mental health as well as your immune system. Note: sleep is fun and free.

Balance Your Microbiome: This was on last week’s list of things you cannot change BUT, it so happens that your gut bacteria are impacted every single time you eat. They eat what you eat, and they like color and fiber. Keep them happy.

Make Exercise Fun: Focus on what makes you feel stronger, centered, and peaceful. Stop pushing yourself to pain and exhaustion.

Eat Intentionally: Food can be fun, fuel, community, and medicine. An honest assessment of your “Why Am I Eating?” will guide you on the what, when, and how much to eat.

Scared about saying goodbye to artificial sweeteners? Stunned to learn that dieting is bad for you? Does the idea of genuinely enjoying all your favorite foods and still being healthy seem far-fetched? It can be overwhelming, I know. You probably have no idea where to start.

I invite you to a Free Consultation. This private call is an time for you to share your personal story and for us to make a plan to reroute your efforts away from the things you cannot change and put them toward changing the things you can. I’m happy to offer my wisdom so you can know the difference.*

You don’t have to beat up on yourself anymore. You can shift away from struggling with your body and your self esteem and move into feeling confident about yourself and your choices. I’ve got a proven approach that brings together clinical nutrition and holistic health coaching. This unique combination heals both eating habits and thinking habits and truly works for long term success. Bonus, I am a great listener and I’ve got a fantastic sense of humor. Although as I type I realize this article hasn’t been super funny. Sorry about that. I’ll make up for it in my next newsletter.

Imagine freeing up all the time and energy you’ve spent – mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual – pursuing fruitless goals. You could start using it on more meaningful and rewarding things. Like your friendships, your family, your career, and those hobbies that have woefully fallen by the wayside. How does that sound? It sounds darn good, that’s how it sounds. Let’s talk!

* Shout out to the tried and true Serenity Prayer