THE KEY TO IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH IT ALL STARTS WITH THE RIGHT APPROACH
Catherine Dean is a Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach supporting women feel better, have more energy and ditch diets. Her approach to health and wellbeing isn’t about quick fixes or fad diets. It’s about helping you to create healthy habits that fit around your busy life, make a real difference and, most importantly, last in the long term. A common myth is that in order to improve our health we have to start eating foods that we don’t enjoy and give up all the foods we love. We tell ourselves that we can’t have certain foods because they are bad for us, are unhealthy or will make us put on weight. But weight gain doesn’t happen as a result of eating just one food. 92
LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE
The problem with using the word “can’t” is that we put ourselves into a lack mentality. When we are in a lack mentality, we focus on what we can’t have, on foods that are bad for us or that we have labelled as unhealthy. When we restrict ourselves in this way it can lead to feelings of guilt or shame when we do eat the foods we’ve told ourselves we “can’t” have. This negative mindset can affect the way we feel about ourselves and actually derail our efforts to improve our health. A lack mentality is when we focus on all the things we can’t have. It’s that deprive, restrict diet mentality. If you have a lack mentality when it comes to improving your health, you might find yourself: • Saying I can’t have... • Wishing you could eat certain foods • Focusing on the foods you “can’t” eat • Concentrating on the number on the scales • Describing foods as good or bad • Exercising purely as a way to burn calories www.lancmag.com
