“Now that I am middle-aged I can’t lose weight.”

“My hormones are a mess and prevent me from losing weight.”

“I don’t have enough time to exercise.”

“I can’t sustain weight loss.”

“I’ve tried everything and nothing works.”

“I’m lazy and out of control.”

“Ever since I turned 40 my stomach is flabby and my love handles keep getting bigger. I guess now that I am middle-aged that’s the way it’s going to be.”

Do you hear yourself speaking?

As a Wellness and Weight Coach I’ve had the opportunity to step into the minds of many of my clients and these are the types of thoughts that hold them back.

Some of you may want to argue with me. You want to tell me that you speak the facts. Yes, the facts are that you have a busy life or your thyroid levels are abnormal, but it is the thoughts you carry around about this that prevent you from moving forward.

When you think — “My hormones are a mess and prevent me from losing weight…” — what is the result of that thought?

Often my clients tell me that this thought makes them want to lay down in defeat. They feel stuck, have no energy… they’d rather go back to bed than lace up their running sneakers. And the action that comes out of that thought is…no action. So nothing happens. No progress made. Another day done and nothing has changed.

So how do these thoughts serve you? Do these types of thoughts breathe life into you? Do they energize you to move your body? To get creative about fitting exercise into your day? To think about what type of foods you are putting in your body? I would argue they do not.

Inspired thinking creates inspired results.  Every time you think a thought that holds you back you are making a conscious choice. Get creative about re-framing the old thought and see how it makes you feel.

So, next time you find yourself headed down that path, try something different. Reframe the story.  Think instead, “Knowing my hormone levels empowers me to take care of my health,” or “I am blessed to have a healthy body to get to move at all” or “I’m mid-life and thankful to have the options and knowledge necessary to help me be healthy.”

The result?  You just might find yourself feeling motivated to get out the door.  And then you are talking big changes that get you to where you want to be.