On Sunday, I pulled muscles in my legs and stomach. I limped around and walked slowly for a couple of days. When my alarm went off at 5:30 AM on Monday, it sure was hard to get out of bed let alone think about walking my usual 1.75 miles. Instead of telling myself, I can't do it today or I am too sore. I said ok I am going to try to walk as far as I can because anything is better than nothing.
It is a fact, cognitive reframing helps you to identify unhelpful thought patterns and substitute more adaptive thoughts. It are these adaptive thoughts that help us to become more successful in our weight loss journey.
Here are some examples of reframing:
- You had a bad weekend and have a feeling you gained. You conclude, See I gained. I knew I could not do this. I cannot do anything right. Reframed Response: Ok, I have been doing really well. I had a bad week. I can do this and I am going to try a little harder next week.
- You overlook how far you have come by discrediting complements. "I still have 20 lbs left to lose." Reframed Response: "Thank you, I feel so much better than I did before."
- You make excuses. "I don't have time to exercise." Reframe Thoughts: "I will get up 30 minutes earlier, so that I can walk in the morning before work."
