I know it’s hard to believe, but the skill that could be missing from your health and fitness goals and keeping you from losing weight/fat is none other than the skill of AWARENESS (without judgement, of course).

I know you’re thinking that it has to be more complex than that, but I believe it’s the first step in achieving any goals that you have in fitness, nutrition, health, or any life goal that you may have for that matter.

Wikipedia defines Awareness as “the ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects, thoughts, emotions, or sensory patterns……More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of something.”

Why is Awareness so Important?

Awareness  allows us to observe what’s working and what’s not working when it comes to achieving our goals.  We can’t make changes if we aren’t aware of the behaviors or activities we are engaging in.  However, for this to be effective, we have to lose the judgement that sometimes comes along with increased awareness.

When we judge, we usually feel bad about where we are at, which makes it more difficult to change something and keep an open mind to experimentation.  Judgement usually leaves us with feelings like:  this will never work, I give up, I’ve tried everything, I’m bad, or I can’t do it, etc.

However, when we are just aware of what’s going on, which is more objective in nature, we have feelings of:  maybe I could try ________ next week, that food substitution didn’t work, I think I’ll try _________, I only did 5,000 steps per day this week, I could make it a goal to do 7,000 steps/day next week, &/or I ate dessert every day at 3 PM everyday last week, maybe I could try more protein at lunch to see if it decreases my cravings for the 3 PM dessert.  See the difference?

How do I Increase and Improve my Awareness?

1.  The best way to do this is through self-monitoring.

We have to track measurements, workouts, and keep a food journal a few days/week.  A popular saying in the fitness industry is, “what gets measured gets managed.”

I’m a firm believer in this, as I got a little bit lazy with my self-monitoring over the last year; a little bit of denial sets in, and I noticed myself gaining a little bit of weight, jeans getting a little tighter, and I was slipping back into some not so healthy habits.  So I’m back on weekly weigh-ins, monthly circumference measurements, and I ‘m off to buy a Fitbit later this week!  I have so many friends and clients raving about it, that now I’m so curious…I have to buy one, too!

Examples of Self-Monitoring Tools:  Calendars, Gratitude Lists, Win Journal, Workout & Food Journals, Progress Pics, Exercise and Nutrition Phone Apps, Fitbit, or other activity trackers.

Don’t forget to be AWARE of and track your WINS/PROGRESS, too!

By using self-monitoring, we also get to see our WINS and RESULTS over time.  If we don’t self-monitor, sometimes we miss the little things that are compounding and growing over time that gets us closer to our long-term goals.  This also helps us to stay in a positive mindset and propels us to keep going and working.  Progress pictures and circumference measurements are a really great tool for showing our progress over time.  I also like WIN journals, too.  Everyday you are having WINS that you are not aware of.  I used to keep a WIN journal, and everyday I’d make it a goal to write down 5 WINS.

Examples of small WINS you have everyday and can be more AWARE of:  

• I completed my workout.
• I passed on the bread basket at dinner.
• I ate veggies at 2 meals today.
• I increased the amount of weight I used in a certain exercise.
• I reduced the size of my Frappaccino Costa Lotta Money from a Venti to a Grande.

One small WIN per day compounds and snowballs.  All it takes is one small change here and there.  1% BETTER EVERYDAY!

2.  Stop, Notice, & Think.

Sometimes, awareness, could be as simple as having a single focus for the week, and just taking time to STOP, NOTICE, & THINK before engaging or not engaging in a certain behavior or activity that you have isolated.

Earlier this week, I wrote an Email about a couple of situations you may find yourself in when this awareness technique comes in handy.  You can read it & subscribe to my weekly emails HERE!

Most importantly, it is key to remember to leave the judgement out of anything that you are measuring, managing, or noticing.  If you are 2 lbs up on the scale from last week, that doesn’t mean you are good or bad.  It is just a number and it doesn’t MEAN anything.  It just means you weigh two more pounds than last week.  This is where we could go back to our food journals, workout calendars, and do a little investigative work on why it might be the scale went up two pounds.  Then we look for changes that we could make for the next week and see what happens.

Remember, that with awareness, you are finding what works for only you.  You are being a detective and investigating.  What works for another, may not work for you, so it is important to only measure, monitor, and notice what you are doing and not what others are doing.

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.  How important have you found the skill of awareness to be in your health and fitness journey?  Or, what technique or tools do you use to improve your awareness?

Thanks for stopping by,

Tommie