Guest Posts, self-care

How Self-Care Can Help With Weight Loss

by Olivia

[GUEST POST]

Hi, I’m Jan – the face behind Jan On The Blog. I’m a millennial working mom and aspiring blogger from the land down under in Melbourne, Australia. Reading and writing make up my happy place. Jan On The Blog is a lifestyle blog. It’s a mixed bag with a little bit of everything – posts on wellness, parenting, food, things to ponder, books, TV shows and nature – because variety is the spice of life! Have a read of this post, then please come visit Jan On The Blog and let me know what you think – like, comment and follow it if you think it’s any good. Thanks Olivia for having me over at Olivia Lucie Blake!

Self-care is about looking after yourself. The PsychCentral explains self-care as “any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health”. It helps us to be healthier and happier. Taking care of yourself is a lifestyle – not a singular event. It’s this healthy lifestyle that can have a flow-on effect in the form of weight loss. 

“Self-care is, fundamentally, about bringing balance back to a life that has grown imbalanced from too many commitments or responsibilities.”

  • Robyn L. Gobin, The Self-Care Prescription

I want to call out though that this weight loss isn’t the kind stemming from pressures around body image – not at all. On the contrary, it’s all about body positivity (read more on my post ‘Five ways to live and breathe body positivity’). In fact, weight loss shouldn’t be the goal here but only a knock-on effect, if at all. The focus here is embracing yourself and doing what feels good. Here’s seven self-care tips that can help you lose weight – they worked for me.

DO MORE OF WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

Make time for hobbies – read a book, write a blog, play a sport, sing or dance. Spend quality time with friends and family. These leave us feeling joyful and content. In turn, we’ll be motivated to better take care of our health. This helped me immensely to break free from emotional eating. The happier I was in general, the easier it was to stop reaching for comfort food, even in times of stress.

BREATHE AND SLOW DOWN

We all live incredibly busy lives. It’s easy to get caught up in fast-paced daily routines and lose focus on the now. Take time to breathe, slowdown and live mindfully. Enjoy every moment because once it’s gone it can never return. Slowing down helped me be more attuned to what my body was asking for. I developed healthier eating habits by being mindful about what and how much I ate. And I took care to give my body the rest it needs with quality sleep.

FIND YOUR BALANCE

Life is a constant juggling act between work, family, friends, health and finances, among others. It’s important to recognise this and find ways to manage the different aspects, in order avoid stress and anxiety. Wellness can only emerge when we find a balance between the various facets of life. This understanding helped me be conscious of how I managed my time. I made an effort to prioritise what was most important to me. That included making time to care for my physical wellbeing with good food, exercise and rest. 

BE AN INCURABLE OPTIMIST

Not everyone may agree with this, but I believe optimism is one of the biggest strengths of a person. An unwavering positive mindset can turn what may appear to be a hopeless situation into an opportunity for growth. An optimistic person is naturally a happier person, which makes it easier to focus on self-care. It means you keep walking your path to wellness even in the face of adversity. Optimism was a blessing that helped me continue on my wellness journey, despite an occasional slip-up or challenge. It meant I didn’t stop feeling good about myself or give up on self-care just because I missed yoga or ended up binge eating, for one day. 

NOURISH YOUR BODY

Taking care of your body is a big part of self-care (read my ‘Your body is a temple’ post for a bit more on this). Eat well-balanced, healthy meals to nourish your body because you only have one. I got creative with my cooking by trying out high-protein recipes – it was a big step for a girl who loves her carbs. And I started opting for healthier snacks, e.g. fruit, yogurt, nut bars. As I fuelled my body with the right kind of food, I noticed my body respond with better health and stamina. 

TREAT YOURSELF

I said this before and let me say it again – weight loss isn’t the goal of self-care. That’s why eating healthy to look after your physical health isn’t a diet regime. It doesn’t mean never eating chocolate. In fact, we all deserve and could use a treat every now and then. An occasional cheat day from healthy eating is ok – just be treat-wise. You can also treat yourself in other ways like coffee with a friend, spa day, new outfit or date night. 

GET MOVING

Physical activity is so important for our health and wellbeing. Our bodies need it. That’s why a good self-care routine should include plenty of it. Find something you do like to do and do it regularly. It could be walking, hiking, swimming, yoga, dancing, cycling or running. Not only do these make us fit, they also leave us feeling calm and relaxed.

Self-care is important and can bestow many benefits. Weight loss can occur naturally as the result of a healthy lifestyle. Focus on doing things that bring you joy. Live mindfully. Learn to balance the different facets of life. Strive to be an optimist. Get creative about eating healthy. Treat yourself every now and then. And be active. Remember that the goal is to look after yourself – your body will take care of the rest. 

What are your thoughts and experiences on self-care helping with weight loss? 

Thank you for reading! Do come pay me a visit at Jan On The Blog – like, comment and follow it if you think it’s any good. Thanks again Olivia for having me over at Olivia Lucie Blake!

Disclaimer: This post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.

© Jan Perera 2020. All rights reserved.

63 thoughts on “How Self-Care Can Help With Weight Loss”

  1. Pingback: How Self-Care Can Help With Weight Loss – Jan On The Blog

  13. Incurable optimist… I like that! You are absolutely right, your positivity and how you care for yourself really do have an effect on weight. Personally, I eat a lot of rubbish when stressed and have also noticed that cortisol makes me hold weight. Nice post Jan

    Liked by 3 people

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  16. Awesome tips! Self-care is critical especially for moms who oftentimes take care of everyone else and forget to care for themselves. When you care for yourself you’re much better at taking care of others.

    Liked by 2 people

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  18. “Self-care is, fundamentally, about bringing balance back to a life that has grown imbalanced from too many commitments or responsibilities.”

    That sentence hit me so much! I love this! Thank you for sharing this Jan xx

    Liked by 1 person

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  19. This was such an amazing post!! Self-care is so crucial and I’ve recently found that when you are happier and looking after yourself and mental health you actually make your weightloss journey easier and more effective. Loved this post so much and super helpful!!

    Liked by 1 person

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  23. Self-Care is crucial! We can’t take care of others until we take care of ourselves. I really enjoyed reading your post! Self-care is all about establishing balance in your life and learning how to take care of YOU.

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  24. Thanks for your informational content! No doubts, selfcare is a very important aspect in our life. No self-care no confidence! Enjoyed reading your post..

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  25. Do what makes you happy! totally agreed. I started dressing differently and excessively working out last year because I felt the need to fit in and none of that made me happy. Thank you for this. I really enjoyed reading the post.

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