Nutrition by Dawn - Blog

Here we are, 2022 is in full swing, and there’s so much to look forward to this year! Big things are happening all around, but no matter what this year brings us, what makes the biggest difference in how we experience things is our mindset. 

I love helping women get healthy, and usually, women approach me ready to talk about their eating habits and their workout routines. Of course it’s important to work on those areas, but a lot of women are surprised when instead of asking them to up their kale intake and hit the gym more often, I ask them about their recharge habits. Recharging is stuff like sleep, hydration, reducing stress, finding joy, and having gratitude. 

Showing gratitude will help mold our mindset about this year because, to be honest, not every one of these 365 days is going to be perfect. Hard times and obstacles will pop up along the way, so how we approach those things are crucial in deciding what kind of rating we give 2022 on December 31st. We’re all hoping for a 5-star year, right?

Recharging is an important place to start when you want to get healthy. Gratitude will help you look at your health from a new perspective. 

Instead of “I have to go to the gym,” change your thought process to “I get to spend time working on myself and my goals.” 

When we spend time recharging our batteries and reflecting on the good stuff in our day, we help the body do one of its most important functions: we destress. No one likes to feel stressed, but the impacts of stress may be even worse than you realize. 

When we take the time to be intentionally grateful about the good things in our life, our cortisol levels are lower, we have less stress, and we can better achieve our health goals. 

Unfortunately, this sometimes sounds easier than it really is. My household had a couple of crazy weeks last month when my son and husband were sick, so my stress levels were higher than usual. To help level them out, I tried to be really intentional about appreciating the good things in my life. I was able to be home while they were sick, so they weren’t alone. They were able to see medical professionals that took their concerns seriously and helped them recover as quickly as possible. We had so many amazing friends and family members check in on us, and I’m so grateful for that support system. 

By focusing on the positive, even when things weren’t looking great, I was able to see through the gray and look to the sunshine on the other side. 

Recharging can absolutely be booking a massage for yourself or zoning out with some Netflix when you need to clear your mind, but it can also be quiet moments of intentional reflection that help you stay positive. I try to live my life with a glass-half-full mindset, so when that doesn’t come naturally, I am intentional about using my recharge time to find the things in life that I am grateful for. 

Let’s start off 2022 with a positive mindset and the willingness to always work to see our glass half-full–and, of course, to be super grateful on those days where our glasses are clearly completely full. :)

What are you grateful for so far in 2022? Let me know in the comments!

If you need some inspiration for healthy living, please join me in my Facebook group Never Diet Again for a great community filled with great discussion!