Oops, I did it again: Stupid mistakes, easy fixes

Why should you bother reading my blog? Why read what I have to say when there are an infinite number of other things out there you could be listening to, watching, or reading?

Because I'm going to give you a perspective you won't hear anywhere else. Because I'm willing to be vulnerable about the mistakes I've made and make things personal instead of generic. Because I'm not afraid to share unpopular opinions or call out things that I think are wrong. Because I'm not here just to get you to buy something when everyone else is.

So in the spirit of staying honest, here are 8 stupid mistakes I was making that I only recently came to realize, along with the easy fixes I'm using to make better choices.

Mistake 1: Not listening to my hunger, not eating when I was hungry, and letting myself get overly hungry. The fix? Listen to your body. Eat when you're hungry, even if you don't think you "should" be hungry yet. Respect your body. And don't let yourself get too hungry.

Mistake 2: Not taking meal prep seriously. Scrambling to hodgepodge meals together and coming up with something totally unsatisfying, making it impossible to meet my goals and sucking way more time and energy than necessary. The fix? Sitting down Sunday morning, planning my meals for the week, making a grocery list, and dedicating an hour to cooking. It doesn't have to be difficult; you don't have to be a Michelin-star chef. But it's life-changing.

Mistake 3: Choosing protein substitutions over the real thing. Why should I enjoy a real cookie when I could eat this chalky, artificial-tasting "protein cookie" that costs $10? Why would I let myself eat a real chip when I could eat a "protein chip" with 148 ingredients? Ha! The fix? Eat the thing that will actually satisfy you. A protein bar is not a substitute for chocolate. I'm all for getting your protein in, but there's no point in denying yourself what you really want if you're just going to end up overeating later.

Mistake 4: Not acknowledging my feelings in the moment and letting them build up. Feeling like I didn't "deserve" to feel mad, sad, or anxious because I wasn't dealing with a "real" problem. That never helped. The fix? Do brain dumps. Allow yourself to feel how you're feeling without "shoulding" yourself or reprimanding yourself for not being tougher. A problem is a problem, no matter how big or small.

Mistake 5: Not taking nervous system work seriously enough. I failed to accept the fact that I am a highly anxious, easily worked-up, crazy tense person who needs to give herself more breathing room than others might. The fix? Incorporating regular breathwork, breaks during my day, meditation, nightly wind-downs, and not letting myself get too overstimulated.

Mistake 6: Constantly putting my weight over my health and ending up with neither good health nor a weight I was happy with. The fix? Putting my focus and energy into doing things that actually contribute to my health and feeling good, and trusting that my weight will settle in a good place as a positive consequence of that focus.

Mistake 7: Forgetting that all of this stuff can be fun and doesn't have to be a struggle. You shouldn't be miserable pursuing your healthiest self, and it shouldn't feel like a slog. The fix? Finding workouts you can look forward to, eating foods you genuinely enjoy that also help you feel great, discovering hobbies you love, and finding a strong "why" behind what you do.

Mistake 8: Having an "all or nothing" mindset and trying to make huge, sweeping changes and overhauls to my life whenever I wanted something to be different. The fix? Stop underestimating the power of small steps and tiny wins. What little thing can you do right now, today, that will move the needle in the right direction? How can you break everything down into the smallest, simplest steps?

To be completely transparent, I continue to work on all of these. Behavior change is not an easy fix. If you're struggling in any way, or if you've backslid into a bad habit you thought you were finally free from, I see you. Every day we have is a chance to try again.

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." — Chinese proverb