September Week 1: Weekly Thinking Structures

Welcome to September!

Being a Virgo, I love this month, not only because my birthday is in it, but because I love to be and feel organized. To me, this month represents getting back into more structured patterns after the hazy, lazy days of summer.

I have been thinking about the daily rituals that make up the structures of our lives, particularly the ones that are oriented towards weight mastery. My kitchen was renovated during this time of year, so a lot of my rituals were disrupted. Thinking of that time has made me more keenly aware of the ones that help me maintain my weight.

WEEKLY THINKING RITUALS

I would like to take the first week this month to look at just the weekly thinking rituals that go into releasing weight and maintaining this loss, long term. Research shows that most people who have achieved weight release long term have undergone what is called “cognitive restructuring” which just is a science-y way of saying that they have created new ways of thinking that support them losing and then maintaining their ideal weight.

Weekly Rituals: For me, weekly thinking rituals are the times I routinely sit down with myself and really think through, plan, and problem solve my week in order to set my mind, weight and environments up for success.

Weekly thinking rituals help our minds stretch around a specific chunk of time and imagine the behavior that needs to happen to create the outcome we want. If I had to list the most important weekly thinking rituals that go into my long term weight maintenance they would be:

1. Sunday morning session:
   • Thinking through the next week. What are my goals with my life and self care? How am I going to arrange everything that needs to get done this week with the least amount of stress?
   • Scheduling Exercise. I have the ritual to think through and plan all of my exercise appointments for the week and this takes some thought and being flexible with my schedule. Once I have the days and times nailed down they are not only on paper but committed to my minds computer to keep me focused for the week.
   • Weekly Meals. I think through the meals I want to make for the coming week and plan my shopping list. This takes some negotiating with myself about how to strike the right balance of nourishment and pleasing my family. This is a very productive and loving time spent with myself because it really is like a self-coaching session and I get to define and choose the foods I want for the week without going overboard.
2. Wednesday Evening Session: This is a time I usually touch base mid way through the week and see if I need to replenish my food supplies or change up my exercise plans. This session takes seconds but goes a long way to help me refocus my energy.
3. Friday morning session: I have the ritual of thinking though the weekend and my social engagements and how I want to make sure I have fun without going overboard and over-do it.  Thinking the weekend through helps me take the time to negotiate with my Inner Rebel and really feel ready to have true fun—not just fun with food.

How about you? Do you share of the same thinking rituals as me?

What are some of the thinking rituals that you currently have that help you acheive a powerful weight mastery week?

What are some weekly thinking rituals that you would like to add to your week?

Take some time today to structure some quiet times in your week to think through those things that matter to you most. Remember, the 20 minutes or so that I spend a week using my thinking rituals helps all the other hours of the week feel more healthy, happy and peaceful.

oxox Rita