Confidence is your specific thoughts and beliefs
that you can follow-through with new eating and exercise plans.
It means that you feel that you possess the capabilities to
create the changes you desire. You are unlikely to attempt
actions, especially new ones without some degree of confidence
in your abilities. Confidence
Helps you regain momentum after inevitable
slips. Knowing that you know what to do and have the ability
to do it helps you quickly get back on track when you make a
misstep. That way, one little slip doesn’t mean abandoning a new
eating or exercise plan.
Increases positive feedback. When you are
confident that you can create and stay with a plan, you are more
likely to praise yourself for your efforts. Positive feedback will
pay off by increasing your motivation and desire to meet your
goals.
There are many ways to strengthen your
confidence.
Analyze past successes. What
worked for you in the past? Think about a time when
you succeeded in selecting healthy foods or
implementing an exercise plan. What did you do that
worked for you? Why did these things work? Perhaps you
will realize that you exercised with a friend the
several times you started an exercise program. Write
down the elements you think contributed to your
success.
Be informed by the success of
others. Use the success of others to help you
generate ways to succeed. When you watch or imitate
others who have been successful, your confidence will
be increased. Read about the success of others or talk
to them about what has been helpful in starting and
maintaining their good health habits.
Catch and change "I can’t"
thoughts. "I can’t" thoughts are more
common than you might believe and are often at the
heart of sabotaging your confidence. They often come
disguised as, "I can’t exercise because I can’t
afford a gym," or "I am not going to give up
chocolate." Catch these thoughts and ask yourself
if they are true. Does exercise require gym
membership? Does eating more healthy foods require
giving up chocolate? The answer is no to both
questions. Find your particular "I can’t"
statements and challenge them.
Plan small steps. Confidence
will be built when you succeed. When you accomplish a
small step, such as buying a pair of walking shoes or
reading a book about how to eat healthy foods, you
have made progress. Your confidence will increase by a
little bit with every step you take.
Caution Areas!
Your confidence can be weakened by a number of
factors. You may benefit from directly tackling the following
problems
A tendency to be pessimistic
Underestimating yourself
Maintaining standards that are too high
Relying exclusively on other people to
motivate you
High levels of tension, stress or
nervousness
Feeling depressed, down or bad about
yourself in general
