Spring is officially here.  It’s a time of rebirth and renewal.  A time for nature to come out of hibernation and rejuvenate. 

Personally, I feel there’s just something magical about Spring.  The birds come back and I hear them chirping, I begin see the flowers budding, and I feel the sun getting warmer.  It’s lightens my spirit.

For many people, it’s a time when we begin to reflect on our life.  Kind of like in the New Year, but will less “expectations.”  I like that about Spring, there’s less stress of having to make a change.

But there’s a difference between “reflecting” and “looking to the past.”

You see, when I’m working with my clients I see they too often look to the past.  They look at how they didn’t lose weight before (or lost it and gained most of it back!) and see themselves as a failure.  And they keep this in their head.

I help them overcome this because looking back too much can keep you from moving forward.

So as Spring is here, I ask you to stop looking back and start looking forward.

Maybe right now, you know you have poor habits and they’re leaving you tired, stressed, overwhelmed, overweight, and unhappy.

But imagine if today, this first day of Spring, you decided to take back your health — and started eating better, getting fit, and took back control over food (instead of letting it controlling you).  And you continued on this journey all year.  And the more you did it, the easier it got.

Now imagine one year from now – it’s the first day of Spring next year.  How you would feel?   Imagine the feeling of being slimmer, of feeling really good in your skin, of being physically fit AND emotionally strong. 

I bet you’d feel sexy, confident, self-assured, and happy – really happy.  Not that smile you put on so others think you’re happy.  I mean happiness that just RADIATES from the inside and it shows on the outside.

Imagine waking up in the morning and the first thing you think of is NOT food, NOT the bathroom scale, NOT what your stomach or thighs look like, and NOT how you wish you could wear better or smaller clothes. 

Instead, you wake up with a sense of energy and excitement for the day.   When you get undressed before going in the shower you’re actually happy to look in the mirror and like what you see.  You forget all about the bathroom scale.

When you get dressed you’re actually happy to put on bright clothes that fit your body well, instead of wearing dark colors to cover or hide any excess weight.  You actually look forward to your meals and when you sit down to eat, you’re relaxed and not thinking about the calorie content.

It CAN happen.  It DOES happen.  I see it every day.

But you need to look forward.  Keep that image in your mind, of the “new you” a year from now.  Don’t look back and moan and groan about how you couldn’t make it work in the past.  Forget about it.  Let it go.  Move on.

It’s time for renewal.  A time for you to let go of the past, and look into the future.  Because just like every winter, though it may seem long, and dark and dreary, but eventually it turns into Spring.  And the birds come back to sing, the flowers start to bloom and show their colors, and the sun begins to shine a bit brighter and longer. 

And you can do the same.  You can start to sing again, to bloom, and really shine.  

Let go of the past and look to the future.  And this same first day of Spring next year, you will feel the renewal, both inside and out.

©2010 Eat Without Guilt. All Rights Reserved.