Staying Positive with Cellulite
How often have you looked in the mirror and thought ‘I’m too fat’, ‘I look terrible’ or even ‘I’m never going to get rid of this cellulite’? Many psychologists think that if you tell yourself these things, your mind may view them as commands and think ‘No, you won’t’. They also believe that the human brain cannot distinguish between positive and negative instructions. So in the event that you express to yourself ‘I’m not going to fail at this anti-cellulite programme. I will not give up’, your brain hears ‘I’m GOING to fail and I WILL give up.’ It consequently does not motivate you to make healthy choices and won’t keep you motivated to carry on after the first week.
What is more, negative emotions are stressful, and long-term tension can be a trigger for cellulite, as it increases levels of cortisol (a fat-storage hormone). However, short-term stressors may also cause problems. If you are miserable because you have just broken your diet with a sticky bun, the more you dwell on this, the more stress you are putting yourself under. This causes the release of a whole host of chemicals in the body (including, potentially, cortisol), increasing the chance that the calories in the food you are eating are more likely to turn to fat.
Negative emotions also put our brains out of harmony as they are connected to reduced levels of the happy hormone serotonin. One of the quickest ways to get serotonin back into your system is through sweet or starchy food. Perhaps then negative thinking actually triggers food cravings that make it less likely you will stick to your diet plan.
So how do you escape the negative thinking pitfall and get into the positive? The easiest way is to use affirmations – every day repeat to yourself what you want to achieve and how you are going to do it. Do this in a positive way: for example, think ‘I’m going to fight my cellulite today’. Then you should spell out how; for example, ‘I’m going to do my 30-minute walk faster than yesterday. I’m going to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables and I’m going to treat myself to a proper aromatherapy massage.’ Tell yourself that three times, or ideally write it down three times, then take the first step to achieve one of those things – grab a banana or make that massage appointment. Remember not to use negative phrasings as they won’t inspire your brain to help you.
However, your positive thinking doesn’t stop here. You need to affirm what you’ve achieved at the end of each day. Look at what you wanted to do that day and tick off everything you achieved. If you find something you didn’t do, don’t beat yourself up; instead look at why and come up with a solution to succeed next time it happens. For example, if you didn’t do your walk because it rained all day, could you have walked up and down stairs for 20 minutes in your lunch break? The more you come up with solutions, the more successful you’ll be.