Is Your Identity Impacting Your Weight Loss Goals?
There is a very close reciprocal relationship between your habits and your identity. If your identity aligns with your behaviors, you’re much more likely to stay consistent.
I get it, to most people me asking you about your identity might sound very “woo woo.” And why do I as a health and fitness coach care about your identity? I care because there is a very close reciprocal relationship between your habits and your identity. So having an identity that aligns with your goals can be incredibly helpful in your ability to incorporate new healthy habits into your life.
The more we can link our habits to our identity, the more likely we are to change our behavior over the long term. Let’s use weight loss as an example. If I want to lose body fat, it’s much easier to stick to the behaviors that facilitate fat loss if it supports my identity. As humans, we don’t like it when we have a disconnect between our identity and our behaviors. When we act in ways that don’t align with our values, it creates cognitive dissonance which doesn’t feel the best. Beyond my goal of losing fat, if I identify as a healthy person then I am much more likely to make healthy decisions because it aligns with my identity.
Not only can your identity help you form solid habits, but your habits can also inform your identity. The behaviors that we do regularly are the building blocks of who we are. This means that the things we do consistently (i.e. habits) become a part of “who we are” (i.e. identity).
So if you regularly go to the gym and eat a balanced whole food diet, those healthy actions will support your identity as a healthy person. And because you identify as a healthy person, it will be easier for you to continue going to the gym and fueling your body because it supports your identity.
You’re not just someone who exercises... you’re an exerciser
You’re not just someone who makes healthy decisions... you’re a healthy person
Now that you know how your identity plays a role in your goal achievement, what do you do about it? If you’re finding it hard to stick with the habits you’ve created, ask yourself “are my behaviors in sync with my identity?” If they aren’t, that’s okay! Most people haven’t taken this intentional time to reflect and building awareness is the first step! Spend some time reflecting on what makes up who you are and whether or not those things are consistent with your behaviors. Once you’re aware, start with repetition. Working consistently on healthy habits will create a healthy identity. And creating that identity will in turn make it easier to keep up with the habits. The good news is, it gets easier over time!
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