Is Your Job Weighing You Down?

In two months I lost 8.5lbs…what?!?!  It wasn’t intentional so what happened?

I left my corporate job that I had been at for almost 16 years.  After leaving I had a choice, go into another corporate role or create what I was really after.  My objective is to create a fulfilling career with complete autonomy (work when, how, wherever I want), using my greatest gifts and talents to make an impact and leave a legacy.  So I chose to continue building my Coaching and Consulting business.

Two months after leaving not a ton has changed (or so I thought).  I still got up early, go for a run in the morning, eat consistently throughout the day and coach/consult with my clients.  Then I noticed that my clothes were becoming a lil’ baggier. Outside my annual doctor visits, I’m not one to weigh myself, I rely on how my clothes fit vs. a scale.  If they’re becoming a bit snug, I need to be more conscious of what I’m eating (aka – skip that delicious desert), if they fit perfect, keep doing what I’m doing! I’m on the right path.

I finally gave into the scale to learn that I’ve lost 8.5 lbs!  I realized that everything fit perfectly (maybe a tad snug) when I left my job… So what the heck was going on?!   

With that I decided to reach out to a friend and fellow coach who specializes in nutrition, he offered a couple of reflections:

• Stress – there’s a hormone that we all carry called cortisol.  Which is known as “the stress hormone” How stressed had I been?  

• Eating habits - I may not think I’ve changed my eating habits, but when we’re stressed, we tend to unconsciously make different food choices.  Have my eating habits changed? 

• Exercise – How does this look? 

With that reflection, it created an awareness of:

• Stress - I didn’t even realize how stressed I was when I was there!!  I was walking through the daily life not fully aware and present to my current state – body and mind!  I guess that drive to Chicago was weighing on me more than I realized

• Eating Habits - After Andrew provided the reflection, I realized I did snack while I was in the office.  A bag of chips, some M&M’s (my absolute favorite candy!) Nothing crazy but definitely different than today since that doesn’t typically exist in my house.

• Exercise - I was squeezing in my workouts…doing just enough to maintain.  Now I’m actually enjoying my workouts which make them last longer and I’m having fun!  

Can anyone relate? I’m curious..,

• What can you do to actually be conscious and fully aware  to how you’re really feeling?  

• What can you do to eliminate stress?  Now…I get it, it’s never 100% gone, but…we all have options and choices that would greatly reduce some self sabotage 

• What are you willing to give up and/or change that can shift your experience moving forward? 

And from there…ask yourself...

• Would you be in the same career?

• Would you have the same habits to be in love with everything about yourself?

• Would you be in the same relationship?

Do you choose to be live in the status quo or start being fully present in this great thing we call life?  

Believe in yourself, believe in others…what could that create?