What do personal values, boundaries, and nutrition have in common? These seemingly unrelated topics can actually shape whether or not we reach our long-term goals related to health, wellness, and lipedema management. Wondering what I mean by all of this? Let’s dive in!
Let’s Define Values
First off, you might be wondering what I mean by values. What I’m referring to here is what’s on your “must-do list”. The things that make it on this list are tasks that you hold in high value and feel personally compelled to follow through with.
These can be things that are obligatory, like going to work, as well as things that are simply important to you, like taking your children to sports practice. Every day, whether we realize it or not, we’re making a list of things that are valuable to us and will be accomplished with the time we have.
Think about your daily schedule for a minute. What’s on your personal list of valuable actions to include in your day? Here are some common ones I hear from new clients:
- take the kids to school
- prepare family meals
- get to work on time
- meet project deadlines
- take kids to sports, or other events
- clean the house
- grocery shop
Now don’t get me wrong, these are all very important parts of any person’s day for productivity and daily living. But, if your day looks something like this… can I ask where YOU fit into this puzzle?
Getting Intentional with Your Values
Now hear me out. If you aren’t putting high value on your health goals, what do you think is likely to be the first thing knocked off the list when you’re stressed?
Yep, the very actions that will move you toward your goal.
So if things like going for a walk, journaling, strength training, conservative therapies, planning healthy meals, and drinking enough water aren’t considered “must-do’s” on your list, it’s very likely they won’t happen at all.
Now before we go any further, I want to acknowledge that you ARE busy. We live in a world that thrives on the “do more” mentality and we can often feel less than if we aren’t saying yes to every single work project, every extra-curricular event, and all. the. things. I get it, I feel this pressure every single day too!
But, the reality of it is, if we don’t decide that our health and wellness is worthy of taking up time in our busy schedules, it simply won’t happen. If you don’t plan for your time, someone or something else will!
We All Have One Vehicle for Life
I like to explain it like this….
Imagine you are told you have one vehicle and you’ve got to make it last and drive it for the rest of your life.
What type of care would you ensure the vehicle got? I’m willing to bet that you’d fuel up with proper fuel, take it for regular tune-ups, and treat it well.
Your body is your vehicle. You only get one, and it’s time to start putting some value on caring for it.
You know that skipping your workout, eating take-out 5 nights a week, or running yourself on empty isn’t in alignment with your values. Making this mindset shift takes work and constant dedication to the cause, but I know you can do it.
Getting Started Can Be Simple
You don’t need to change everything at once. You just need to get clear on your values and focus on a few, small habits that will push you in the right direction.
Let’s think about ways to intentionally carve out some time and energy for making those dreams come to life. If you’re just getting started, these don’t need to be earth-shattering. In fact, small, doable habits are far more helpful long term than drastic actions.
Feeling stuck? Here’s a few simple things to consider penciling into your schedule and daily bandwidth:
- 10-minute walk after dinner
- slicing up fresh veggies at the start of the week
- packing a healthy lunch the night before work
- making time to meal plan and grocery shop
- 5-minute daily journaling, meditation, or reflection
Take a minute to think about a few small habits you’d like to start doing to align with your health values and goals. Then choose one to focus on and write it down in your planner or add it to your digital calendar. What we plan for happens!
Setting Boundaries is Key to Success
Once you’ve determined what’s valuable to you, it’s time to set personal boundaries. This is the part that all of my clients cringe at, and I get it. This can be the hardest part for all of us.
Boundaries feel like “rules” and if you’ve been on the diet rollercoaster for any length of time, you’re probably just as sick of the rules as I was.
But here’s the thing, ladies, boundaries are NOT the same as rules.
Rules are determined by someone else, and they often don’t align with YOUR values. Boundaries are the things YOU decide to put in place to make sure your values are protected. Think of it a bit like how we put a fence around our yard to keep our pets and children safe. The boundary of the fence protects what we love and value.
Reject the diet dogma rules once and for all and instead, lean into personal boundaries to meet your health goals.
How Boundaries Protect Your Values and Support Your Goals
For example, maybe you’ve just received a Lipedema diagnosis and feel compelled to manage the condition and reduce inflammation through nutrition. You have decided that managing your lipedema is valuable to you. To protect this value, you decide to put a loving and helpful boundary in place that you will commit to. That boundary could be something like minimizing refined sugar and choosing healthier options to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Once you decide on the boundary, it’s there to remind you of your values.
Boundaries are helpful because we set them while using our logical brains, also known as the prefrontal cortex. We take into account why we want this boundary and how it will help us get where we want to go.
This is extremely important for those times that you’re at Costco and your limbic brain starts screaming at you to buy the family-size box of high-sugar, ultra- processed cupcakes. They look delicious, they’re on sale, and you’ve been “good” all week. You deserve them, right? These are the things our emotional brains tell us and in the moment they can be very persuasive!
Having a personal boundary in place is like a safety net. It helps to bring you back to your values. You can then be objective and see if that choice aligns with your boundary.
In this case, having the boundary of reducing refined sugar can remind you that those cupcakes don’t align with your everyday plan. Sure, they’re fine for special occasions, but for your day-to-day life, you have commited to finding a healthier option.
Boundaries help take the drama and the emotion out of it. If it doesn’t align, don’t follow through and move on!
Tips for Setting and Keeping Boundaries
Alright, now to the practical application. Let’s chat about setting boundaries to align with your personal values. Here is my step-by-step process from start to finish!
- Step One – Get out a piece of paper and write down your BIG health goals. They can be anything that is important to you. Just write it ALL down.
- Step Two – Determine your primary focus. Think about which of these things you want to focus on first, and for the next 6-8 week period of time. Circle it on your paper.
- Step Three – Consider WHY you want this. Take your time on this step and really dig deep. This should be WHY you value reaching the goal. Is it tied to longevity, mobility, heart health, or something else? Write it down.
- Step Four – Write down 2-3 small, doable habits you can commit to over the next 2 weeks that will move you towards your goal.
- Step Five – Create a boundary to protect these small habits. For example, if your small habit is to eat out less, put a boundary on it like “no more than twice per week”. Or maybe your habit is to start stretching in the evening before bed. Your boundary could be to “turn off the TV at X time and stretch for 10 mins.”
Once you’ve done these things, you’ll want to start putting it into practice. I have found that simply doing this exercise makes my clients FAR more likely to follow through with their small habits and boundaries, but I also recommend reading through these things a few times per week to remind yourself.
If you’re someone who writes down your daily schedule, try putting your health and wellness habits on the plan and writing your value or your “why” on your planner. Keeping your values top of mind will help you stick to your boundaries!
Want to Learn More Ways to Support Your Health Goals?
This topic is near and dear to my heart. I use it on a daily basis with my clients and also in my own personal health journey. Aligning with your values and following through on boundaries is the thing that will make the difference this time.
Setting healthy boundaries and actually following through with them is a lot like setting a budget and sticking to it.
Invest in yourself today and follow through with your boundaries. Your future self will be SO glad you did!
If you want to learn more about implementing these strategies send me a message or explore my signature program, The Lipedema Method.
These are exactly the types of things we work on inside the program. Because reaching the healthiest versions of ourselves involves so much more than just exercise or nutrition plans. Inside, you will not only learn how to nourish your body well for lipedema management, but you will also learn how to change your mindset and your habits for long-term, sustainable success.
