Joyous Noises: Celebrating Every Step of the Way

by Mariana Bozesan

Celebrating our success may seem like the least important part of the process in our weight loss journey, but it actually may be the most important one of all. Looking back on every other step, it becomes evident that the one common element has to do with developing a positive attitude toward ourselves and replacing old, negative habits with new, life-affirming ones.

The great news is that those new, healthy habits can actually be a form of celebrating in and of themselves. As we grow healthier and more confident, exercise becomes a celebration of how fit and healthy we are. Waking up without feeling groggy becomes a celebration too. Being able to bound up flights of stairs without getting the least bit winded. Go shopping for pants without any sense of dread. To cultivate feelings which are strong enough to let go of guilt and obsessive self-monitoring. The ultimate goal is to continual embrace feeling healthy, happy and secure in our bodies. It's all a part of joyfully acknowledging and appreciating our newfound health and well-being. This becomes so pleasurable that it permeates every aspect of life. Under no circumstances will we want to trade in this feeling for our old, energy-robbing ways.

One of the biggest mistakes made in weight loss is to put off celebrating. Rejoicing over our successes isn't something that should happen at some mythical "end" of the process, for a new lifestyle has no end. Celebration is something we need to do all along the way, and every positive message that we give ourselves adds confidence and energy to our efforts.

Good, Clean, Fun

While getting fit is definitely it’s own reward, here are some other wonderful ways to reinforce our success and rejoice in the progress we're making:

• Massage: Remember that our skin is the greatest source of feelings. Give ourselves massages with warm sesame oil to enhance overall health and trigger endorphins for a powerful sense of well-being. By stimulating the skin-our largest organ - it begins to feel glorious and helps us to stay in touch with our physical selves - particularly as we make progress with weight loss. Every now and then, we can give ourselves the gift of a professional massage. This helps us to rejoice in the miracle that is our body, no matter where we are in the process of losing weight. For more helpful information on massage and many other relational topics to overall health and well-being, please subsribe to Diet for a New Life (hyperlink to eBook).



• Humor: Make a habit of finding the humor in everything by looking at things from a different prespective. Laughing takes the edge of everyhting serious and empowers us to come up with more creative and empowering alternatives. Collect a list of jokes and re-read them and email them to friends to share in the humor. Laughter is the universal language.



• Contribution: Offering our support to others can be a very tangible method for reminding ourselves how much progress we've made. Plus, sharing our stories - particularly about strategies that were especially effective - is a rewarding way to keep us in touch with our successes and reinforce what we've learned.



• Journaling: Re-reading our journal entries can help us see how far we've come, but we should not stop writing in it. Life is all about change, and new things are bound to come up. If we keep making notes about what's working well and what's not, we will be amazed at how much we can teach ourselves just by getting things down on paper.



• Carpe Diem / Sieze the day: One of the very best ways to reward ourselves for our efforts is to make sure we are engaging fully and actively with life: buying ourselves a snazzy new top in a bright color, taking a trip to a place we've never been before, hiking or biking to the countryside, playing a new sport, taking a language or instrument lesson, going out dancing all night long, taking a long walk as the sun is coming up.

Remember, these are not only ways of commemorating our efforts, they are an integral part of our ongoing success. The most effective way of maintaining weight loss success is to make it an endeavor that feels celebratory and joyous. At that point, striving toward health becomes one of the greatest pleasures of all—one that gives back to us in a million unforeseen ways and supports every one of our efforts for living meaningful, happy lives.