With the approach of warm weather, many of us realize that we have a few extra pounds that we have been hiding under winter sweaters. Losing weight, when done responsibly, certainly benefits our physical health, but it can equally benefit our emotional and spiritual lives if we follow some simple guidelines.

Here are some basic tips for emotionally healthy weight loss and the benefits that such a program can yield.

Be Realistic About Emotional Results
Because our self-worth is so wrapped up in our body image, it is easy to have the expectation that weight loss will create significant emotional changes. While one certainly feels better, both physically and emotionally, when not abusing the body, it does not necessarily create self-esteem or change longstanding emotional problems. 

A more healthy expectation is that you will derive self-worth from setting and achieving a goal. How many times do we promise ourselves that we are going to reach for a goal, only to abandon it? That is a terrible feeling. Achieving a goal, any goal, builds self-esteem and delivers a healthy emotional boost.

Find Mutually Reinforcing Motives
It is easy to hide a superficial or unhealthy motive behind a seemingly healthy one. If I go to the gym seemingly to get healthy, but what I really enjoy is showing off and competing, my emotional life suffers. Fortunately, the opposite is true - if I join a hiking club to get fit, enjoy spending time in nature, and potentially meet someone, each motive reinforces the healthy nature of the others. Another example is biking with a friend who has been lonely. I help my friend while also exercising, and I get to feel better about myself because all of my motives are good.

Connect Emotions and Fitness
If you have a few pounds to lose, think about how many of those pounds were gained from eating out of frustration, boredom, loneliness or anger. When we use food as the antidote for uncomfortable feelings, it is likely that we are setting up a lifetime pattern of continuing emotional distress and weight gain. Seek other emotional and spiritual outlets for dealing with these feelings so that, when next spring rolls around, you will have fewer extra pounds to contend with.

Focus on Health, Not Beauty
It's no secret that there are many physically beautifully people who are deeply unhappy. When we treat others or ourselves in a superficial way, judging only on exterior appearances, the world of fitness becomes very limited. No one, literally no one, can maintain idealized physical perfection with age. Instead, we need to accept that our bodies change and value health rather than showcasing beauty. This focus on health rather than beauty allows all of us to participate in a lifetime program of emotional fitness.


The Principles
by Patrick Moore
Available now on Lulu.com, Amazon.Com, and BarnesandNoble.com.