I think accountability, the act of being responsible for self, is a practice and depending on where we start and how well we know ourselves, it’s a process.
According to Brene Brown accountability is connected to courage. She explains since accountability opposes blame, we can see how not having accountability can keep us in a victimhood state of mind. One that paralyzes us and keeps us in shame without being able to move forward and find resolution.
I’ve gone through this myself and with many of my clients. Accountability is hard and most of the time we need someone to walk us through it if we’re not sure where to start.
The most uncomfortable part is finding the courage to be honest with yourself about what is or isn’t working. I’ve been in denial about what’s not working more times than I can count. Sometimes it takes a little push from the people who care about me most, but when I can be honest with myself and begin to take steps toward what could work, I find my life shifts into alignment.
When you stop hustling and guessing you can begin to make decisions that are based on your values. When you give yourself space to slow down and to reflect then you’re better able to make decisions from a place of awareness rather than not.
Coming from this place of awareness is incredibly helpful in shaping a foundational plan that’s based on your values (not someone else’s)
You no longer have to guess, self criticize or get frustrated because things aren’t working. Instead you come from a place of knowing what works and what doesn’t so that you can start moving toward your goal.
But you’ll never know this unless you look at what you’re doing first.
You most likely will make mistakes, but it’s a learning process. If we can avoid attaching ourselves to the shame of messing up and instead realize that messing up is part of the process of learning, our experience can be way more impactful.
Moving forward with courage instead of shame and blame is the first step in holding yourself accountable and trusting yourself again.
Accountability tools for Success
You don’t even have to participate in extreme dieting tactics if you don’t want to. All you have to do is become aware of how much you take in in relation to how much you move. It’s that simple.
Some people are not taking in enough and some are taking in too much without getting enough movement to offset the calorie intake. Some people are eating too much in one sitting and could benefit from splitting the bigger meals up and spreading them out throughout the day.
What these tools will help you see:
Your macronutrients ratios and discover what works best
What vitamins and minerals you’re getting and which ones you may not be getting enough of.
Your food patterns - if you’re eating too much in one sitting or not eating enough.
If you’re eating low quality foods you’ll quickly discover that you’ll not be satisfied with your normal calorie intake.
Tools I Use:
Cronometer - A food logging app. It tracks calorie intake and compares it to how much movement you’re getting each day. This app helps you discover how much you’re taking in comparing to how much you’re expending. Cronometer integrates with Fitbit and offers a paid option of splitting your meals so you can see how much you are eating at each meal. I find this to be incredibly helpful to know.
Fitbit - tracks; hours of sleep, gives you your weekly average weight, daily water intake and movement
Note: If your goal is to lose weight, You want to take your weight everyday first thing in the morning with the same scale. Then take the weekly average. That way you will see a true measure of weight rather than the day to day fluctuation (because you will fluctuate depending on the time of day and where you are in your cycle)
Temp and pulse - Use your temperature and pulse readings to find out how your metabolism is functioning and responding to changes you are making.
Mood - Your mood will always give you an indication of how your physiology is working. It will also tell you if you’re not getting enough energy or if you have tons of energy.
If you want to learn more about how I teach my clients to build a foundation of fitness and nutrition so they can live the life they love in the body they love contact me today for a free 30 minute consultation.