“Learning to say NO and when to say YES in the New Year!!”

Saying one word brings HUGE personal power into our lives – NO!

Too often in life, we say YES to everything, over-committing, overindulging ourselves and even saying YES to please other people.

At The Body Camp in Ibiza, we discuss boundaries with guests and how they play an important part in our lives.

Without BOUNDARIES in place in parts of our life, we would say YES to everything and feel powerless, leading to devastating effects.

Especially in the New Year, when we want to create better habits, it’s important to remember that saying YES to many things can lead to short-term pleasure but long-term discomfort, pain and long-term consequences.

Saying NO can be very powerful too. When we say NO, we are remembering who’s important (you) and understand that people or external events have no real power over us. It’s how we THINK about the event or people’s words that affect us!

We always have the choice to say NO to anything in life, especially with regards to our health.

There are many reasons that people are afraid of saying NO:

Why we are afraid to say No?

• Fear of hurting someone’s feelings – about health-related beliefs, like making a better nutrition choice.
• Fear of abandonment – like not “fitting in” with friends.
• Fear of shame – of being seen as a health “freak”
• Fear of being seen as bad or selfish – about looking after yourself

Here are some examples of what happens when we say YES too often

Consequences of Yes

• Saying YES to that extra alcoholic drink at a social event – can lead to a worse decision later!
• Saying YES to a second helping of food at the buffet or at a family gathering – can lead to more body fat and bigger hips/belly!
• Saying YES to staying late at work – when you don’t really need to.

Here’s some examples of what happens when NO can be used to powerful effect by you and others.

“NO, I do not want another large plate of food again thank you” (to say when the family are over feeding you!)

“NO, I am not going to buy more sweets to fill up my cupboards – I will buy some fruit instead.”

“NO, I don’t mind if people judge me and think I am a “health freak” – just because I drink a smoothie every day.”

Have a think about how many times you are saying NO daily – is it often enough to achieve your health goals?

Rick Parcell

Master Strategic Intervention Coach

www.thebodycamp.com