Welcome to Living Well Daily, the newsletter serving up a daily dose of care designed to support you, cheer you on and remind you, always, just how wonderful you already are.

You’re a gift to the world, so let your authentic self shine, you majestic being! 

How do you most commonly self-sabotage? What happens when self-doubt or fear quietly (or loudly) takes over?

If this year is about building a more loving relationship with yourself, one powerful place to start is getting to know your patterns. Not to judge them. Not to “fix” yourself. But to understand what you need when you find yourself stuck in a familiar cycle. 

Instead of pretending self-sabotage doesn’t happen (or shaming ourselves when it does), we can gently acknowledge it and learn how to support ourselves back onto a steadier path.

Self-sabotage can look different for everyone: Getting so “busy” that your dreams stay on the back burner. Feeling frozen, knowing what to do, but unable to move forward. Letting one mistake (or the fear of one) equal failure instead of progress. Taking actions that move you further away from what you want, then doubling down instead of course-correcting.

And beneath the behavior, there’s usually a feeling. When you self-sabotage, what shows up for you? Shame? Self-criticism? Apathy? Sadness? Resignation? Numbness?

Here’s an important question we don’t ask often enough: How do you currently care for yourself when this happens, if at all? Do you offer yourself kindness and support? Or do you use the moment as further “proof” that you’re not good enough, too much, or somehow broken?

The truth is this: Self-sabotage does not make you weak, incapable, or unworthy of what you want. It makes you human. And every human deserves care, especially in the moments they’re struggling most. 

So let this be the year you get to know yourself more deeply, not just when things are going well, but when things fall apart because when we learn to recognize self-sabotage and show up with care, we transmute that self-sabotage into self-trust.

Build yourself a plan: How does self-sabotage show up for you and how will you show yourself care:

You deserve care. You deserve support while you learn new ways forward.

✅Action Step: Take a few minutes to consider the question above and create yourself a supportive care plan. That way, the next time it arises, you won’t have to figure it out in the moment, you’ll already know how to meet yourself with compassion and keep moving toward healing and growth.

^{Love, Lola Graham}

It is argued by some fitness experts that when you try to burn extra calories from exercise you body will adapt and cause you to move less in other ways, like less fidgeting, meaning you don’t end up burning many extra calories from exercise.

This line of thinking has gotten really popular on social media by some fitinfluencers lately, calling exercise a poor strategy for weight loss and management. But new research out of Virginia Tech has put this theory to bed. 

Researchers (PMID: 41118225) found that being more physically active is associated with a higher energy expenditure (calorie burn), regardless of body composition and the increase is not negated by the body cutting back energy use in other areas.

They did this study on 75 people, so the sample size was small, but they did use a very accurate way to measure caloric expenditure and included a variety of ages from 19 to 63 years old with all different daily levels of physical activity. 

This study reinforces what I have personally, and with clients, experienced, that increasing activity, without increasing calorie intake, is a very effective strategy for weight management and loss. 

✅Action step: Assess your daily movement habits. Are you moving too little, just right or too much for your health and wellness goals? 

^{By: Joshua Graham}

Before you go, let us know what you thought of today’s edition and if there are any subjects you would like us to cover in the future reply to this email and let us know!

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With love and care,

Lola & Joshua | The Living Well Team

^{Living Well Daily is for educational purposes only and is in no way a substitute for professional medical and mental health advice and diagnosis. Please consult a qualified professional for care unique to your needs.}

^{Remember: It’s okay to ask for help. Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 (Canada & US).}