5 Tips to Stop Explaining Away Your Behavior

139 - How much energy have you lost explaining away your choices with phrases like “I’ll start next week” or “I’m just too busy”? These stories feel harmless, but they drain your momentum and keep you stuck in the start-stop cycle.

In this episode of the Feel Light Mind & Body Podcast, I share 5 tips to stop explaining away your behavior so you can reclaim your time, energy, and confidence.

Together we’ll explore:

• Why simplifying your routines gives you more energy and focus
• How daily planning helps you stay consistent with healthy habits
• The role of values in overcoming procrastination and stress eating
• Why accountability is the secret to sustainable weight loss for women
• The truth about waiting for the “right time” (and why it keeps you stuck)

These are realistic, science-backed tools designed for women who want to stop the cycle of dieting, excuses, and burnout, and finally feel lighter inside and out.

🍂 If you’re ready to stop starting over, the Fall round of Feel Light Mind & Body is open now. Join us and create sustainable habits that will carry you into the new season with more energy, confidence, and ease. Start here: https://www.clarendasempowerment.com/courses/fl

#feellightmindandbody #clarendasempowermentcoaching #healthyhabitsforwomen #mindsetmatters #wellnessjourney

You can always find out more at:

https://www.clarendasempowerment.com/

Transcript

0:00

. This episode isn't for the defensive. It's meant for the woman who values growth and introspection. It's meant to be empowering and not another chance to just judge yourself or beat yourself up. So wherever you are right now, just straighten your posture, take a nice slow, deep breath in and let it out. This is your invitation to pause and get curious about how you can stop explaining away your behavior. Welcome to episode 139. In case you're finding me for the first time, I'm so glad you did. I'd love to know a little bit more about you, your name, and anything else you would like to share. I'm Clarenda Price and as a life and weight loss coach, I help women who thrive in so many areas of life, but struggle with weight loss, decreased energy, and stress eating. I help my clients make lasting changes that go beyond dieting, getting to the root cause of the stress eating or the emotional eating, resetting their hunger hormones so that everything else feels easier and less like a battle. No endless willpower, rigid meal plans, or having to spend hours at the gym. Instead, we create sustainable habits that leads to more energy, self-confidence, and feeling more comfortable in your clothes and your birthday suit. Now, why is this topic so important? Because when we stay stuck in old stories, we stay stuck in old patterns. It's easy to know what to do. Most women I work with know the basics: eat better, cleaner, move more, and get better quality sleep. But the challenge isn't in the knowing; it's in the doing, the application, and integration. And what often gets in the way is the narrative that's running through our heads. The little stories and justifications that we tell ourselves for why we're not doing what we said we would do. Have you ever caught yourself mid-story listening to the words coming out of your mouth and going, wow, that's a lot of BS? I know I have, and it doesn't feel good. For me, those moments leave me feeling small and powerless like a victim of my own circumstances. And living in that victim energy is a very low-vibe place to spend your day. Here's the thing, there are facts, and then there's what we do with those facts. Some things, of course, are out of our control, but if we're honest, there's a lot of things that are within our control. The problem is it's easier to explain than to change. It's easier to stay comfortable than to stretch into an uncomfortable growth zone. So we explain, we justify, we defend, we tell little stories that sound reasonable, but leave us stuck. And sometimes these stories are such a habit of saying it or they're subtle and we don't even realize we're doing it. In the past week, think about how many times you've said or even thought

phrases like these: 3:08

I'm too busy; I have too much going on right now; My plate is full, I'm always behind, or I'm being pulled in too many directions. Now, there's nothing wrong with acknowledging that life is full 'cause that is a reality. But what's also the reality is life is as full as the things we say yes to and, yes, I'm speaking to the choir. When we say yes to something like taking on an extra work project, volunteering, o r even an unplanned night out with friends, we're automatically saying no to something else, and most often it ends up being something to do with our health, whether it's physical, mental, spiritual, or emotional. I love saying yes to my family and friends. Something exciting or travel. But if I don't keep an eye on that and keep it in balance, then I pay for it with my energy, my sleep, or my health. Think about it. When things start to feel overwhelming, that's when it's tempting to start explaining away things. You might say, this isn't the week for a workout. You might explain why this season is just not the right season to focus on eating healthier. And one of the ways we brush ourselves off is by saying, I'll get back on track later. Sound familiar? Of all the weeks to be recording this video, this was the week. This was planned ahead of time for this topic, but yeah, I've had a very full week and a lot of reasons of why I could explain away this or that. I did have some justified reasons for why I'm not doing something or why I can't do something, but I also noticed there were a lot of stories coming up around that to support it . So I had to make some big decisions. I had to say no. I had to do things a little different way. I had to prioritize what really needed to be done and then delegate or delete things or put it to next week. I simply refused to stay in the victim mentality. Now that's hard for me as a recovering people pleaser. And if you've been following me, you may resonate with this as well. You might have a little bit of that nice girl tendency to want to keep the peace, make everyone else happy, and help whenever you can. But here's what I've learned over the years, especially through coaching. Those nice girl habits don't always serve us well. In fact, they can quietly sabotage our joy and our health if we don't recognize them. So I really leaned into these five specific tips to help me stay in an empowered action instead of going into those victim stories that were wanting to pop up in my mind. Empowered action trumps falling back into old excuses anytime so let me share these 5 Tips to Stop Explaining Away your Behavior. Don't just let them be words or theories, these are actionable things that you can do to make a difference. Number one, keep it simple. Simplicity is everything when you're feeling stretched thin. Simplify your conversations, your commitments, your workouts, everything. Every action has a reaction, so choose wisely. This week, for me, that looked like leaving short voice memos to my family and friends to update them about my sister and my mom, rather than having long phone conversations or writing long text, sticking to 30 to 40 minute walks, or focused short workouts like I do a 25 minute one that gets the job done i nstead of pushing myself to do more, as I mentioned, deciding what I need to do now, what was priority and what could wait until next week or be eliminated. Simplicity doesn't necessarily mean that you're doing less, it does mean that you're creating space for what truly matters. Tip number two, plan ahead even just for the day. The average person makes 35,000 decisions in a day. Let that sink in for a second. Now that's an average, and it can vary depending on the amount of responsibilities and what kind of decisions they are. But you get the idea, and I think we all can agree that's a lot. From choosing what to wear to making a strategic business decision or looking at what are we going to have for dinner tonight, our brains are constantly on. When you don't have a plan, you're forced to make the decision in the moment, and often they're emotional ones. When you don't have a plan, you're forced to make one, and often that's an emotional one, not a strategic one. That leads to decision fatigue, which leaves you exhausted at the end of the day.

The solution: 8:02

plan your next day in advance not just work task, but things like when you're going to move your body, when you'll take breaks, and when you'll connect with someone that you love. I've learned the hard way to leave at least one hour buffer rather than scheduling everything in too tight. And if you don't need it for an emergency, great, you can just add in some fun or check something else off your list. This one simple habit protects your energy like nothing else. Number three, know your intrinsic values. The intrinsic values are different than the moral values like integrity and honesty. These are the things that light you up inside. They're the things that give you more meaning and help your life to feel aligned. I must say, when you know your values, it makes decision making so much easier. Without this clarity, you are more apt to make decisions based on other people's expectations and then wonder why you are feeling resentful or unfulfilled, even though your life looks pretty good on paper. I now take all my clients through this values assessment and every time it's an eye-opening experience. They realize that they've been living out of alignment and suddenly all their struggles make so much sense. They may also realize that they've been living in someone else's values in order to make them feel happier. When you know your values, you have more clarity and you can stop judging yourself for how you're feeling or what you're doing. You start making choices that honor the life you want to live. Number four, build accountability. Accountability helps us from slipping back into old patterns. When I pay someone, whether that be my mentor or assistant, I show up. It's just that simple. I don't like wasting money and I'm guessing you don't either.

But here's the bigger benefit: 9:58

true accountability, build self-confidence, self-trust, and self value. While friends and family can support you, they'll often understand you and even validate you because they have their own excuses. That's why having a coach or a mentor is so powerful. A coach has a way of holding up a mirror and lovingly calling you to a higher standard rather than letting you hide behind your stories. Number five, stop putting it off. The hard truth is the longer you wait, the harder it gets. As a nurse for 21 years, I saw this firsthand. The most heartbreaking patients were the ones who were living with regret. They regretted that they hadn't stayed active. They regretted that they hadn't learned how to cope with stress. And most importantly, they regretted that they waited until their health was in a crisis to make a change. Your future self will thank you for taking action today. So which of these five tips really struck home with you? Was there one that gave you a moment of pause? If so, leave a comment on YouTube. Share the number or which one it was, or any insight that you have. And while you're there, why not hit subscribe? I would be so excited if you did. I have this goal to reach 200 subscribers, which is a bit of a jump for me as this is still new. I know that I can't do this myself. My goal is for September 30th, which is a week from today. I need your help. Together we can help more women find this channel so they can elevate their health, their life, and keep sharing the love. You would make my day, so I'm going to thank you ahead of time. As we wrap up in regards to your health, it's easy to explain away why now isn't the right time. Your brain wants comfort and safety...it will always resist change. That's normal. That's how it's wired so we recognize it. It's okay, but here's what I want you to hear: A little discomfort now means a lot more comfort later. I work with women one-on-one and in small private groups to identify the stories keeping them stuck, to provide clear, doable tools and strategies so they can get lasting results. We build habits that make healthy living sustainable and even enjoyable. If you've been thinking, well, I should know how to do this by myself by now, I get it, but there's a reason that you've been stuck, and it's not because you're lazy or broken. It's because you need a different kind of support. If losing weight feels like an endless cycle of trying to achieve something that doesn't last, then book a 20-minute consult. It's free and you can find the link in the description. My clients tell me that hitting that button, that felt like the hardest thing, and it's because of all the stories that's going on. But I promise you, it's a non-judgmental space. There's no pressure. We'll simply talk about your goals, where you are now, where you want to be. I can answer any questions, and then I can help you decide whether it's us working together or me referring you to something else that I think would help you more. I'll be honest, I promise I'm here to help you and guide you every step of the way. I want to encourage you that this week, it begins October, the fourth quarter, and there's still time for you to end this year feeling healthier, stronger, and lighter, in every sense of that word. So what do you say? Let's do this together, my friend.