When I initially started working professionally with clients to declutter and organise their homes, I found it surprising how many were also on weight loss journeys (see what real clients say) Sometimes, by the end of our time working together, they would have lost stones! It didn’t take long for it to click that the two concepts are related and actually very similar in terms of motivation and mindset.
An American Professional Organiser, Peter Walsh, even wrote a whole book about it – “Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight”!
So how can tidying help you slim down?
- Living in a cluttered, untidy home is very stressful. We might not even be consciously aware of it but it stops us from fully relaxing. Short term, acute stress reduces the appetite but longer term stress (exactly the kind experienced when home doesn’t feel as it should) unleashes cortisol which raises the motivation to eat. In particular, to eat high sugar snacks for the instant boost. Worse, the “sugar roller coaster” ride can then start when after only a short time, we crave more.
- If you think about it, it’s much like acquiring new stuff. We might buy a new pair of jeans to give ourselves a boost. But that good feeling won’t last if we don’t feel good about our wardrobe or body to begin with. We need to deal with the underlying area of unrest first. And that applies to both body and home.
- If faced with an overstuffed, messy pantry or fridge, the natural human reaction is to close the door and order a takeaway. When I declutter kitchens with clients, our focus is on creating awareness of each and every item. It’s time to start making conscious decisions. If they’re not going to use that juicer, it’s going – if it’s staying, then they’re going to use it! If, they hate lentils, is it any wonder there are packets past their use by dates? Time to find some healthy food they actually like, is relatively easy to prepare and the result? They start eating it! At the end of the process, everything that remains will be items that the client loves and will use. Sometimes, the simplest of changes can have a big impact on eating habits.
- When you choose to tidy your home, what you’re essentially doing is claiming control over your environment. The same logic applies to gaining control over what you eat and how much you exercise. You also find the balance. You don’t have to kill yourself by forced food deprivation or over doing physical activity. Just as you don’t have to declutter to the point where you live in sparse minimalism.
- Decluttering and losing weight have one huge thing in common: creating awareness. Once you are fully aware of what you’re consuming and the impact of food of your body, it becomes ludicrous that you would want to fill (or over-fill) it with sub-standard fuel. When you consistently stay aware of the benefits of eating healthily, several things happen: you lose weight naturally and permanently, your energy levels rise and breed yet more motivation to continue and niggling health problems often disappear – essentially decluttering further negatively from your life.
So it’s clear there are similarities between decluttering and weight loss when it comes to mindset.
Not only that, but weight loss and decluttering tend to work in perfect harmony together, each encouraging the other.
So when your home starts to look more aesthetically pleasing and when your routines and systems start to run smoothly, it’s only natural that your mind will turn its attention to other areas which you might want to change.
Likewise, when you’re losing weight by intentionally making healthy choices, you see that you can make intentional choices within your home too. You start realising you’re in the driving seat of your life – and all you need to do is decide where you want it to go. So what choices are you going to make? Consider which vegetable foods to buy for a clean diet such as kale and spinach which are so versatile.
Essentially, when you’re making the decision that the only things entering both your home and body are going to nourish and add value, you’re respecting yourself. You’re being your own best friend. It’s almost surprising we don’t do it sooner!
“If it doesn’t nourish your soul, get rid of it” – Unknown
Thanks so much for reading!
A Tidy Mind
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