While in Scottsdale, Hazel (my Belgian Malinois) and I were on a hike and got hit with some pretty strong wind.

As we made our way back down to the parking lot, I saw people running for cover to get out of the wind.

I also saw that the windstorm had blown a bunch of debris into the parking lot.

Tumbleweeds, thorns, stickers, bushes, and even dying cacti littered the pavement.

Leaning into the howling wind as it ripped through my clothes and Hazel’s fur, we’d taken our first few steps toward the car when Hazel suddenly stopped, held up her paw, and looked at me.

The message was clear: “Mom, help me! I stepped on a thorn!”

Knowing this was a possibility, I pulled out a pair of pliers I’d bought just in case and guided the thorn out of her paw.

Then, putting my pliers away, I surveyed the parking lot more closely.

It was absolutely LITTERED with thorns…so many that there was no way we’d make it to the car without Hazel stepping on God knows how many.

So, I picked her up, positioned her over my shoulders in a fireman’s carry, and walked us to the car, supporting all 52 pounds of her on my back the whole way…

Including while I dug my keys out of my vest, unlocked and opened the passenger door, and put her down into the passenger’s seat, just like a parent putting a young kid directly into the car.

As we drove back to where we’re staying, I felt incredibly grateful that my favorite ways to fill my own cup make me healthy and strong enough to do something like carry my 52-pound dog across a windy parking lot.

(I can only imagine how many thorns she would have stepped on if it’d been too unhealthy to carry her!)

For a lot of people, eating a bunch of extra food or their favorite sweets and junk food is a way to fill their cup (which I TOTALLY get).

Eating is fast, easy, and fun way to feel better…even when you know it comes with unwanted consequences, like obesity and disease.

In those really tough times, or times when your willpower is low, you just wanna eat and not worry about the consequences!

A lot of people are so used to it that they don’t know how to feel better without using food to do it.

And as a result, they sabotage their weight loss progress, make themselves sick, and then feel bad about it.

Or, they get tired of caring and give up.

But I wanna offer you a third option:

Feel better in ways that feel good AND make it EASIER to stay on track…

Because when you swap eating with something else that feels good AND is also good for you, it’s just plain easier to eat for your goals instead of eating to feel better.

I like to think of filling your own cup as the FUN way to stay on track.

What are some forms of self-care you enjoy and that feel as good (or almost as good) as eating?

Make a list, keep it on your phone, and refer to it.

Then, when you feel like eating, pull out your list and pick something from your self-care list to do instead.

Better yet, regularly do your self-care items so that you won’t feel such a strong urge to meet those emotional needs with food!