Change is hard, There’s no doubt about it. Our daily habits have developed over 20, 30 or 40 years (depending on our age). So to try and break these ingrained habits and develop new ones, can be challenging in the least. Once we decide to make health changes, (usually based on some sort of trigger), we often jump in with both feet and try to change everything at once.
You wouldn’t be the only one that thinks by changing everything all at once, we’ll see faster progress and reach our goals in no time. However it’s not always the case, in fact it can be quite the opposite. Trying to overhaul our whole life at once often leads to overwhelm, which causes us to give up and we end up feeling like a failure. This is often a big part of the yo-yo diet cycle.
So let’s throw the all or nothing mindset away! Focusing in small, simple habits is much easier and can still achieve big results. Here are 4 simple things that you can do to kickstart your health:
- Start today – we often wait for the perfect time but it doesn’t exist. You’ll just keep delaying and will probably never get going. It’s important to know that motivation doesn’t need to come before action, and that taking action will make you feel accomplished and give you the motivation to keep going!
- Make healthy eating convenient – stock your kitchen with food that will help you reach your goals and get rid of anything that will derail you. In the words of John Berardi from Precision Nutrition, “if food is in your house, you will eventually eat it!”
- Make your health a priority. We’re great at looking after everyone around us and not ourselves. Make the time to meal plan, look at new recipes, food shop and prepare your food, just like you would for a gym class or doctor’s appointment. Block off time in your calendar so nothing else will take priority.
- Pack healthy meals and snacks for you to take to work. If you are too rushed in the mornings, do this the night before. If you are prone to forgetting or getting distracted, set a reminder in your phone.
How do these changes sound? Hopefully easier than you thought. If you want to make a change but need some more guidance in taking these first steps, book your free Nutrition Intro and chat with me about how I can help you through the process! Like I said earlier, action before motivation!