Sick of riding the struggle bus? Try these 3 unexpected tools to successfully reach your ultimate wellness aspirations without feeling sad, restricted, or burnt out!
Raise your hand if you've ever tried a new diet or exercise routine, but didn't stick with it past a few days or weeks.
Holla holla, who has felt horrible about themselves when they "fall off the wagon" or, if other people can do it, why can't I?
Shout it out loud if you've ever tried to cold-turkey eliminate all of the "unhealthy" foods to improve your diet...
You can put your hands down now. We've all been there!
Decades of research shows that those short-term fixes are actually the worst way to try to get back in shape or eat healthier. Studies show the best ways to actually stick with those healthy habits are certain mindset shifts based on sustainable, long-term success rather than a get-thin-quick detox diet or a tummy-shrinking torture workout plan.
Mindset shift #1: Slow & steady wins the race
Little by little, slowly but surely, a gradual approach is a much better way to, let's say, work up to a more intense workout or increasing your fiber. You would be amazed how many people go on a crash diet with lots of healthy, fiber-filled veggies and then come to me with gastrointestinal upset (let me know if you need help fixing this, I get these sorts of questions all the time unfortunately). I have also had people that think they can just go run a marathon or go lift weights like a bodybuilder without proper training first, then get upset when their body rage-quits because they have not built up the stamina and endurance needed. You can really hurt yourself if you grab 25 pound weights instead of 2's or 5's or skip out on stretching, same thing with approaches to changing your diet!
Even if that wasn't the case, habits (healthy or not) are not made overnight - your brain and body get used to things slowly until they become routine. This is a big reason, not the only reason but a pretty large one, why diets fail. If you're used to getting takeout every night after work but it's killing your gut (and wallet!) you may be quite motivated to skip the drive through or delivery app and do a nice big grocery haul full of healthy choices... but then you get home from work after a loooong day and order some pizza, then the next day you forget to take your salad to work, and a week or two later you remember about those healthy veggies but they've now gone bad sitting in the crisper drawer. Ooops.
Establishing a new healthy habit requires a new routine, and for that you need a new plan. Whether it's getting help shopping for groceries, a new recipe book, or a (custom or not) meal plan from your favorite dietitian, or maybe it's trying a new gym or studio's workout classes with their nice new-customer intro deal, you're changing up your lifestyle for the better and that's AWESOME! However, I don't want you to work out 6 days in a row, then not exercise for another 3 weeks. None of us need to waste hard-earned money, in this economy, on yummy healthy choices that get forgotten about and are left to rot in the back of the fridge. Make a plan, keep yourself accountable, give yourself some grace if you have a bad day, but above all you know as well as I do that none of us are perfect and life is about balance. Gradually ramp up those runs, get your grocery list together along with 3-7 days' worth of meals planned out (here's an awesome guide for this!) before you go shopping, schedule those workouts in advance in your calendar if you can, and get those goals accomplished!
Mindset shift #2: Comparison is the thief of joy
I love this quote so much, I have a sticker of it on my laptop. It helps remind me of one very important helpful hint when it comes to working on your personal fitness, nutrition, and even your financial or career goals: you should only be competing against yourself. It's an anti-"keeping up with the Joneses" approach to focusing on your own sucess, rather than being distracted and subsequently getting discouraged when others are doing better than you, running faster than you, lifting more than you, drinking more water than you, whatever.
Instead, try the you-versus-you approach: you, right now, are in competition with past you. Current you may be better off today, or maybe you're not doing so hot. But a laser focus on your goals are going to improve your performance as well as your happiness when you're not distracted by others, whether they're doing better than you or not. Why?
Let's say you're in the gym lifting weights or doing some squats. If you're not focused on your own work so to speak, do you think you'll have the best form? Not quite. How about a yummy post-workout brunch with a side of practicing minfulness and intuitive eating? Awesome, sounds great. Your initial goal may be to to sit down and intentionally enjoy some refueling, but you are looking around at your fellow diners and might get distracted by their menu choices, before you know it you are letting others influence you to maybe order something ese, or maybe just keep you from eating intuitively and getting the whole point of the post-exercise mindfulness workout.
Now this might sound too "self-involved" for you to get on board, but hear me outfor a second. It's not selfish to prioritize your own well-being. I understand it sucks when others are apparently having an easier time than you, or seem more successful at whatever point in life. Now, that being said, please don't tear down others when they achieve a goal that you have not or will not reach. Absolutely, be happy for your friends! At the same time, your goals are your goals. Worry about yourself. Think me-against-me. Focus on working on yourself. It's just you and your competition is another you, that's it. This me-against-me mindset will help keep you sharply focused on improving yourself, not tearing youself (or others) down when things don't happen for you.
Mindset shift #3: Addition rather than subtraction
This is my absolute favorite tip for implementing healthy habits. It is especially important for eating healthier, particularly for people with diabetes! Everyone can benefit from this one, I promise. There are so many ways to add healthy habits to your lifestyle and not feel restricted. Think about a typical trendy diet for a second. It probably wants you to remove things, yes? Less time on the couch, lower carb choices, fat-free options, decrease the sodium or whatever; not saying these are bad things to implement, but there is a better way - trust me!
Studies show that the best thing you can do to increase your chances of success with an exercise routine or to improve the quality of your diet is to add in healthy foods or do workout moves you enjoy and more often. It makes sense, right? I have to coach people through this stuff a lot though, because they come to me feeling frustrated, bored, restricted, stuck, etc. So here we go!
Do you think a workout you hate doing is something you're going to stick with? What about a horribly bland or restrictive diet, do you think that is encouraging or sustainable long-term? Do you think you'll keep motivated and have a healthy habit for life? Nope! It doesn't make logical sense to have that sort of poor attitude, but guess what happens the majority of the time?
When people change up their diet, they often feel deprived. Why? Most people focus on one, or more, of the following: eating less often and/or only at certain times of the day, decreasing portion sizes, focusing on mostly or only low-calorie options, depriving themselves of ever having their favorite foods maybe with or without the "cheat day" exception (truth bomb: cheat days are just planned binges) .... does this sound familiar? How about that certain exercise you hate, or maybe a coworker or workout buddy that is too focused on burning calories, washboard abs, whatever, to the point of over-exercising? Yeah. That focus on reducing food choices or not moving in a way that is fun (or at least in a bearable way to spend your time) reinforces a feeling of deprivation. And guess what? Deprivation is demotivating. Boom goes the dynamite.
Now for the good news: let's move away from this "removal" mindset and towards an "addition" mindset! It's pretty easy. Instead of telling yourself: "look at all the foods I can't eat." you can say: "look at all the foods I can eat!" Eat what you want, pair it with what your body wants. If you want toast, add some peanut butter, eggs, or another source of fat and/or protein to help satisfy you longer as well as help manage blood sugars. Want chips? Add some salsa, guac, Greek yogurt ranch dip, whatever. Adding foods to your rotation is a form of positive reinforcement, and as you may be aware, positive reinforcement will increase your motivation! Also, this is huge so pay attention: the shift from eating as little as possible to fueling yourself with nutritious food to feel your best is one of the biggest adjustments you can make.
A few ways you can implement this into your routine this week include adding a new food (bonus points if it's a new-to-you fruit, vegetable, or protein) to your grocery list, sample a new recipe, trying a new restaurant, remembering an old favorite to include in your menu, things like that. Then next week, add a new recipe to prepare at home, saving money AND some calories! Collaborate with friends to get new ideas. Mix up the routine by adding another snack option or a different smoothie combo. Chat with yours truly for more out-of-the-box ideas!
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