I’m going to level with you – Nutrition is hard.
Some days it’s really hard.
Everyone wants to eat healthy and be fit but it’s not easy to learn a whole new way of eating. The cravings can be torturous and the reality is that you’ve been doing it a certain way for years.
You’re always on the run and never have enough time to make a real meal. Between the kids, work, sports, and all of the other family actives it’s hard to find the time to change. It’s simple – Your eating habits fit your current lifestyle. It’s not easy to change.
It’s overwhelming.
It’s frustrating.
It’s complicated.
It’s stressful.
So how do you successfully change the way you eat?
Take it slow.
Set yourself up for success.
How?
Tackle ONE habit at a time.
When you’ve got that down and are 100% confident that you can do it every day THEN you can tackle a new one. But remember, that takes time. Some habits take longer than others but let’s assume just to be safe that it is going to take at least 2 Weeks to make a habit part of your everyday life. So sit back, relax, don’t get overwhelmed and enjoy the thought that before you know it you will completely change the way you look at nutrition. BUT, we are going to take ONE STEP AT A TIME.
You’re probably asking “Where Do I Start?”
That’s where the Habit Change Continuum comes in:
Unfortunately, not all habits are created equally. Some habits are easy to start and some are pretty damn hard. For Example, Psychologists have discovered that it is actually easier to START a new habit than it is to STOP an old one. It’s the truth. It’s science. I swear. That explains why it has been so hard for you to Stop having that favorite treat of yours. You’re starting with the hardest habit change of them all.
If Stopping a bad habit is on the hardest end of the spectrum that means that Starting a new habit is on the easiest end. In the middle there is going to be two options to choose from Increasing or Decreasing. So maybe instead of trying to completely stop eating your favorite treat how about you start by decreasing the amount of times you have it each day or even easier, each week.
Remember. You want to set ourself up for success. Once you succeed at one thing it’s easier to succeed at the next one, and even easier at the next one and so on. Again, it’s the truth. It’s science. I swear. Every time you succeed it makes it that much easier to succeed again.
So if it seems impossible to Stop that bad habit that you have, let’s try to Start a new one. Again, set yourself up to succeed! That means, if I were to ask you “On a scale of 1-10 how confident are you to successfully keep that new habit every day?” and you don’t answer at least an 8 then it’s too hard. Scratch it and pick something easier.
Changing a whole lifetime of bad habits and implementing just as many good ones is going to take time. You have to be cautious not to rush the process, not to overwhelm yourself, and not to make yourself feel that your goal is impossible. It’s not. It’s the truth. I swear
Throughout your journey, yes it is a journey so enjoy it, keep the habit continuum in mind. Refer back to it any time you feel that you’ve lost your way and need to reassess where you should be focusing your attention. There is no harm in going back to an easy habit to get your momentum going again.
The path up the mountain of success is never a direct one. It’s going to be filled with dips, valleys and more obstacles than you can ever imagine. But I promise you the reward when you finally reach the peak is more than worth it. There is no greater feeling in this world than when you’ve truly put the hard work and dedication into accomplishing a goal and you finally reach it. Don’t believe me? Watch the NFL draft this year and watch the tears uncontrollably stream down the face of the kid that finally had his childhood dream come true after putting in 20 years of work.
Great things take time to grow, and you’re still growing.
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