Effort is the enemy of change. It feels hard to do something
different because entrenched habits become a virtual autopilot. Everyone
day-dreams about how much better life would be “if this one thing was different.”
That’s the easy part. You might even get some warm-fuzzies from the thought. How do we break negative habits holding us back?
Change requires action. Action requires effort, but the
right plan has a natural flow to it opposed to pushing a stone up a hill. Often we
end up in a willpower battle when trying to make a change, which can be fought for a while, but never won. For
any change, when the needed effort feels overwhelming the attempt will sooner
or later become another, “yeah I tried that.” We must make it easier. Smaller
steps will keep you on the path.
Every goal regardless of size has a first step. If the first
step is easy, the second step might happen. To pick the right first step we must
know where we are going. Let’s define healthier. I can do it in six words: Lose
Fat, Move Better, Feel Good. There are just three factors to meet this definition, and if
done consistently success is virtually guaranteed. Certainly everyone knows
the following points, but to ensure this blog post is long enough let’s go over them:
Eat Better – Quality and quantity
are very important considerations. Quality is defined be nutrient density
(vitamins, minerals… all the good stuff our bodies need to function correctly
relative to total calories) veggies are a great example of a food with a high
nutrient density. Quantity matters if you eat too much or too little, both extremes
can cause problems.
Move More – For so many reasons, be
active. Find something you enjoy (tolerate) and do it regularly. The only other
consideration is to avoid activities that cause you injuries.
Improve Mindset – Positive vs
negative self-talk is crucial here. If you live in negativity about the food
you are eating, the activities you are doing to change won’t stick.
Each of these factors are important parts of getting healthier. It may seem
to be a short and simple list, but trying to do everything all at once is too
much and doomed to failure. Pick one thing to work on.
Make it specific. Build a plan of action. The other option is the technique in the video:
Easiest and fastest way to change.
Yes, finally, we are at the three simple steps to get
healthier. Once you can get the song from the video out of your head, pick out
one simple healthy habit. Then follow these steps to build a workable plan to implement
the change:
Find the Time – When are you going
to do it? Want to workout out more? It sounds nice and can definitely help, but
put it on your schedule. Carve out the time or it won’t happen.
Clear the Path – What obstacles are
in your way? Want to eat better, but somehow still end up at McDonald’s for
lunch? If you pack a lunch so you have healthy food with you, you might very
well end up eating better. Just hoping you won’t encounter any problems isn’t a
plan.
Celebrate All Successes – Didn’t
lose 100lbs this week? If you are only focused on the large goal with the long
time frame it will feel like an impossible task. Reframe it, “I lost 1lb this
week and I was able to walk a little further than the previous week.” Any
progress is success. Don’t ignore it because it’s seems insignificant. Large successes
are really just a bunch of small successes added together.
Make one change. Turn it into a habit. Then work on the next
change. Build enough positive habits and you can achieve a real lifestyle
change. At Cascade Peak Performance we help people do this every day. Thank you
for taking time to read this, and please CONTACT US if we can help.
