Did you make big changes to your life on January 1st? Did you set goals, join a gym, start a "diet"?
Even for me, it is hard to resist the urge to plan to change my whole life when New Years rolls around. Everyone else is doing it, posting about it, I want to do it too -- Except, I don't. Not really.
If you had a lot of success with changes to your lifestyle in January, I am really happy for you. I hope you are enjoying feeling great, having more energy and realizing all the amazing things feeling good can lead to.
If you didn't have the success that you hoped for, I have a few thoughts and ideas to share with you.
When studying weight loss and increased activity that leads to long term healthier lives there is a term that is almost universally used - Behavioral Modification. And it means not just changing the way that you eat or how much you exercise.
Although we hear it All The Time - just changing the way that you eat... and just changing how much your body moves is not enough to create lasting change. Yes! both will make you feel better, both will add to your health; neither by themselves or even together will create lasting change.
Instead, it’s almost more important to address the social and psychological cues associated with our lifestyles. Quite simply, following food rules for the rest of your life is not sustainable, so it's important to dig deep to discover and examine why you are either going for junk food all of the time and/or eating too much (easier said than done, right?).
If examining our behavior is going to be the best chance we have at lasting change, here are some of my best ideas regarding how to do that.
Evaluate what’s worth it. When life calls for you to celebrate, by all means, celebrate. Have a small piece of cake, enjoy your grandma's famous Easter ham. Food that brings us joy and is a once a while a treat, should be just that. But drinking a gallon of soda a day instead of your water and eating a box of cookies on the sofa at night, are neither a treat Or a joy. They just aren't worth it.
Be mindful of your food choices. When you do opt for something that’s not so healthy, savor it. Eat consciously, enjoy every bite, and do your best not to overeat.
Don’t linger on the guilt. If you fall off the healthy lifestyle train completely and can’t get out of the processed foods trap, don’t live and relive your mistake. And certainly don't let this be the reason you Give Up! You’ve proven to yourself that you want to do this, you are worth it, so pick yourself up and get back on. Right now, this evening, or tomorrow morning are all chances to start fresh.
Don’t force it. If you love bread or are obsessed with the cheeses of the world, don’t force yourself to adopt to a lifestyle that doesn’t work for you. Learn to bake whole grain bread, or enjoy it in moderation. Instead of just smothering every meal in cheese, find the ones you love best and use them to really add some excitement to a recipe. If you just can't go without at 3 o'clock snack, then Don't! You can make the very best choices for you in lots of different healthy ways.
Listen to your body, and listen to your mind and your heart. All of us here at Snappily and Food Sense want you to live the healthiest life for you - and we want that healthy life to be full of joy and happiness.
