A case of the “shoulds”
Let's be honest, most of us know or at least have heard that we should walk more, should exercise regularly, should eat more fruits and veggies, and should get more sleep etc.
The problem isn’t that we don’t know what we SHOULD do…it's that we don’t know HOW to do it AND be consistent with it.
The “best” workout program or nutrition advice is not the best if it isn’t realistic for your lifestyle and preferences. There is no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to creating healthier habits. While we all have the same 24 hrs in a day, we all have different commitments, priorities, families, lifestyles, and abilities to name a few. So how do we start to incorporate healthy habits in a way that is sustainable?
The key is to keep it so simple it seems stupid. Our brains dislike change. It takes far less work to just keep doing what you’re doing then to disrupt the cycle. To form a new habit it needs to be EASY to incorporate into your life, otherwise you most likely are not going to stick with it.
Step 1: Ask questions:
For example, let's say you are someone who is looking to get started with an exercise routine. Rather than jumping into 5 days a week of workouts and then quitting a week later. First ask yourself a few questions such as:
Evaluate how much time you realistically have to exercise when you look at your weekly schedule. Can you easily fit in 30 minutes or 60 minutes?
Do you have time to go to a gym or would you be more successful exercising at home?
Do you have an idea of what type of workout you’d like to do or would you rather work with a trainer?
What days of the week and times are ideal for you? What happens when you can’t workout at this time?
What are small steps you can take to incorporate your goal into your day to day life?
These might seem like a lot of questions to ask yourself at first. But after taking a few minutes to answer these questions you might find that twice a week for 30 minutes seems very manageable, when you were originally aiming for 4. You might realize that you need to purchase a workout program, a gym membership, or maybe some home equipment. Or maybe you just want to start by going for a walk because that is the most accessible to you right now. Remember there are no wrong answers.
Step 2: Turn your goal into ACTIONABLE steps.
The next step is to turn your goal into actionable steps..but how do we do this? A good place to start is with the steps outlined below:
Pick your goal: what are you trying to accomplish?
Skills: what abilities and capacities do you need to accomplish the goal?
Practice: what behaviors do you need to repeat to build the skills?
Action: what small steps can you do every day to build the practice?
The last bullet point might be one of the most important steps. What are small tasks you can do everyday, realistically, to work towards your goal.
For someone who is looking to get in more exercise. A few ideas are:
Create and maintain bare minimums. Define your movement minimum on a scale from 1-10, 1 being the smallest version and 10 being the most optimal. Find the smallest version of your workout / activity that feels good, and do at least that.
Spend more time moving by walking or biking to work, going for a walk on your lunch break, take small breaks throughout your day to move.
Support your movement routine by purchasing new equipment/trainer/program, or by a new workout outfit or running shoes.
Find activities that you enjoy and feel like play such as dancing, hiking, etc.
These same principles can be applied toward any new habit or goal.
Let’s say someone wants to start increasing their daily protein intake. Questions they could ask themselves are:
What do their current meals look like? Could they look to add a source of protein with more of their meals or snacks?
What types of food do they enjoy?
Are they looking to cook more meals at home or do they need to purchase premade meals/snacks etc.
How much time do they have to prepare food or meals?
What are small steps they can take to incorporate your goal into your day to day life?
Daily actionable tasks could look like:
Identify your favorite protein sources.
Add 1 palm full of protein at breakfast daily.
Drink a protein shake daily.
Remember, we are only human
When taking steps to work towards a goal, we are bound to have “bad” days and “good days.” We are only human. Try not to use the all or nothing approach, if you miss a day or even a week, take a minute to evaluate why. Maybe you weren’t feeling well, or you were on vacation, or you didn’t prepare adequately for the week. Use this information to help you understand what you can (or maybe can’t do) to help you prepare for this in the future and, most importantly, just keep going!
And lastly, you are not alone. We all do better when we have support, whether that is from a partner or spouse, a friend, or trainer/coach. If you need help taking steps towards your nutrition or fitness goals, I’m always here for you! Click the button below to learn about the different services I am able to offer you.