It seems like these days everyone wants to be more active and eat healthier. I see posts all the time about it being a new year... a new month... a new week... But I have a question for you...
Why wait until then?
If being more active and eating healthier is something you really want to do, why not start right now? Why wait for a Monday, or a new month or even a new year? Why not start making changes right now and begin forming the new habits and routines needed to find success?
Why wait to start eating healthier?
Do we really need to wait until all of the unhealthy snacks and food are out of the house? Do we really need to wait until we have the time to meal prep for an entire week? Can't we start right now by having a smaller portion size or skipping seconds? Maybe we skip the drive-thru and opt to just pick up a rotisserie chicken and a microwave bag of frozen veggies instead. It might not sounds like a big change, however change no matter how small, can yield big results if we are consistent with it.
If you have been following me for a while you know I talk about this a lot. It's honestly the key to my success over the last decade.
You can begin practicing balance with food right now. You don't need to wait for a Monday or a new month to do that. It's okay to set limits for yourself. As a matter of fact you must set some, or you will set yourself up for setbacks (which are 100% normal, FYI.)
If you are a mom and snacks are your trigger, move them from the eye level shelf of the cabinet or designate a cabinet just for the kids snacks so you don't have a reason to go into it when you are looking for food for yourself.Have a partner who is not onboard with your choice to be healthier? That's okay... just be honest with them about your triggers and ask them to help you by respecting your boundaries and helping you to be successful on your journey.
Note: you cannot expect them to quit eating the foods they enjoy just because you are deciding to be healthier. This is where owning your own shit comes into play and learning how to overcome your triggers and how to take ownership for your actions comes into play. Another big mom trap is eating your kids leftover food from their plate. We tend to mindlessly do this and it's one of the biggest changes you can make. I speak from experience on this one. Those fries that you pick at while chatting add up quickly and if you do it often, you can easily sabotage your efforts without realizing it.
I highly recommend using an app like My Fitness Pal to track your food or a good old pen and a journal.
I was the girl who set the resolution EVERY DAMN YEAR in January to lose the weight and get my shit together, but I failed EVERY DAMN YEAR. I failed because I thought I had to be perfect with my “diet”. I failed because I didn't learn the lesson that was presenting itself to me...that this was a lifestyle change and that I didn't have to conquer all of my bad habits in one day.
Remember - it's all about Failing Forward! Make the mistake, learn the lesson, adjust the plan, keeping moving toward your goal.
Making the decision to change your habits now can really be a deciding factor. You need to follow the mindset of slow and steady wins the race. It's not all or nothing here... small changes stacked over time will be the deciding factor in this journey.
Being healthy isn’t about deprivation, it’s about balance. That balance isn't perfect. That balance isn't even what you think of when you hear the word balance. It's more of an ebb and flow. It's being okay with setbacks, owning your own shit about what caused the setback, adjusting the approach and moving on.
It’s about making time to take care of yourself and ensuring it’s a priority to do so. Perfection is not part of the process...if you think it is, you need to change that mentality right now... because perfection is a myth!
There are going to be good days and bad days. Good weeks and bad weeks. You’re going to want to give up but you can’t... you have to believe in yourself and know that YOU ARE WORTH IT.
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