Do you want to have more energy?
Set an example for your children?
Lower the risk of health issues?
Want to become more active & find it easier to be?
Want to cut back on the amount of less healthy foods you are consuming in your diet?
Finally take time to care for yourself?
You are starting to eat better & move more but struggling to stick to your new changes?
You're not alone. Changing habits is something which involves several processes & it can take a while for these changes to become a new habit.
The four stages of change are:
precontemplation/contemplation
preparation
action
maintenance
Contemplation: “I’m thinking about it.”
Have been considering making a change but not ready to start just yet?
Do you know that your health, energy levels, and overall well-being & lifestyle will be improved if you make changes to your habits & develop new habits?
You're not sure how to overcome the roadblocks that may keep you from starting & this is casting doubt on wanting to change?
Common Roadblocks & Solutions
'I don’t have time'
We all lead busy lives but in the current situation we are adapting to having more "free" time and time at home without our normal hobbies & activities available to us so it is the perfect time to sit down & make a plan. Make your new healthy habit a priority.
Physical activity doesn't have to be going to the gym, it is about being active & moving whenever and wherever you can. Try getting out for a short walk a few times a week around your local area or jumping on your bike for a quick ride around the trails.
Set aside one day each week for grocery shopping & meal prepping. Make a list of the foods you need to buy so that you aren't tempted to throw things into your basket/trolley you don't actually need. Spend a morning/afternoon/evening creating some meals which you can place in the freezer and eat throughout the next week/s when you don't have time to cook. This will save you reaching for the takeaways menus or heading to your nearest fast food restaurants!
'Being healthy costs too much'
Going for a walk, run or bike ride.... FREE.
Doing some bodyweight exercises in your home or garden....FREE
Set a budget for your food each week & shop around the different shops in your area for the best deals.
Buy in bulk & stock up when items are on sale. Online health food retailers such as Musclefood & Holland & Barrett are just two examples of good choices for stocking up on lean meat, nuts & seeds. It is also a good idea to become friendly with your local butchers/farm shops as they can provide you with in season produce according to your budget which is local & fresh.
Choose frozen or canned fruits and vegetables. On the whole they are just as good, if not better than the produce on the shelf in supermarkets as vital nutrients are locked in when they go through the freezing process & often the produce in the supermarkets isn't always as fresh as you think it is! Just be aware of canned fruits being placed in sugary syrups which can lead them to become less of a healthy option.
'I don't have any motivation to do this on my own'
Involve your friends & family in your goals, activities and plan healthy meals together with your family. They can offer you support & motivation, keeping you going through the tougher moments in your journey to make positive changes.
Consider working with a qualified nutritionist and/or fitness trainer. They will support & guide you the whole way, help you through any hurdles you might face & give you a scientifically backed professional knowledge to educate you along the way so your new habits last for the long term not just a quick fix. Look around at all the qualified individuals available to you & have a chat with them before deciding on who to work with as ultimately you want to feel confident & happy with the person you are going to be placing your health & lifestyle in the hands of.
'I don't really like healthy food'
Eating healthy doesn't mean crunching your way through 5 lettuces, 3 bags of kale & 12 portions of a bland chicken breast with some rice each week.
You can still eat the meals that you love but just give them some healthy tweaks. Try using leaner cuts of meats, reduce the amount of butter, sugar & salt you include in your meals & drinks. Swap out full fat cheeses & milk for lower fat versions more often.
Adding in vegetables, pulses & lentils to your favourite meals such as curries is an easy way of making the dish healthier & ensuring you hit your fruit/veg targets. Spinach, peas, mushrooms & chickpeas are all great additions to a curry & give you a hit of fibre too.
Preparation- 'You've made your mind up & you're about to take action'
Once you have made the decision to change your habits, you need to make a plan and set goals for taking action.
Make lists of
Healthy foods that you like & ones which you think you need to include in your diet more often
Foods you love which fall in to the category of things you might need to eat less often
Ways in which you think you could be more physically active
Fun active activities you enjoy
Along with making a plan, set some goals to help put your plan into action. Don't try to make massive adjustments, start with small changes & steps. To get started, what is something you can do straight away within the next 24 hours to take a positive step towards change?
Make contact with qualified professionals in the nutrition & fitness industry who you feel happy to work with to start educating yourself on healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, wellbeing, health & fitness.
Action- 'Started to make changes'
You've been making changes to your nutrition & activity levels for the past couple of months and have begun to adjust to eating healthier, being more active & other changes to your lifestyle such as the amount of sleep you are getting & reducing stress. You also have tried to overcome any hurdles you may have faced along the way so far.
These positive changes are great and your physical & mental health will thank you for it but you need to ensure that you stick to these new habits now, so it is important to:
Look at & review the plan you made
Look at the targets you set yourself and assess how well you are meeting them so far & maybe adjust them if needs be
Think about setbacks you might have to face in the near future & plan ahead for how you can tackle them if they do arise
Give yourself a reward for just how far you have come. This ideally should be a non food related reward! Choose something which is going to help you achieve more on your journey...some new workout clothing or a pair of trainers for example. Changing habits & sticking to them well enough for them to become a permanent change & create a positive outcome isn't easy. Share your success with friends, family and the Nutritionists/PTs you are working with- they are the ones who are going to keep you going & keep your motivation high when things get tough & ultimately, apart from yourself, they are the people who are going to be proudest of you for making these changes.
Maintenance 'I have a new routine & habits that I've stuck to & continue to do so'
Once you have become used to the changes you have made & you do them without a second thought, and have done for more than 6 months constantly, you have reached the maintenance stage.
Any slip ups or set backs you have had, you've dealt with them quickly & carried on with your new routine, continuing to make progress without going back to your old habits.
It is at this stage that you should firmly believe that eating healthily, being regularly active and having a healthy lifestyle and wellbeing habits are for the long term (lifelong) not just quick changes for the short term.
Remember to add variety to your routine to keep things from going stale & reducing the risk of slipping back to old habits. Small, healthy changes can make massive results to your health.
Set yourself challenges to stay motivated, progressing & having fun!
Go With The Flo Nutrition
@gwtfnutrition
gwtfnutrition@gmail.com
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