We’ve all been there before.
We’ve tried to cut out carbs only to binge on pasta.
We’ve tried to cut down on sweets only to gorge on cake.
We’ve tried to eliminate sodas only to find ourselves drinking three cans the next day.
Some of us have even tried extreme diets like lemon and cayenne pepper to realize that this was a terrible idea.
In the end, we end up going back into our unhealthy diets tired, angry, and defeated.
If you’re like most people, you have a desire to lead a healthier lifestyle, lose weight, and gain more energy but, oftentimes, you end up caving in after a couple of days or even hours.
We want to help you achieve your health and wellness goals. But, to do so, there must be some processes in place to help you do so.
If you’re considering an exercise and diet change, here are some actions you can take to insure you will be successful.
1) WRITE DOWN WHY ARE YOU MAKING THESE CHANGES!
The first step to making sure you succeed in your diet and exercise is to make sure you know WHY you’re making these changes.
Do you want to live a longer life for your family and friends?
Are you not feeling well?
Does your family have a bad medical history?
Are you feeling sluggish?
Are you tired of the way you look?
When you figure out the reason why you want to make these changes, WRITE THEM DOWN! Read them when you wake up in the morning, and read them right before you go to bed. Read them when you’re about to cheat on your diet or when you don’t feel like going to exercise. This way, your motivation to make these changes will always be on the forefront of your mind.
In fact, I would go as far as to create a video right before you start your program. This will give you a visual representation that you can draw on for motivation when you hit the rough times. You will see how tired you look. This will remind you as to how you used to feel and no longer want to feel.
Your WHY is very important! Keep this on the front of your mind at all times.
Don’t expect to be perfect from the outset.
2) BUILD A SOLID FOUNDATION BEFORE YOU START
According to Psychology Today, “Don’t even try to change your eating until you have learned important skills, such as how to motivate yourself every day, how to get yourself to use good eating habits, how to withstand hunger and craving, and how to get yourself back on track immediately when you make a mistake.”
If you don’t have a solid foundation to build on, it’s easy to completely fall off the rails.
How will you motivate yourself? (See step 1!)
What will you do when you’re tempted to cheat on your diet?
How will you react when you’re hungry?
What can you do mentally when you cheat?
Take the time to sit down and consider each of these questions. When you have these figured out, you won’t be caught off-guard!
3) YOU DON’T FAIL UNTIL YOU STOP TRYING
Here’s the thing. You’re going to make mistakes. It’s human nature after all!
You’re going to cheat.
You’re going to be caught off-guard and make bad choices.
There will be days when you don’t feel like exercising.
There’s one thing we really want you to keep in mind: YOU DON’T FAIL UNTIL YOU STOP TRYING!
Do you make mistakes? Absolutely!
Will you be caught off-guard? Yes!
Will there be days when you don’t go to the gym? For sure!
But, when it comes down to it, you can always start over.
If you make a mistake, make the next hour count.
When you’re caught off-guard, figure out what it was that happened and create a plan to remedy the situation the next time it happens.
Are there days you don’t end up in the gym? Well, make sure you go tomorrow.
4) START WITH SMALL CHOICES
Of course we want to dive right into a life-changing program. But it’s VERY easy to dive in head-first, not be perfect, and then give up.
This all starts with self-awareness.
Are you the type of person who starts plans and programs but never finishes?
Then maybe you need to consider starting to take small steps:
1) Start by eliminating regular AND diet soda and replacing that with fruit infused water.
2) Instead of having ice cream for dessert at night, eat a fresh piece of fruit. (You will be surprised at how much you will enjoy the fruit more than the ice cream!)
3) Instead of having that extra helping of mashed potatoes or rice, drink a glass of water first.
4) Throw out the potato chips and replace it with healthy snacks.
5) After dinner, take the family for a walk around the neighborhood.
We would rather you take small steps and create a habit than try to do everything at once and quit your entire program in three days.
5) DON’T START WITHOUT A PLAN
When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. You’ve heard that phrase, right?
There is a lot of truth to that quote, though. Make planning a weekly or daily event.
PLAN YOUR FOOD – Each week, you need to sit down and plan your breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the week. When you don’t plan what you’re going to eat during the week, it’s easy to cheat.
PLAN YOUR EXERCISE – You should not go to the gym without an idea of what you want to do.
What’s your goal? Is it weight loss? Is it to tone your muscle? Are you looking to fix your posture? Whatever your goal is, you can find a beginners fitness program that fits what you’re looking for.
Here are some beginner workouts you can start with.
BONUS TIP: If cash is a bit tight, make sure you cook high yield dishes. These are dishes that are inexpensive but produce a large amount of food.
6) PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS
Do you want some extra motivation to make these healthy changes?
Put some skin into the game
How?
Hire a personal trainer.
Hire a dietician.
Join a fitness group online.
Invest in a fitness app that tracks your activity.
When you invest money into your health, especially if money is tight, you will work even harder to achieve your goals.
7) FIND A DIET THAT WORKS FOR YOU
This has been a fairly controversial statement to many.
You probably hear:
– You need to do Keto!
– You need to eliminate meat and go vegetarian!
– You need to get rid of all fat and only eat extremely lean foods!
There is SO much information out there that it’s hard to figure out what information is correct.
“Don’t spend too much time on finding the perfect diet. Everything works as long as you’re in a calorie deficit.: – Jordan Syatt, Fitness Trainer to Gary Vaynerchuk
Psychology Today suggests, “stop looking for the perfect diet or the perfect combination of foods. Eat in a very healthy way but allow yourself to have one favorite food, in moderation, every single day. If you’re tempted to eat more of this food or go on to other foods you hadn’t planned to eat, then consume it shortly before bedtime, brush your teeth, and get in bed.”
If you follow these seven steps, you will be in a GREAT position to hit all your health goals!
SOURCES
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/14-ways-to-stick-to-a-diet#section12
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/thinking-thin/201001/10-tips-stick-your-diet-0