Organising your surroundings for success…

One of the best and easiest strategies to help us to avoid making unplanned and unwise food choices is to remove it from sight. Many of our members used this strategy over Christmas to wonderful success, either putting chocolates on a top shelf/wardrobe and nibbles away from them at the other end of the table. But it can also be a valuable technique in reminding yourself why you are on this journey, by keeping something visual in plain sight as a motivational spur! Such as a smaller item of clothing.

If you closed your eyes in each room of your home, which is the safest? ie; No Food. Bathroom?? Bedroom?? Lounge/Living room?? Office?? Kitchen?? Go through each room and score them 0-5, 0 being none and 5 being the most.

For many it will be bathroom 0 – why is that? For most it will be the hygiene factor.

Bedroom could be one of the most motivating rooms. It’s usually where your assorted sized clothes are hidden in the wardrobe, choose the item you most want to wear and hang it on the outside of the wardrobe, maybe take a photo and save it as your screensaver, or print it off and put it where it will most help.

Living room/lounge tends to be where you take the food to, but if there are tempting items on the coffee table is that going to help your control later in the evening when the munchies strike!!! It could be that you put tempting fruit in a small bowl by you, or even a bag of healthier, lower calorie snacks, such as Twiglets, homemade popcorn or Quavers etc. You could also have your food diary on the coffee table to help your focus!

Office should ideally be a free from food room, but if it’s something you choose to do, have a plan of firstly what you want to snack on and make sure it’s ready and prepared and in front of you. It could be nice fruit (not the “normal” boring everyday fruit, try and be a bit more adventurous) Or even crudites and a healthy dip or two. Making sure you remove anything else, another excellent reason to have made a shopping list and stick to it.

Possibly the most dangerous room is going to be the kitchen as this is where all the food is stored. Again, thinking of a positive mindset, where should the tempting food be, and by the reverse the healthier items. Using the out of sight process, the unhealthier more tempting items need to be out of your view, just as the wiser choices are to the forefront, either in the cupboards or fridge. Remember that most of our unwise decisions are spur of the moment, so if you can replace the temptations with better choices you’re not going to feel you need to go searching. Not feeling strong enough? Get someone else to remove them!

Forming new habits takes time and persistence, so if drinking more water is one you need to do, try putting a glass of water by the kettle, then every time you boil it for tea/coffee drink it while you’re waiting. Many may struggle with drinking water during the cold winter months, but it’s just as vital in cold weather as it is in the warm/hot summer days if not more, we all spend more time in centrally heated homes/offices and of course warm cars which can dehydrate you! If you think its too cold to drink water in the winter months just think about how many of you will add ice to alcoholic drinks. But if you still aren’t convinced try drinking hot water with a slice of orange/lemon/lime or even add some low calorie squash.

Create a habit that’s associated with another we regularly do and over time it will become the normal.

Nobody ever said “I regret organising my house”

ALEJANDRA