The first few months of a New Year often see many people embark on the journey towards becoming happier, healthier and lighter, looking for the easiest and quickest method to achieve fast results The danger can be that you’ll start off with determination and vigour until you become bored, disenchanted and the realisation that means it will be very restrictive and impossible to maintain! Most commonly resulting in total abandonment, very quickly repacing what weight has been lost and more besides!!
It is far more successful to adapt the unhealthy choices and habits we already have to healthier and wiser decisions. By considering which habits are causing the most damage it’s then easier to replace them. Take the photo above, if having a mid-morning or mid-afternoon cuppa ALWAYS leads to a few biscuits. If you enjoy a break is it realistic to stop it? Not really, would it be more realistic and less punishing to simply change the drink and break the association of your chosen drink and biscuits!
Depending on what they are, our habits will either make us or break us. We become what we repeatedly do.
We need to acquire strategies to help us in our battle to lose weight and keep it off. The following basic tips are useful important tactics and strategies to use.
Eat healthily – so what is healthy eating and how do you know?
- Variety – Variety in the foods you eat is vital in stopping you from suffering with diet boredom. But also provides our bodies with an essential mix of nutrients.
- 5 a day – If you don’t enjoy them, as most people with young kids know you have to dress it up and this is when recipe books/ Google could help.
- Fibre –Is crucial as it not only fills you up but it also help maintain a healthy digestive tract.
- Calcium – Mix and match with milk and yoghurt
- Protein – Will keep you more satisfied and you need to make sure you have some at least twice a day especially chicken and fish, try layering your proteins for example adding different ones to a salad eg; chicken, cheese and nuts.
- Cut down on saturated fat – Too much is bad for your health, known to increase your risk of higher cholesterol and heart disease.
- Limit sugary foods and alcohol – These are empty calories but we do like them and so whilst it is important to most of us to have some it would be foolish to have too many. There are plenty of lower calorie options available in the shops.
- Water – 6 x 8 oz glasses or 1 ½ litres a day
- It is easy to forget what you have and haven’t had which is why people who are keep a food diary get better weight loss results.
- Be More active –One of the easiest and least expensive ways of doing this is walking; pedometers accurately monitor how active you are, so you know which stage you are at, and also tell you when you haven’t done enough. As can apps on your phone I’m using the Strava app which is free and it’s really easy to use.
- Portions –It’s not always about what food is on your plate its how much of it there is that will determine how successful you are on weighing scales.
Staying Focused and Motivated is a key part of being successful long term
Changing habits is not easy e.g. Arms – fold them and now unfold them and try folding them the other way. Not easy is it? But the more we practice the easier it becomes, it’s the same as cleaning your teeth or brushing your hair, majority of us use the dominant hand and find it nigh on impossible to change. But if you’d fell and broke your dominant arm, you’d very quickly adapt and find a way!!
If you always do what you’ve always done then you’ll always get what you’ve always got.
Albert einstein
Making small changes to our unhealthy habits means we could have it all.
A habit is simply a behaviour that’s repeated over and over again so that it becomes automatic. Thinking of things that you always do, are they helping you or hindering you on this journey. Remember YOU created the habit and YOU CAN replace it
Consider the the healthier habits you’re already doing! Using skimmed milk, low fat spread, half fat cheese, low calorie spray oil and sweeteners. Whilst you may not have enjoyed the change to begin with over time they become second nature, and now you wouldn’t dream of using the full calorie versions. It just proves that if you are serious about long term health and weight benefits we will put up most things!
Breaking a bad habit may seem difficult but if it matters enough you’ll find a way! Bad habits are like comfy beds, easy to get into, hard to get out of! So instead of trying to break a bad habit, look to replace it with a new good/healthier habit.
In a nutshell, your health, wealth, happiness, fitness and success depend on your habits.
joanna jast
Success Lies in Mind 