You know how a lot of people (maybe you’re one of them?) set goals to lose weight or get fit every January…and then 80% of those people give up within the first 30 days of the year? Have you ever stopped to think why that is?
We can give a lot of really quick surface-value answers to that – they got busy, things came up, etc. – probably the same reasons those people who stop working on their goals are giving themselves.
But it just isn’t that simple – most of the time, the reason that people quit so quickly is because…they weren’t that motivated to change in the first place.
If someone sets a goal to lose, say, 15 pounds so they can look better, the truth is, most of the time they aren’t going to follow through with that work because those 15 pounds just aren’t that important to them.
So what brings about true, meaningful change and transformation – the kind that I get to witness my clients undergoing every single day? Keep reading, because we are about to dive into that very topic.
1. Know your Why
Before you begin any health journey, you HAVE to know why you are doing it. What are you longing to change and why? What will you be able to do, be, or have if you are successful at making these changes? What will you risk losing if you do not make these changes? These are all really powerful questions. To help you to walk through them in even more detail, I have created a document that will ask you 7 key questions to help you get to your “why”. Download it below!
2. Plan for Success
You know the saying – if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Those words are SO true. If you want to make lifestyle changes, they are out of your normal routine or habits. You HAVE to be intentional about who/what/when/where/why/how you are going to make those changes, or else they will đź‘Ź not đź‘Ź happen đź‘Ź . After knowing why you’re making these changes (step 1), you come ready to battle inertia. But you have to have a battle plan to come out ahead! Plan:
Who – is going to be shopping, cooking, watching kids, cleaning up?
What – are you wanting to change first?
When – are you going to start? When are you going to plan meals and cook or exercise?
Where – will your workouts happen? Where will you shop? Where will you find quiet time to plan?
How – are you going to implement changes?
Why – are you doing this? Like I’ve mentioned once or twice – this question is IMPORTANT and should be central to every part of this change!
This step can feel overwhelming for people because they often don’t know how to plan these things. Never fear! I am doing a SPECIAL live training in my Facebook Group – Nourish & Thrive Insiders that walks you step-by-step through my meal planning routine. Join the group by clicking here! Joining after? No worries, the video will live in the group, so you can go back and watch it later!
Join the Nourish & Thrive Insiders Here!!
3. Expect the Unexpected
Understanding why you want to make a change, where you want to end up, and creating a plan are instrumental in making real lifestyle changes. But plans don’t always go…. well, as planned. Things come up! This is the real world, and I know we’ve all learned a thing or two about pivoting and resilience in 2020. The same is true for making lifestyle changes. Things come up! Plans don’t always work. So how do you overcome this? A couple of ways:
- Extend your plans into the “what if” space. What if you don’t get to the store when you thought you would? What if your meeting runs late and you get home after you had hoped to start dinner? These unplanned events are often where our work starts to unravel – so go ahead and address them now!
- Just because you run one red light doesn’t mean you should keep running all the red lights. One meal didn’t go as planned and you got takeout? OK. That wasn’t what you had hoped to do. But it’s done now – that doesn’t mean you should give up. Now more than ever is an important to refocus your energy on the goals you set out to achieve.
- Look at and think about your goals FREQUENTLY. I don’t want this to be the only thing you’re thinking about – I never think that food our lifestyle behaviors should take up that much room in our lives. But, I want it to be something that comes up often in conversation. I want you to write down your why and stick it up somewhere that you will see it when you’re feeling tired, run down, or unmotivated. In fact, the last page in that document I created for you is all about summing up your “why” into 1-2 words and showing you how to put those words in a place where you will see them. Whatever we focus on or put in front of us is what we will accomplish. If you put all those strong desires to change on the back burner, that’s where they’ll stay.
In the end, making lifestyle changes is HARD WORK. Even if you hire a trainer or a dietitian – they may be able to guide you, encourage you, and coach you… but you still are the one who has to do the work. But, as with most things in life, the best things in life are worth fighting for. A healthy lifestyle is worth fighting for, and you are worth fighting for. I KNOW you can do this – I can’t wait to hear about your success!
In health,
Katie
