Change the right way!
By Anne Urubkov
Health is so important! We neglect it for various reasons. I’d say one of the reasons that stands out is lack of awareness or what we see as time-constraints. We get into these routines and habits amongst the busyness of life and don’t give any thought to our actions. This is likely not intentional, but something that happens and overtime these actions lead us into a lifestyle we are unhappy with. We may have found ourselves weaker, experiencing fatigue, overweight, difficulty focusing, or maybe you are left with painful joints that impact the quality of our lives. Whatever the reason is, you can make changes starting today.
In general I have found that people tend to hold onto their habits and ways of doing things, especially if they have been doing these things for a long time. So when change is presented there is an automatic guard that goes up and excuses arise if you will. It’s a natural response for a lot of people when your current ways are being challenged. One approach that I have found very helpful over the years is to transform the way you look at change. Instead of thinking of what you have to give up or restrict, why not think of what you can add in to improve your health, fitness, and life? Think about it more like how will this change impact me for the long term as opposed to the thinking of the short-term comfort or gratification you have to let go of (because truly that is what it is, not wanting to give up our comfort/ routine/what we are used to). For example, you may be trying to get healthier and lose weight. So instead of restricting all the foods you are currently eating, begin to think of healthier options that you enjoy you can add into your life. When you begin to incorporate the additions into your life, naturally with the additions, the other habits not serving you will begin to fall off.
One of my bad habits is drinking diet soda. I love it. Sometimes it can turn into a problem and I find myself drinking more of it and less water and things that provide nutrients. During this recovery from surgery, early on I made a choice that not only was I going to do what I could to recover well, but I was going to use my time off work wisely and focus on my health and well being in general. Early on in the recovery process, I began adding in more nutritious drinks and supplements I could blend into drinks. Because I was doing this, naturally I didn’t drink near the amount of diet soda. Don’t get me wrong, I still like it and drink it, but some days I found myself not having any. It didn’t feel restrictive whatsoever, it actually felt really good. Really good knowing that I can still enjoy it in moderation, while also incorporating other options that better support my recovery and healthy lifestyle.
It is also great to find healthier food options that you actually enjoy. If you don’t enjoy the healthier options, it is less likely that you will continue with it. For example, I love things like light and fit yogurt, there are flavors that I have found that are so enjoyable. I have begun to add this in as opposed to eating the ice cream. ( that I love so much). So after I eat if I find myself wanting something sweet, these yogurts have served their purpose well and I enjoy them. They also are low in cal and have protein (typically 80 cal and 12g of protein), so this allows for less of daily calorie intake (as opposed to a pint of ice cream= 600-1200 cal and low to no protein), increase in protein, and satisfies a sweet tooth. The benefits of this far outweigh the ice cream I could choose to eat, and serve to get me closer to the healthy lifestyle I want to achieve. But, being real, I do still enjoy some ice cream a couple times a month. :)!
Figure out things that you actually enjoy that you can begin to add into your daily life. Things that add value to your health and well-being and whatever your goals are. It is when you change your mindset about what supports what you truly want to accomplish and look at it as a form of adding to your life, that you will be more successful in the long term.
Action Steps:
How do you feel about change? Do you enjoy it? Are you resistant to it? Why?
Think about the foods you like, is there a healthy alternative that you can try this week instead?
Go out this week and find a food or drink item that has nutrients, adds value to your health, and that you ACTUALLY like! This will help set you up for more consistent long-term progress and health.
If you want to email me and let me know what you found :) I’d love to hear about it! I rooting for you!
