It’s been a long, warm summer, running a bit over schedule this year, however the onset of Autumn does force us to gear down. We begin to transition into homebody mode. The weekends full of barbecues and day drinking begin to dwindle and accepting a social offer on a weekday seems like a ludicrous concept as, in the southern states, darkness descends at 5:00pm and your jacket is a wardrobe staple, rather than a just-in-case.
This is also a time where we start to notice the effects of the past few months of festivities and indulgences, and may even declare that to be summer-ready, we need to start thinking now.
The “That’s it!” Approach
We’ve all done it.
Possibly after wondering what happened to the bag of mini creme eggs, as the inside of your mouth puckers from excess sugar and your teeth start to hurt, you decide, “That’s it! My healthy lifestyle starts tomorrow!”
You set out the terms of your healthy lifestyle:
- Eat better!
- Drink less alcohol!
- Keep hydrated!
- Move more!
- Get quality sleep!
- Stop scrolling!
- Start reading!
Plans are initiated:
- Download the apps
- Count the calories
- Bookmark the recipes
- Make the shopping list
- Join the gym
Bold declarations are made:
- Quit sugar!
- No red meat!
- Organic only!
- Juice everything!
- Make broth out of bones!
- Park in the furthest spot and walk!
You’re serious, you mean it, and you’re starting now! All at once.
The Quickest Path to Quitting
All of these are noble and important pursuits in the name of a healthy lifestyle, but trying to carry too many things at once is the surest way to drop everything. It can be overwhelming and demotivational. You may lose focus, have a lapse in discipline, decide it is all too hard, and chuck it all in.
How Do You eat an Elephant?
One bite at a time.
This is an approach I live by. When a task seems to mammoth to complete, the best way to complete it is bit by bit. Slowly and surely. Studies have shown that consistent, repeated behaviour is habit forming. It is important your approach does not lead straight to Failure Town. Give yourself the best chance by staying on Success Street.
Be Realistic, Not Rigid
You’re not going to get it right all the time, and life just doesn’t work that way. Concentrate on progress over perfection and allow yourself a few occasions to let things be. If you need to relax your calories to indulge in a special meal, so be it. You will gain more from being in that moment than overthinking it. If you let these occasions be the exceptions, rather than the rule, you will enjoy them a whole lot more.
Habit Stack
Once you decide to get things rolling in your New Way of Life, start with one thing.
This might be getting into the practice of meal prepping. That will soon become a ritual and an unconscious approach to maintaining your nutrition. After a week or two, you might introduce the next thing; cycling to work, walking to the train station, joining a yoga class or a gym or whatever movement you enjoy.
Once you have established the diet and exercise changes, and the effects of these are starting to make you feel great, you might just find the quality sleep flows on naturally from that, and the need to doom scroll into the wee hours doesn’t feel like time well spent anymore. The first domino has been flicked and all the others fall easily behind it.
Be Kind to Yourself
It is important to give yourself grace and flexibility when you’re changing habits, behaviours or a lifestyle model. Remind yourself why you made the choice to make the changes in the first place and what your life will look like in 6 months time if you stick it out.
Remember, one Macca’s drive-thru run isn’t the end of your healthy lifestyle, but a daily large McCrispy deluxe meal deal might be. And if you’re going to treat yourself more often than is in your Grand Plan, remember that even within this small changes can yield big results. The sauces will get you every time! They are (albeit tasty) where loads of calories, sugar and fat hide. So even opting for no or low sauce is a small change that can make a big difference!
