Whether youâre trying to eat healthier, run faster, get stronger or improve your body composition or make time for joyful movement in your life, willpower and constant motivation is not the answer!
1. Change your environment to reduce the friction between you and your dreams.
Keep healthy snacks like high-protein yogurt and fresh fruit at eye-level in the fridge. Keep treat foods that are easy to overeat outside the home. You can still enjoy them with friends and on special occasions but if itâs outside your house, it stops being an everyday food. It also makes these foods feel even more exciting and tasty when you choose to eat them. This might not be an option for everyone, especially if you live with other people. If youâre the person who does the grocery shopping, you can decide how often and how much you bring into the house. It might be having a regular pizza night or buying a packet of tim tams for the household once a month. If not, having an honest conversation with the other people in your household about your goals might be helpful or you can simply make a promise to them that you wonât eat their snacks without their permission!
2. Change the way you think about exercise.
Often, we think of exercise as a way to burn calories and we push harder so we can âtreat ourselvesâ later BUT if we change the way we think, we can change our actions. Instead, decide what exercise means to you: is it as a way to learn new skills or build muscle? Does it make your happy, relaxed, confident, energised? It can often be more about who weâre with than what youâre doing. Finding a friend, local community group or joining a class of like-minded people can help keep you accountable and make exercise a more joyful part of your day.
3. Have a plan B.
If Iâm too tired, too sick or running late, I will _____. Fill in the blank with something that you know is realistic for your lifestyle.
If Iâm too tired, Iâll throw a protein source (itâs usually a can of tuna, 5 bean mix or a fried egg) into a multigrain wrap with a handful of spinach. If Iâm lucky and have some cheese in the fridge, Iâll add that in too and pop it into the sandwich press to get all toasty and crunchy.
If Iâm too sick I will reheat last nightâs leftovers or a frozen meal. I like to keep 1-2 pre-prepared meals in my freezer for sick days or just lazy days. My plan C is ordering takeaway from my local pho store (or any restaurant I can get a big bowl of chicken and vegetable soup from) and then hopping online to order meals for the week so I can focus on recovering. Nutrition Station offers same day delivery for their NuMeals which makes them perfect for last-minute orders.
4. Use the good days to prepare for the harder ones.
Anticipating obstacles helps you make better decisions in tough moments. We all have days where nothing works out the way we intended, but planning ahead can make all the difference. Youâre less likely to go through the drive-thru or order UberEats if you know youâve got a ready-made meal in the fridge or freezer. This tactic requires you to be kind to yourself and prepared on the days you are feeling motivated and good. It doesnât have to be a difficult. Whenever I cook soup, I double the recipe and freeze half for those sick days where all I can stomach is soup. I also stock up on powdered bone broth or vegetable stock from a bulk foods store for a quick soup base. Trust me, your future self will thank you.
5. Keep track of your daily habits visually.
There is something extremely rewarding and motivating about watching yourself make measurable progress. Visually tracking one habit you want to focus on changing can help get in you in the groove of being consistent.
For example, fitness trackers and smart watches show you when youâve hit your daily step goal for 10 days in a row. This can push you to continue hitting 10,000 steps every day because you donât want to break your streak.
Similarly, you can imitate this rewarding process by keeping track of how many days in a row you completed a habit youâve been working on. There are habit-tracking apps or you can colour in the days you completed your habit in a physical diary or calendar. Iâve been working on meditating every day and set an alarm at 8pm every night as a reminder.
Struggling to drink 2L of water a day? Fill up a 1L water bottle (or the biggest one you have) at the start of the day and keep it right next to you all day. Aim to finish it by lunch time. Refill and repeat until dinner time.
6. Focus on one thing at a time.
That initial adrenaline rush of motivation when you decide today is the day you are going to make changes, is great for getting you started on achieving your goals. However, setting multiple big and lofty goals can backfire and can even be demotivating over time.
How can you add in one extra handful of non-starchy vegetables a day? It could be throwing some spinach into your morning smoothie or adding a sliced cucumbers to your lunch.
If you have fat loss goals, how can you bulk up your meals without adding extra calories? You may choose to add more liquids to dishes to help bulk them including adding extra tinned tomatoes to a chilli or pasta sauce.
Trying to reduce your cholesterol levels? Instead of giving up all meat, you can select leaner cuts of meat and trim off visible solid fats of other cuts. Incorporating vegetarian dinners and using soy-based products, legumes and beans for two nights a week can also have a positive effect on cholesterol levels.
Small changes can make a big difference over time
