You’re not alone. Change is hard. Change is a process that requires time, effort, and commitment. If you genuinely want to change, for good, check out the tips below and apply them to your personal goals.
1. Set your Mindset
Ever heard the saying ‘You can do anything you put your mind to'? Well, it’s true and it applies to making healthy lifestyle changes.
Your mindset: your thoughts, beliefs, and expectations, are the lenses through which you perceive the world. And these lenses affect how you live and the choices you make every day. If your mindset isn’t directed towards making healthy lifestyle changes, simply put, it won’t happen. Your mindset lays the foundation for you to commit to the change process long-term.
2. Be Prepared to Change
The reality is, leading a healthy lifestyle requires behavioural change. You can’t continue doing the same things and expect a different result. Prepare yourself to do things differently. This may include cooking differently, going to bed earlier, or adding a yoga session to your week etc.
3. Set Meaningful S.M.A.R.T Goals
Take the time to think carefully about what you would like to achieve. And then ask yourself, how important it is to achieve it. On a scale of 1-10 where 1 is not important and 10 is extremely important, goals that are rated below 8/10 will not receive the time, effort, and dedication need to be successful. If you can’t think of any goals that are meaningful, you may not be ready to change.
Once your goal is established, make it S.M.A.R.T. Ensure it is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound.
4. Discover your True Motivation
Once you’ve established your goal is important to you, ask yourself why? Then ask why again, 3 more times until you uncover your true motivation for wanting to change.
5. Identify Actions for Success
What needs to happen for you to achieve your goal? Correctly answering this question may require you to do some research related to your goal. For example, if your goal is to lose inches and reduce body fat, what’s the best way to eat for your goal? What should you eat? How much? How often? Will you need a nutrition consultation? It’s important to know what’s required for you to be successful.
6. Start Small
Once you’ve identified the actions required for success, break them down into small steps. For example, if one action is to eat better, step 1 could be to commit to ditch eating out. Step 2 could be deciding not to bring ‘junk’ food home. Step 3 could be increasing your fruits and vegetables intake. Step 4 could be to set aside time for meal preparation. Step 5 could be only eating the meals you prepare (i.e. take lunch to work).
Is your long-term goal to lose 30 pounds within the next five months? A good weekly goal would be to lose 1-2 pounds a week.
What about starting an exercise program? If you have been dreading exercise, start with 5 minutes per day, 4 to 5 days per week. Then increase to 8 minutes--10 minutes-- 12 minutes—15 minutes----20 minutes----25 minutes----30 minutes and so on.
7. Start Easy
Select a change that you feel confident about making. Do you want to eat healthier, stick to exercise, reduce stress? It's best to concentrate on just one change at a time. When a certain change fits into your life comfortably, you can then focus on the next change.
8. Identify Obstacles and ways to overcome them
What will get in your way? Will it be a lack of time, lack of knowledge, or lack of space? It’s important to anticipate what may derail you and think of how you will get past any barriers.
Brainstorm ways to leap over obstacles. For example, not enough time to exercise? I'll wake up 30 minutes earlier to complete my workouts.
9. Get Support
Seek support. Accepting help from those who care about you and will listen, strengthens your resilience and commitment.
Involve a buddy. Whether it's a friend, co-worker or family member, someone else on your journey will help to keep you motivated and accountable.
I also invite you to consider joining the Can-ji Support Club. I lead weekly online group coaching sessions with Can-ji members once a week. As a health coach, I integrate mindset, behavioural and physical change strategies to empower members to transform their lives.
10. Consult a Professional
If you feel overwhelmed or unsure of how to meet your goals on your own, get help. Consult with a wellness professional to correctly identify the actions required for success and how best to execute those actions based on your personal circumstances. I would be happy to provide a FREE consultation.
11. Create an Action Plan
Your plan should include the actions required for success and the small steps that will contribute to the completion of these actions. Include details such as where, when, how, and with who. Put your plan in writing and post it where it will be highly visible and seen by you, multiple times per day.
Ensure your plan includes tracking progress. How will you measure progress towards achieving your goals? And how often will you assess your progress?
12. Rewards System
Plan simple rewards for achieving your short-term and long-term goals. For example, if your goal is to exercise 3 days a week, give yourself a small reward each week and a larger reward at the end of the month, when 12 workouts have been completed. The rewards may include, a water ball, sweat band or massage.
Change is a Journey
While embarking on your journey to making lasting changes in your life, remember change takes time, effort, and commitment. Furthermore, the road you will travel to get from where you are now to where you want to be will have hills and valleys, twist and turns, still the important thing is to continue moving forward. Be kind to yourself. You are not perfect, no one is. Minor missteps on the road to your goals are normal and okay. Resolve to recover and get back on track.
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