Hey there, how is the new 2019 treating you so far? And as we’re still in January, let me ask you – how are those resolutions coming along?
Yes, if you’re struggling with them you’re not alone. More than 50% of the people who make New Year’s resolutions say they fail them before January 31st.
There are many reasons people fail to reach their goals. It starts with the resolutions we make, the overwhelming feeling if they are too ambitious, and frankly, just how comfortable we feel in our status quo.
And did you know that the most popular New Year resolution for 2019 is to diet or eat healthier? Exercising closely followed this goal. The truth is that we all want to look and feel our best. I think it is great when people not only become aware that they need to make a change, but are determined to take the steps for it too. But then, why do we fail?
I think one reason is that we don’t define our goal well enough. If you say I want to eat healthier, it just doesn’t offer that concrete actionable step that you can actually implement in order to make a healthy choice every day. It remains in the realm of wishful thinking so to say.
If you really want to make a positive change and eat healthier, try focusing on building simple habits in your every day routine.
Below I am sharing three simple things you can start working on that can really help you eat healthier, and that are super easy to do. They are not overwhelming or restrictive, but they can help build the foundation for a new habit. And here they are:
1. Start your day right.
Imagine the following scenario: you oversleep and are late for work. You quickly take a shower, get ready and drink a cup of coffee on your way to work to help you keep your eyes open. You’re not feeling your best. You arrive at work, and suddenly feel hungry (hey, you did skip breakfast after all!). Your colleague has brought in some fresh pastry. Even though there is also a basket of fruit, you go for the pastry, because they are just so inviting. Soon afterwards you beat yourself up, because you have failed at making a healthy choice. Lunch is here. And since you breakfast was already a failure in terms of eating healthy, you say to yourself “Ah, whatever, I’m going to go for the pasta, the day is ruined anyway! I’ll start fresh tomorrow.”
Sound familiar? If so, don’t beat yourself up. But acknowledge the lesson. If you have made a healthier choice early in the morning, chances are you’ll feel accomplished in a way, and you’ll likely continue making healthier eating choices later in the day too.
So wake up a little earlier and give yourself some time for a morning routine. Have some warm water with lemon, this will kick start your digestion, and will reduce cravings for sweets. If you have time make yourself a smoothie or have some overnight oats. You can also take these to work. And finally, make sure you drink plenty of water in the morning – it will revitalize you.
2. Stock up your pantry and kitchen with healthy food.
If you want to eat healthy, nourishing food, then surround yourself with it. Clean up your pantry. Toss everything that is not serving your goal. Cookies, chocolate bars, potato chips… If you have any of those items in your kitchen, chances are when a craving hits you’ll give in to them. So toss them while you’re still strong ;). You’ll notice that you’ll get more creative this way and that even if you need to have something sweet, it will be still better than that cookie (think of a date with almond butter or a piece of 85% dark chocolate for example).
3. Finally, don’t wait until you’re too hungry.
When you’re too hungry, your brain is shouting “Give me some fast carbs now!” and most times we oblige. We crave and go for pasta, pizza, cake or white bread sandwich, because we either don’t have the patience to cook, or a salad simply doesn’t do it at this time. So plan ahead. Think about when you usually feel hungry and then make sure you eat then. I am not saying to eat when you’re not hungry, I am saying – pay attention to the signals you’re body is sending you. JIf you feel hunger but your blood sugar level is still normal, you’ll likely make a healthier choice, and you won’t eat that much. Instead when you’re feeling really hungry, you tend to eat faster and thus consume more than you actually needed. You know what I’m talking about 😉
So there you have it. Just try to implement these three steps and I promise you’ll be closer to reaching your goal at making healthy eating choices and feeling and looking your best!
If you have more tips that you have found worked for you to help you stick to your goals and resolutions, please share them with me in the comments below!
