So… it’s about this time of year when our New Year Food resolutions usually start to unravel… You might be getting to the end of Veganuary or dry January and you’re craving the things you’ve cut out of your diet. How can you make your new healthy eating habits last a little longer?
Perhaps you’re doing a sugar detox and really want to treat yourself to something sweet. Or maybe you’re trying to lose weight, your clothes are getting loser and you’re starting to lose a little motivation.
I see a lot of clients who manage to eat really well for 2 to 3 weeks, but around this time they start to pick up the wrong things, perhaps with the mindset that a little won’t matter: “it’s just a little treat, a one off!” But all too quickly, that “little” turns into a lot!
As a fully qualified NLP practitioner, I use motivational training to help my one-to-one clients move past this challenging phase and towards more long-lasting lifestyle changes. Today I’m sharing a few of those techniques with you.
Here are my top 3 tips for staying on track, keeping yourself motivated and making your healthy eating habits stick!
1. Set a positive intention… daily
When you start making dietary changes, you often have a goal in mind… I want to lose weight, I want more energy, I don’t want to feel unwell, I’m sick and tired of feeling tired.
These are things I often hear from my clients.
But motivation can wane a little when you don’t keep reaffirming what you’re trying to achieve. I encourage my clients to set a positive intention, each and every single day. So the moment you get up, have a few stretches and get your foot on the floor. Then take a few deep breaths and think about the positive things you want to do for that day.
Keep a little journal by your bed, and write these affirmations down so that you can review them later that evening. Things like… I am going to eat three healthy nutritious meals that sustain mean throughout the day. Or I’m going to make food that nourishes my body and energises me.
Or you could even jot down a food diary that day so that you have a food road map to follow. At the end of each day and each week, review your progress and really congratulate yourself on the things you’ve achieved. This really gives you something to look back on over the coming months.
There are some great healthy eating affirmations for you to use in my blog post: Affirmations for Healthy Eating
2. Monitor your self-talk
I hear so many people say to me: “I’m trying to eat healthy food.” So I ask, “why are you trying, why are you not doing?” The word “try” leaves options wide open. It gives you a get out clause if you don’t really want to do, and you’re not really living this intention.
Have a think about your self-talk and the way you phrase things you’re trying to achieve, or how you talk about yourself. I often hear people saying, “I always give up after a few weeks.” It’s like you’re already preparing yourself for failure, telling yourself it’s going to happen again.
Not this time!
Monitor your self-talk, tell your family and friends to pick you up on these kind of phrases.
For more advice on changing your self-talk, have a look at my article: How to Control Negative Self Talk
3. Create goals that can stick
I know that it can be tough to set a goal around food intake, especially if you’re trying to lose weight and have been on many “diets” in the past that haven’t worked. I understand that you may not want to set yourself up for failure, but if you don’t give yourself a road map of where you’re going and where you want to be, how on earth are you going to get there?
So when it comes to your health, weight management and wellbeing, create some SMART goals that you can review and check back on.
If you’re looking to lose weight, set yourself a REALISTIC target. Perhaps it’s a special event you have coming up, or a new job or something happening in your life.
Set a goal that is:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic and
- Time based.
Yep, you need to put some kind of deadline on it, which can be changed… but you need to know when to check back if you’ve reached your goal.
So a good health goal might be – I’m going to buy a new size 12 dress 2 weeks before my brother’s wedding on 15th June.
Or it could be – I’m going to have enough energy to go on holiday with my family and spend every day on the beach in August 2017.
Or yet another option might be – I’m going to practice 10 minutes meditation every day, do 15 minutes of exercise every day and eat two portions of green leafy vegetables every day (these are actually my New Year goals!)
What changes do you need to make today to make your food resolutions stick?
Get in touch with me on my Facebook page and let me know your SMART goals… that way you’re telling the world about the amazing changes you’re going to achieve, and we can help to keep you accountable and on track.