You’re ready.
You set your goals, even making yourself accountable by sharing those goals with a friend.
You have your fruits and veggies, all purchased and nicely laid out in your fridge, just waiting for you.
You marked off time on your calendar to do your weekly food prep with a bold red marker, so you can’t miss it.
You’re definitely ready!
But you had a crazy day at work and the traffic on the way home nearly made you scream, and when you finally walk in your front door, a huge sigh of relief oozing from your entire body, you think, “Tomorrow.”
You have the best intentions, but keeping those at the forefront is sometimes hard to do.
Here’s 5 tips for you to keep those goals attainable, so you don’t make today just another tomorrow.
1. Don’t overload your mind. Choose 1 or 2 easy changes at a time. Maybe increasing your water intake and including a new green leafy vegetable twice a day is all you can handle, so do it, then choose 2 more next week and move full steam ahead.
2. Toot your own horn. You’re doing great, eating healthy, working out, getting in those zzz’s you so desperately need, you’re on track, and you want to stay that way. So give yourself the props you deserve, go on, look in the mirror with a huge smile and give yourself a nod of approval.
3. Stay away from those bad influences. Yes, the convenience store is just that, convenient, but it’s also a death trap for your inner will power. You may feel like you’re in a heated debate, devil on one shoulder, angel on the other as you cruise through the calorie-laden isles on your way to the milk at the back of the store. But you can do it, stay strong, and next time hit the grocery store where you can more easily avoid all those nasty temptations.
4. Keep a food journal. It sounds simple, you’re right, but sometimes you need to see exactly what you’re putting into your body. It’s easier to forget about the 8 pretzels and those bites of your kid’s pizza that you had if you aren’t reminded of it later, but when it’s right in front of your eyes, it makes it easier to see what you may need to work on. (at the bottom of this article is a 3 Day Food Tracker you can download and print off to get started)
5. Give yourself a break. You’re not perfect. None of us are. You may slip up, that’s okay, just chalk it up to life and move on. Tomorrow you’ll add an extra 10 minutes to your workout or take the stairs at the office instead of the elevator. Treat each meal as its own entity, so one bad choice doesn’t ruin the entire day. Pick up, dust off, move on.
Remember you’re strong, and you have goals, so if you feel your motivation dipping, straighten up, take a deep breath and kick self-doubt to the curb.
If you want help with setting goals, or keeping yourself accountable, contact me at northshorenutrition@shaw.ca or 778-836-3831. I’m always happy to help people get on track to healthier living.
In good health,
Cheryl Wahl, RHN, Personal Trainer
North Shore Nutrition
