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Seriously, there is no way for me to even begin recalling all of the healthy “A-ha” moments that I have had over the years. But I do know that there are two things, which make healthy changes permanent for me: purpose and planning.
Purpose: To stick with something, I need a real tangible reason to do it. It has to be something that will serve as an essential reminder whenever I think of drifting from the course. For example, going dairy-free was easy for me (I know, I hear the moans about cheese from the viewing audience now). I had a very strong purpose – eat a bunch of dairy, go to the hospital; avoid all dairy, stay healthy and out of the hospital. Makes it easy, doesn’t it?
Unfortunately, we don’t always have such a powerful reason to make a change, and I confess that some things are harder for me to stick with, since I haven’t yet found a solid purpose. When it comes to food and diet, I think “to be healthier” and “to lose weight” are simply too vague to help with lasting changes. I get the most motivation from specific physical changes that I can directly see or feel.
Planning: When something has become a habit, you need a real plan to change it. Let’s say you realize that gluten is causing you some serious intestinal distress. You have found your purpose and are ready to let it go. But you haven’t planned out your meals and don’t have an arsenal of snacks on hand … suddenly, you’re hungry and have no idea what to eat. You see that cinnamon bun at Starbucks and think, “Well, just this once. I’m sure my stomach can handle just a little.” Before you know it, your gut is back at square one, and all the cravings you have worked to diminish come roaring back.
Had you been prepared with three meals a day and some snacks in your bag, you wouldn’t have had a need or strong desire to cheat, now would you? Sure, at some point, the healthy “change” will just become your way of life. At that point, you won’t need to plan so diligently, you will simply know and subconsciously be prepared. But in those beginning stages, make sure you have your ammunition stocked.
My Current Health Pursuit: I’m human; I still battle with making healthy changes that are best for me. Right now I’m struggling with my biggest nemesis: sugar. For ten days, I cut out all added sugars (yes, including the natural ones). I wasn’t uptight about it … some stevia was okay, fruit was allowed, and if I had a couple incidental grams of sugar in a day (say in a sauce), I wasn’t going to blow the whistle on the whole thing. But all in all, I was eating sugar-free.
In that venture, I did discover purpose: my energy boosted, my workout crashes vanished, and oddly enough, my monthly cramps disappeared (poof!). But the ten days ended, and I allowed a little back in. A little then turned into a lot, and now I am pretty much back at square one. How can I fix this? Well here is what I am thinking …
I found a solid purpose, but have been lacking a plan. Once the ten days ended, it was business as usual. Like someone who loses a bunch of weight only to put it all, plus some, back on, I was rebounding hard. Perhaps I’m not ready for strictly sugar-free, but I can create a sustainable plan for dramatically reducing my sugar intake over time. I’m going to keep a “no added sugar” rule before noon, limit “sweets” to a certain time of day, and keep them to a certain size … like two reasonably-sized “nutritious” cookies or one of those perfectly sized Attune probiotic dark chocolate bars (may as well get some tummy benefits while I’m at it, no?) …
What healthy change(s) have you succeeded in making and how did you do it?
Be well!
Alisa
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