How to Make Lifestyle Changes a Little Easier
When you make the decision to be healthier - it's much easier said than done. And sometimes when you get started, it get be VERY overwhelming! And for this reason a lot of people make progress, then the progress slows down because the actions they were doing were maybe a little more then they could handle at the moment, they get frustrated, and stop all together. Sound familiar? There are ways to go about changing your lifestyle that can make it a lot more do-able.
Don’t think of what you’re doing as a diet – think of it as bettering your body. When you treat your body better, it treats you better.
Working out isn’t just for losing weight. Yes working out is a great tool to help you lose weight but working out or being active should be apart of your life at all times. Even on busy weeks you should be finding at least 20 minutes a couple times a week to move a little extra. Even if that’s getting out and walking, if that’s all you can do then you should be doing it. Even if it means waking up 20 minutes earlier to have the time.
Set 10 minutes aside a couple times a day (I usually choose sometime before lunch, sometime before I leave work, and another time before bed) to check in on your health for that day. Have you gotten enough food, water, time away from the computer, time alone, exercise? If the answer to any of those questions are "no" then schedule some time that day to get them in, or get up right then and either take a break from the computer or go get a healthy snack or get a good amount of water in. There is no reason for you to be going hours and hours without eating and without water. Every living thing needs both of these.
Do not think you're being selfish by putting your health first. Every life needs balance and putting yourself last all the time is not balance. By no means are we saying neglect other parts of your life to lose weight or get your workout in; but there are things that do not need to take priority over your health every single time. Some things can wait until you make and eat a healthy meal or get a 20-60 minute workout in. On the other hand if you’re overdoing putting your health first, that’s not balance either. You don’t need to go to the gym 2 times a day everyday or wake up 2 hours early, therefore only getting 5-6 hours of sleep that night. You need to be able to find balance between your health (eating right, exercising, and sleeping), social life, family, and work.
If you have something not in your diet plan – remember to watch the portions. One portion of something “off diet” one time is not going to ruin all your progress. Guilting yourself for days after it will though. Don’t “make up” for it by eating less the next day. Make sure you get all your calories, protein, vegetables, and healthy fats the next day and all the following days. You can also use the extra calories and carbohydrates from your meal out or treat to fuel a good workout that day or the next! Sometimes the best workouts are fueled by pizza the night before (but not always :))
We're big fans of really tracking everything that goes on with us and our bodies. Tracking food in My Fitness Pal and writing down other things you're experiencing (ie: headaches, low energy, bad sleep, indigestion, etc.) in a planner or notebook. That way if you notice ongoing things, you can try to see if it’s linked to something your eating more of or less of. You can also to give an overview of my day (super stressful, busy day at work, day off, sick, etc.) to explain anything that might be off when your looking back at weight fluctuations or health issues.
Keep track of workouts so you can see what weights you're using and to make sure you're increasing and challenging yourself. Also note on days that you're sore from a workout so you know that either the weight was too high (if you feel hurt for too long) or if you pushed myself just enough.
