HOW TO ACTUALLY MAKE NUTRITION & LIFESTYLE CHANGES THAT LAST
Despite what we have all been led to believe, making long term and sustainable changes to our health does not happen overnight. It takes commitment and consistency, both very unsexy and arguably much harder than quick fixes that promise instantaneous results.
Setting goals and intentions can be a really helpful way of getting clear on the changes that we want to make. In order to break through the “new year, new me” narrative circulating at this time of year (typically including restrictive dieting, calorie counting and hours traipsing on the treadmill), I wanted to talk about how to make changes to nutrition and lifestyle that actually work and lead to long term success.
Here are some of my top tips to help you navigate this time:
Start small:
Rather than trying to implement lots of new additions to your daily routine, pick something you feel you’d like to get into the habit of doing long term and try it for a few weeks. You may need to set reminders at first, but the more you do it, the more these small things will gradually become more habitual. Often, it’s the smallest tweaks which lead to the greatest results. Building up trust with yourself is a great way of positively reinforcing the idea that making changes is possible!
Examples of these small changes could include:
Setting aside 10 minutes each day to get outside for some fresh air.
Toasting seeds and storing them in a jar next to the cooker to add to veg/salads for extra protein, fats, flavour and crunch.
Favouring water with frozen berries, fresh mint, cucumber, ginger or lemon in order to encourage you to up your water intake.
Reading a book before bed rather than scrolling on your phone.
Think about your future self:
If you know you’ve got a busy week ahead, setting aside some time at the weekend to do some planning and prep is something that your frazzled future self will definitely thank you for! It’s often the days when we are super busy and don’t have the time to make the meals that nourish us or stick to the habits we know will calm our minds, that we need these things the most.
This is when we typically reach for something quick and convenient, which tends to be less nutritious, or skip the run we planned to do. This can create thoughts along the lines of “I’ve ‘failed’ at making these changes now, so I may as well give up”, an unhelpful narrative which I go on to talk more about in the next tip.
Another example of thinking about your future self is being able to recognise your personal signs of stress, anxiety or fatigue. Are you getting more easily frustrated? Do you feel overwhelmed when doing simple tasks? Are you struggling to get up in the morning? Acting on these things earlier can help to lessen the impact and prevent burnout further down the line.
These little acts of kindness could look like:
Choosing 3 or 4 meals you want to make that week and checking you’ve got everything you need to make them (this will save you having to queue at the checkout after a long day at work along with everyone else who forgot to cross reference the ingredients list with the contents of their cupboards!)
Implementing a ‘cook once, eat twice’ mentality. If you’re going to the effort to prepare a meal, why not double the quantities so you’ve got some leftovers to put aside in the freezer or have for lunch the next day? One pot wonders like curries, chillies and stews are great for this.
Pre-boiling some eggs to grab and go or baking some granola to last you for a couple of weeks.
Chopping some veg to store in the fridge alongside some hummus if you get the munchies in between meals.
Saying no to plans that you don’t really want to be involved in, in order to have some time for yourself to recharge and recuperate.
Ditch the ‘all or nothing’ mentality:
When it comes to diet and lifestyle, black and white thinking is very common. “What’s the point in meditating unless I’m doing it for an hour each morning?” “I’ve eaten X and therefore I’ve ‘ruined’ my healthy eating for the day so I’ll just eat Y and Z too.” “I don’t have time to go for a long hike so I won’t bother going for a walk at all.”
This binary way of thinking can be very counterintuitive and actually hinder rather than help progress. For example, eating something which perhaps doesn’t have the highest nutritional value will not have some kind of immediate negative health consequence and counteract any progress you have made so far. This works both ways, in that eating one nutrient dense meal will not magically answer all of your wellness wishes. It’s about consistency over intensity
Setting yourself unrealistic goals ultimately sets you up for failure. This can lead to feelings of frustration, shame and disappointment. If you’re wanting to implement more mindfulness into your routine but have never before meditated, telling yourself that you must sit cross legged for 60 minutes every morning is not exactly realistic. You’ll find it a chore, lose interest and decide that mindfulness isn’t for you. Instead, why not aim for 5 minutes, 3 times a week. If you manage that, celebrate the fact you’ve followed through with what you were aiming to do and try adding an extra morning into your practice. Building up new habits in incremental bites is a lot more achievable and sustainable in the long-run.
Celebrate the small wins:
Acknowledging when you’ve achieved any of the changes that you set for yourself is equally as important as setting them in the first place. This helps to change the internal narrative we often have in our minds that we are unable to stick with anything. Behaviour change is not easy and is something that requires commitment and consistency over the long-term. Be compassionate towards yourself - you’re only human and you’re doing your best. Putting things into perspective by looking at your health and wellbeing over a lifetime can be really helpful when it comes to making changes, as we realise that all of the small things really do add up.
All change feels uncomfortable, even if it’s change in a positive direction. We automatically stick with what is familiar and resist what is not and that’s why patience is key. It’s often said that a new habit takes at least 21 days to form and when it comes to lifestyle changes, these things really do need to become habitual in order to be sustainable.
So remember, start small, ditch the ‘all or nothing mentality’ and celebrate the small wins - your future self is going to be so grateful!
