Dreaming of changing your lifestyle habits but don’t know where to start?
Wanting to change everything at once. If you completely change all your habits in one day, you will most likely feel overwhelmed after just a day or two. Fear, a sense of loss and sadness may start to follow you.
How can you change your habits without wanting to quit? Add them one by one. Make one small change every 2–3 days. Give yourself time to get used to something new.
Labelling foods as “good” and “bad”. If you call the foods you love “bad” and decide never to eat them again, chances are that after 1–2 days you will end up eating them in very large amounts.
How can you reduce the amount of less health-friendly foods in your diet? Write down the foods you really love and find healthier alternatives for each of them. The rule is simple: do not forbid, replace.
Planning long, complicated and regular workouts. If you plan to exercise 4–5 times per week, for an hour and a half each time, and only at the gym, it will probably never become reality. That is too many habit changes at once.
How can you become more physically active? First, simply stand up, put on your workout clothes and go for a walk. Do not set a number of kilometres you must walk. Let it be just 5 minutes for the first time. Add one extra minute every day. Then you can start adding short workouts until eventually you feel ready for more serious training at the gym.
What mistakes are made most often and how can you fix them? I will share examples of why changing a habit often fails and what to do to make it work.
Counting calories. If you come up with a random number of calories and try to fit into it, but you do not yet understand healthy eating or have the right habits, you may choose unsuitable foods, become overly hungry, get tired of all the maths and give up completely.
How can you eat the amount your body needs? Eat no more often than every 2 hours, but no less often than every 4 hours. Do not eat 3 hours before sleep. Learn to eat real food: vegetables, fruit, seeds, legumes, grains, fish, eggs, poultry, dairy products without additives — foods that do not have complicated labels full of unknown names.
Regulating lifestyle and weight through anger. Not loving yourself, using harsh words and negative expressions creates sadness and stress, which are often soothed with overeating and lying down.
Emotions and self-talk. First, make peace with yourself. Do not be angry — thank your body for everything it does for you every single day. It gives you life and lets you experience the world through your eyes, ears, touch and so much more. Promise to thank it for that and stop hurting it. Praise yourself every day, even for the smallest victory.
You are one of a kind. Never compete or compare yourself with others. Try to outgrow only your previous self. Become the most wonderful version of you. Start today — with small steps. I believe in you. Now it is time for you to believe in yourself.
Kisses, Indrė! ❤
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