ONE CHANGE AT A TIME…
8 small steps to revolutionising your life! “You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr
We’ve all been there: new year’s resolutions are almost certainly destined to fail because of it. We choose a start line, and try to enforce multiple changes all at once to revolutionise our entire life, feel overwhelmed, bomb out, and go eat a bag of chips on the sofa.
This is the trick: you shouldn’t try and start everything at once.
In order for any change to be sustainable I suggest taking on one new habit per month.
Seems a lot easier already, right?!
The only issue with this is that you need to be aware that taking on one new habit may at first not make the transformational difference you are expecting to see. This is where you have to be strong and persevere, knowing that staying committed and consistent will realise your long-term goals.
Q: Why do most goals fail?
A: Some people really don't believe they're worthy of attaining the goal. As such, they self-sabotage themselves. Perhaps they suddenly walk away from the key contact who will help them with their goal, or they neglect to do a critical activity that will enable them to achieve their goal.
This is why a coach is really helpful!
Having an accountability partner will not only help keep you committed, but remind you of your goals, and tweak the programme and plan-of-action if you are struggling with the next step.
Habit #1: WATER YOURSELF
Start your morning by drinking a glass of warm water before consuming any other beverage or food. This gives your gut a shower and helps it to flush out all the toxins it has eliminated from your body during the night.
Today: Just start tomorrow with a glass of warm water.
Habit #2: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
So don’t be fast, cheap and easy! Change your plate – ½ to 2/3’s must contain vegetables or diverse salads. Be creative by mixing various vegetables and making your vegetable and salad servings diverse in colour and ingredients. It adds variation, keeps your gut microbiome healthy and ensures you get a diverse range of nutrients. Depending on your level of activity the rest of your plate is made up of a low GI carb and a protein component (the size of the palm of your hand).
Today: Eat more greens! It’s that simple. Start by adding a leafy green to every dinner and lunch, and berries or a cup of paw paw chunks to your breakfast.
Habit #3: KEEP IT REAL
Avoid processed foods wherever possible. You may fall into temptation because you are busy, but long term the effects of eating processed or mass-produced foods is detrimental to your health. Industrially or mass-produced foods contain additives which are chemically derived and negatively affect the functioning of your body. They also contain unhealthy fats which can lead to further long-term poor health.
Today: Avoid things that aren’t in their original form, rather choosing something ‘whole’, for example, a chicken breast instead of a chicken schnitzel or other processed meat. Focus on eating things that look as close to how they naturally occur as possible.
Habit #4: OUTRAGEOUS OATS
Start your day with a healthy bowl of rolled oats, cooked the old-fashioned way. This is one of the underestimated healthy grains which is full of Vitamin B, helping your body to cope with healthy nervous system functioning. Rolled oats are also high in fibre, which helps stabilise your blood sugar and reduce sugar cravings throughout the day and helps promote a healthy gut.
Today: try these for breakfast
Habit #5: STAY SWEET AND LO
You’re sweet enough, so avoid sugar! Sugar and simple carbohydrates (like wheat) drive inflammatory responses, they peak your blood sugar, and the more your blood sugar goes up and down like a roller coaster, the more dysregulated your body’s responses become. This includes everything from insulin, to hormones, to belly fat!
Today: Just try swap out sugar for fruit instead. Within one week of doing this, your tastebuds will recalibrate, and refined sugars will taste too sweet!
Habit #6: PLAY WITH PROTEIN
Consume enough protein throughout the day to prevent cravings and keep you fuller for longer. The focus here should be on not only consuming animal proteins as too much meat can lead to increases in fatty tissue in the body. Eating good quality plant-based proteins such as chickpeas, beans, and peas will provide you with sufficient protein, and add great texture to your diet ensuring you stabilise blood sugar levels and add enough fibre to your diet for a healthy functioning gut with a well-balanced gut microbiome.
Today: Try some lentils and lean meats to keep you fuller for longer.
Habit #7: KICK THE COFFEE
TRUST US! Reduce your coffee intake to 1 cup a day and drink water and herbal teas the rest of the day. Start on the weekend if you feel like this is a hard one, but again, by removing the crutch of caffeine it will allow healthy body regulation to step up and you’ll feel perkier for longer.
Today: Try a flavoured green tea for a healthier caffeine boost, and match it up with more water.
Habit #8: WE LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT
Get just 30 minutes of exercise per day. This can be anything that you enjoy: walking the dog, swimming with your kids, cycling with friends, dancing, or going for a hike with family through one of the botanical gardens. The goals is to:
- consistently get your heart rate up
- activate your parasympathetic nervous system
- release stress
All this will ultimately give you those feel-good endorphins, help you handle bad days better, sleep like the proverbial log, and gently condition your cardiovascular system for not just a healthy, happy mind, but a strong and resilient body that can weather everything from seasonal viruses to work stress like a champ!
Today: Track your steps and heart rate with an affordable fitness watch and challenge yourself to do ten more minutes than you think you can do!
But we know - just because something is simple, doesn’t mean it isn’t hard.
We know this because we have done this and been where you are!
That’s why coaching helps:
- I help you establish goals and actions toward achieving them
- My increased level of engagement will keep you motivated
- You are in a safe place to gain perspective
- Coaches’ open deeper levels of personal learning.
- I help you to build personal awareness
- My expertise provides support for improving specific skillsets
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