At a presentation given by Dr Libby Weaver that I was at one night, she posed the question: “Why do we do what we do, when we know what we know?” She makes a great point.
We are all smart enough to know when change is required. We all know junk food is bad for us. We all know alcohol and smoking is not good. We all know too much caffeine isn’t going to help us. We all know we should eat lots of vegies.
Yet we don’t follow through. We eat the bad stuff. We drink the bad stuff. We don’t choose the good stuff.
Why?
For the most part, I think we feel it’s going to be too hard, or we don’t have enough head space to think of alternatives. As busy mums, we feel too overwhelmed to start, or we feel like it’s going to be unpleasant and a punishment to make changes.
This week at my daughter’s netball carnival, I was surrounded by beautiful mamas who asked question after question on what they should be eating, or how to make changes.
They gave me excuses and apologies every time they pulled out an unhealthy snack in front of me (please don’t do this!! I hate people feeling guilty because they think I will judge them. I don’t!!). And they said this: “You’re the type of person we all aspire to be like, but can’t.” Which sounds flattering but really, I call BS.
I’m not a health guru. I’m a busy working mum who decided I didn’t want to feel like crap anymore, and I called time on the fact I continued to eat the stuff I knew was bad for me. I did my research and made simple changes, one at a time. I’m still working on it. Probably always will.
Then I studied and took it further. After that I really understood what I needed to do. That’s when I decided I would try and help other women who are just like me do the same thing. If they want to. If you don’t want to, I’m OK with that too – it’s your life!
So here’s some of the tips I shared at the netball carnival.
[typography font=”buda” size=”24″ size_format=”px” color=”#35bdb2″]Five easy steps to making healthy changes:[/typography]
- Do one thing at a time
Don’t try and build Rome in a day. You’re destined to set yourself up for disappointment and failure if you try and convert from crap-attack eater to vegan-hippie in 24-hours. Choose one change and master it first.
- Focus on addition, not subtraction
Deprivation sucks. No-one feels good focusing on what they can’t have, whether it be to do with food, money or love. Turn all of your attention on adding in some goodness, and you will not only feel better in your body but also in your mind. You’ll be able to soak up the positivity of achievement.
- Take the easy option
You’ve nothing to prove here – take the easiest option first. Don’t try and tackle things from the hardest point because you’ll give up. If drinking more water seems easier than starting a new exercise routine, start with the water!
- Crowd your plate with plants
Add in vegetables to everything you eat. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks – throw in some fresh vegetables of some description – anything you like – and eat them first.
- Start NOW
Don’t put it off another second. Start now, today. Really. The longer you put it off, the harder it seems.
