Are you overwhelmed by changing your habits and doing life? After all, you’re supposed to eat 6 servings of fruits and veggies, cut out all sugar and gluten, get 1/2 your body weight in water, eat 140g of protein a day, get 8 hours of sleep a night, exercise at least 3-4 times a week, get 10,000 steps in a day, and of course feed your kids, feed your relationship with your partner and friends and family, walk the dog, and do an A+++ job at work. That’s A LOT. And if you’re someone who’s trying to change your habits, making all of these changes at once is overwhelming and just not doable for most. And even if it is – how long will it be for? Will it be for 1 day? Maybe 2? MAYBE a week? The likelihood that you’ll be able to keep this up is low.
So what if you tried a different approach to changing your habits instead of lighting a match and starting from scratch? What if you built new healthier habits the same way you built the habits that got you to where you currently are? Slowly, and one a time.
Here is 1 tip thats going to save you a ton of frustration and negative emotions. And allow you to change your habits for good, sustainably.
Add ONE thing at a time.
That’s it.
Don’t focus on what you have to take away. Focus on what you want to build and keep everything as it is. For now, that is. You’ll build as you go. Pick one habit at a time and focus on adding that in. It could be wanting to add 1 glass of water. Still get your coffee, and if you’ve been drinking nothing but diet coke – just add ONE glass of water a day. And when you feel up to it maybe you replace one of the cokes with another glass of water. But do it slow.
Let’s dive into how that can look for some specific habits that I see people trying to change all the time.
WATER
Do you struggle getting water in? Do you hate the taste? Do you have a caffeine addiction and just HAVE to have that afternoon pick-me-up?
That’s okay! Don’t try to fight those habits yet. Work on adding water into the mix first, and then go from there. If your day looks something like:
6am – coffee
9am – iced tea
12 – diet soda
3 – iced coffee
5 – diet soda
Try adding a glass of water before your coffee in the morning. Or after your diet soda at night. Keep everything the same, add 1 glass of water for a week. See how you feel.
On week 2 maybe we replace that noon diet soda with a glass of water for a week. And then either add or replace again on week 3.
Was that overwhelming? Nope. Because you didn’t go get a giant Stanley cup and try to force feed yourself 3 of those a day. You added ONE cup of water and then continued adding from there.
And if you don’t like plain water – maybe you try sparkling flavored waters like la croix, spindrift or bubly.
PROTEIN
Instead of trying to create habits around guzzling 5 raw eggs, eating an entire chicken and double fisting protein shakes.
🌿 Add a chocolate protein shake to your morning coffee.
🌿 Add chicken or a lean ground beef to pasta.
🌿 If you get salad kits, add shredded or chopped chicken to them.
🌿 Add a snack of greek yogurt with protein granola. I like this one .
🌿 Make “protein” ranch dressing for salads or dipping.
🌿 Next time you’re out to eat, try ordering the fish tacos, or chicken breast entree option.
Again – we’re focusing on ADDING to what you already do.
How to make protein ranch –> in a blender or food processor, place 1 cup of cottage cheese, 1/4 cup milk (I use almond), 1-2 tbs of ranch seasoning. The more seasoning the more ranchy it will be.
VEGGIES
Instead of trying to eat like 🍌🥦🥩🫑🥒🍍🍓 100% of the time
Eat like 🍌🥦🍕🍓🍎🥩🥗🍦 and cultivate balance and a healthy relationship with food.
Focus on habits that again add vs. taking away your favorite foods.
🍓 If you’re craving pizza, maybe you order a smaller pizza, or have 1 -2 slices and add a side salad to it.
🍓 If you despise veggies, chop them up super fine and make a kind of veggie “confetti” and sneak them into things like pastas or stir frys.
🍓 Maybe we add a fruit and veggies smoothie (with some added protein powder) as a snack or a quick grab and go breakfast.
🍓 Dip some veggies into your protein ranch.
Veggies and protein are typically the hardest for people to form sustainable habits around. We think we have to immediately hit 7 servings daily to make a difference. But that’s not true. You will serve yourself so much more if you slowly add 1 serving at a time and build from there. And if you despise veggies, get creative with hiding them in dishes. The sky and your own creativity is your limit!
EXERCISE
Exercise habits can be tough. Because like all other habits most people think it’s all or nothing. I’m here to tell you that is not the case. Especially not for everyone. Because not everyone has an hour a day they can get a workout in. So maybe you start by:
🥊 Adding a 10 minute walk 2x a week
🥊 Going for a Sunday morning walk with your dog
🥊 Adding a zumba class or youtube video 2 nights a week
🥊 Using 1/2 your lunch break to take a walk outside
🥊 Taking 5 minutes to do some squats and bicep curls
Again – the sky is the limit. You don’t have to workout daily. Especially at first. ESPECIALLY if you do not have the time. That’s just more stressful. Add what you have the capacity to, get that habit solidified, and then add when you’re ready.
If you can’t decide what habit you want to work on first – put a bunch of habits on pieces of paper, pop em in a jar, and pick one out every 2 or 3 weeks. Or longer if you need. And only focus on adding that one habit. Solidify it – then add again when you’re ready.
Is this quick? NO!
But it IS sustainable. You will do yourself so many more favors by working on ONE thing at a time and working to solidify that habit when life is both easy and difficult, than you will by adding every single “healthy” habit you can think of and burning yourself out.
After all – your steps don’t have to be large or many. They just have to take you in the right direction.
As always – do your best. And know that each day is a new one, and you will NOT ruin your progress with one “bad” day, or “unhealthy” choice.
And if you need a little help with selecting habits, or want extra accountability – book a no sweat intro to learn about our habits based nutrition coaching options. You can book here
