Essential Steps to Creating Successful Habits That STICK (Part 1 of 4)
It’s a basic human instinct to fear change.
Your brain will do everything to keep you from change. Change is scary, change means something could go wrong.
Its your brain's job to keep you safe, and old habits and staying where you are feels much safer.
BUT, as we all know - change can be good and change is good for you. When you step outside of your comfort zone and form a new habit, that’s where true transformation and growth happens.
Clients come to me WANTING to change their habits: wanting to quit diets for good, wanting to create healthier eating habits that don’t feel restrictive, wanting to have a better
relationship with food, wanting to find a way to stay consistent with movement, wanting to feel confident in their bodies.
I love supporting my clients through these changes, and helping create positive, food and body freedom habits, so they can finally eat food they love without feeling guilty, move in a way that feels GOOD, and finally love their bodies!
I’ve recognized through my own journey and through coaching clients that there’s a few layers to forming a habit.
Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing the 4 essential steps to forming successful habits that stick!
Step 1: Set Yourself Up For Simplified Success
Since your brains is designed to resist change, it’s important to make the option to do the habit you want to do as simple, and as do-able as possible. This is the BEST way to actually start doing the thing you want to do.
Think: path of LEAST resistance. I like to think of forming a habit from a toddler’s point of view. I’ll use the example of my nephew getting potty trained. Learning to use a toilet instead of a diaper is a habit. It’s unlearning a habit (peeing in a diaper), while building a new one (peeing in a toilet). I’m assuming everyone here has been potty trained - and I think this is great evidence that it IS possible to learn something new and change! My sister and brother-in-law set my nephew up for simplified success to form this new habit: they got him his own potty and they bought him underwear to wear instead of diapers, all of the necessary things to make potty training as simple as possible.
When it comes to habits, think like a toddler! For example, if you want to form a habit around eating more nutrient-dense, plant point-foods, instead of resorting back to a restrictive diet plan that leave you hungry all the time (and end up binge-eating foods that make you feel guilty), make it EASY!
You can start by applying my 'plant point' system - which means adding more plants to your plate (to get all of the nutrients your body needs), without restricting or removing food groups and foods you love. There's totally room for pizza and broccoli in healthy eating!
Pick out a few simple, healthy recipes at the beginning of the week to take the guesswork out of cooking nutritious meals that make you feel good.
Buy fruits and vegetables you enjoy and have them ready-to-eat in the fridge. Don't make it hard, if you don't like kale, don't buy kale and force yourself to eat it. Make eating "healthy" as easy as possible for you, so you'll actually WANT to do it and stick with it!
Next week, I'll chat about step two of forming a successful habit that sticks!
If you'd like some support before then, and are READY to quit dieting for GOOD and finally eat food you love and feel confident in your body, join me for a free 30-minute assessment call. Together we can figure out how to set you up for success with a few simple steps so you can finally access your food and body freedom.
Book your free call here!
Be Well,
Marissa