Nutrigrain offers a great tagline with their snack bar, “One good decision leads to another.” This is true. The more you make an effort to make good, healthy decisions, as time passes, less effort will actually be required. And, the more you try to make good decisions, by ratio the more good decisions you will make!
Your practice will eventually become a routine. It is harsh that a healthy routine seems so hard to implement. I once read that it takes 10 days of repetitive practice to implement a change and for the change to actually become the new routine.
Regardless of the change you’re implementing, it is human nature for your brain to fight it. How do you work to offset the nature to fight change?
Start by implementing the change gradually. Give yourself a break, cold turkey change is extremely difficult and, if you’re attempting this, you’re probably setting yourself up for failure. For example, if you’re trying to give up sweets, find healthier alternatives short-term and reward yourself with a sweet moderately. If you’re used to eating cookies everyday, start by switching to a healthier cookie; maybe you go to a oatmeal raison and you alter the recipe by adding applesauce instead of oil, use wheat flour instead of white and add wheat germ and ground flaxseed to improve its health impact. Keep tweaking this until you’re able to find a happy middle ground, reduced calories and a healthier snack.
If you’re trying to practice making good decisions, allow yourself the time to properly analyze your options and to understand how each option will impact you either positively or negatively. This analysis supports your decision with credible facts and this takes away the negative consequence tied to shotgun decisions.
Ultimately, practice makes perfect. Give yourself a break and try, try again. Think of each day as a new and clean slate to implement your new goal. If you can just get through 10 successful attempts, it will be easier to maintain this new healthy routine!
You can do it, I have faith in you!
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