Starting your wellness journey can be really exciting especially if you are high on motivation, trying out new things, and have your workout buddy alongside you. It's even better when you start to notice little benefits like having more energy, feeling stronger, and having a level of alertness that's been missing for what seems like YEARS. The shiny, fun, exciting side can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks and then reality starts to set in...
Your schedule got a little hectic...
You overslept...
You didn't make it to the grocery store...
And all of your carefully laid plans fall to shambles, the motivation croaks, and you feel like throwing in the towel.
Here are three simple truths you must accept to improve your wellness and until you accept these things you're going to be one of those people that finds themselves constantly stopping and restarting, getting motivated then discouraged, on the wagon off the wagon. Let's get into it...
1 You're always going to be busy
I've heard over and over again things like "I'll start after the holidays", "I'll start once the kids are back in school", "I'll start once the kids are out of school", "I'll start once my load gets lighter at work", and so on. There will always be something to "get in the way" of you trying to workout or eat better or insert healthy behavior here. The best time to improve your wellness is when you're busy because:
1 That's how life is typically going to be, so you'll be learning how to navigate it from the get-go
2 It'll be even easier to stick with it when you go through a time of more ease, and you may even be able to amp it up a little if you want to
Something to keep in mind is that your wellness habits will change, as they should, based on your circumstances. But your circumstances should never make it so your wellness habits equal zero.
For example, during the holidays it may not be realistic for you to workout at the gym for an hour and half 5 days a week. You may not be quite as on point with nutrition choices. There may be times you stay up later than normal (helloooo New Year's Eve!) It's okay to modify things to fit your schedule. You may workout at home or do only 3 days per week. Maybe you eat a little more dessert than usual.
It's important to understand that wellness behaviors are on a spectrum, and they don't have to be perfect all the time.
I'm going to repeat that...
Wellness behaviors are on a spectrum, and they don't have to be perfect all the time.
So rather than saying "I'm too busy" how about asking yourself "what am I able to do with my current set of circumstances?"
2 Diets will end, but your choices and behaviors do not
Think of the last diet you did...maybe you had a meal replacement shake you were supposed to drink each day for 1-2 meals and then you were given specifications on what to eat for your one regular meal. You did this for a few months and lost 20 lbs. Then you finally got tired of the shakes and stopped the diet and started eating like you did before the diet. Then the 20 lbs comes flying back. Frustrating right? The diet didn't teach you how to eat in a normal everyday kind of way. It didn't help you see how not being prepared leads you to eating fast food most days or maybe you don't eat all day because of how busy you are then end up binging at night.
The key to lasting change is to become aware of how your choices and behaviors aren't serving you and start making small modifications one at a time. Sure, it'll take more time, but you won't be on the rollercoaster of diet-weight loss-stop dieting-weight gain-diet-weight loss-stop dieting-weight gain.
3 Improving your wellness is truly simple
The problem these days with the number of people online telling you what to do coupled with the overwhelming amounts of information plus this idea you see on social media that you can achieve your ideal body RIGHT NOW with insert random product here make it seem like getting healthy has got to be SO complicated and yet somehow also practically instantaneous. And if you suffer in the process that's just how it is. And you should definitely see results fast or you're doing it wrong.
I'm here to break through all that utter BS to tell you it TRULY does not have to be that complicated. It shouldn't feel like an unending time of suffering. And while it will likely take longer than you like to get the results you want they WILL STICK if you nail down the basics.
THE BASICS WORK which I talk about in more detail in my blog "How Being a Basic B*tch Will Help Improve Your Fitness & Wellness".
I'll still talk briefly about it here, too. The things below, the basics, are what will have the most benefit- that LASTS.
Get movement in that you enjoy most days of the week- this could be a combination of things like yoga, strength training, dancing, hiking, etc.
Drink water-Aim for around half your body weight in ounces and if that feels like way too much then just add 10 oz to what you're drinking on average right now.
Prioritize your sleep- it's the base of everything else in your life. The sayings "sleep is for the weak" and "I'll sleep when I'm dead" are balderdash. Sleep is for the sane and will help you live longer.
Eat healthy foods most of the time- SECRET SAUCE TO SUCCESS for this in particular-add in more healthy things rather than cutting out the less nutritious things to start.
Make time for self-care- This is doing hobbies and things that help you to reduce stress and anxiety like journaling, meditation, learning to say no when you don't have the bandwidth, spending time with the people you love, etc.
Tis truly simple- not always easy- but it doesn't have to feel like you're trying to solve a Sudoku puzzle while you're drunk and also sleep deprived. There's no certain exercise or food or amount of water or whatever that's going to fix all your problems. And nothing is going to fix what's going on RIGHT NOW.
It took you time to get where you are and it's going to take you time to get to where you want to be.
As soon as you accept that
👉 You're always going to be busy
👉 Diets end, but your choices and behaviors do not
👉 Improving your wellness is simple
AND TAKE ACTION you will finally stay on the wagon and make real progress!
If this is resonating with you and you'd like a little guidance on nutrition and self-care, then my FREE guide The Anxiety Antidote: Nutrition and Self-Care Practices to Restore Calm can get you started and provide clarity on what steps to take next! Plus, if you struggle with anxiety and stress (let's be real-who doesn't?) this guide will give you tips on how to manage those better as well!
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