What if I told you....

What if I told you the ONLY way you could change your physique, lose weight, and be healthy was to completely overhaul your life by giving up every bad habit, start exercising daily and generally do everything "right" towards your health RIGHT NOW. No ramping up, no easing in - you just have to do it now. What would you say to this? You'd probably tell me I was crazy, right? No way, no how, you couldn't do it.

But isn't this the way most of us approach our health? We turn over a new leaf? We make a New Year's Resolution? We start that new diet program which restricts us from everything we love? And we try this for about 5 days (if we're lucky) and then we give up because it's just too dang hard. If anyone else in our world tried to overhaul every habit overnight we would think THEY were crazy. But, we will try to do it overnight.

So why do we do this to ourselves? I think it’s because we've been frustrated with our weight or lack of energy for years now and we're just tired of it. We just want results and we want them NOW. We want to feel better and we want to be skinnier and we want it all yesterday.

But we all know life doesn't work this way. Results take time. But, getting them really doesn't have to be as painful and arduous as an overnight, dump every bad habit process. You can change your life one step at a time.

When I work with clients, in either improving their fitness level or overall health, I take them one step, one habit at a time. Together we find one thing they can work on (something small but with a lot of payback) and focus on just one habit. Every day the only thing they try to change is one behavior. Sometimes it's a bad habit we replace with a good habit and sometimes it's simply starting a brand new one. Whatever it is, it's a small, sustainable change that will reap them big rewards in the long run (or even the short run). The next week, if they have been successful, and they usually have, they work on another habit. Remember it was a small change. Over time my clients change many habits and find themselves dramatically healthier, fitter and thinner.

So next time you’re thinking about working on your fitness, health, weight loss or any other aspect of your life try just choosing one habit you want to change and focus on just that one habit until you have it down. You’ll find that it’s much easier to find success in one habit rather than trying to do it all at once.

Need helping finding those habits? Give me a call. (925) 876-5891. I work with nutrition clients anywhere in the country. I’d love to be a part of your journey towards a healthier, happier, more vibrant life.

Which Diet Should You Choose?

Paleo. Low Carb. Intermittent Fasting. Weight Watchers. Jenny Craig. NutriSystem. DASH. Mediterranean. Ornish. So many diet plans to choose from...how do we pick the best one for us? 

As simple as it sounds, I think the best advice is this: pick a diet plan that you can stick with. Anything too extreme and you're likely to revert back to your old diet pretty quickly. 

Maybe all diet plans feel too extreme. Then try changing only ONE dietary habit at a time. Perhaps you're struggling in several areas such as poor snacking choices, skipping meals, not getting enough protein, too many liquid calories, eating portions which are too large or not eating enough vegetables. Take one habit and exchange it for a good habit. For example, if you're struggling to eat enough vegetables exchange your usual lunch for a salad every day. Or commit to eating vegetables with every meal. It may take a few weeks or it may take a few months but over time you'll find that it gets easier and easier and the norm for your life. And you'll start seeing positive changes in your body. When you're ready, tackle another habit.

Whatever method you choose, whether it be complete overhaul by following a particular diet plan or changing one habit at a time, seeing results takes time. Nothing is a quick fix. Be patient with yourself. Stick with it and the positive changes WILL come.