“Are you stuck? Stuck where? In making that health behavior change???? (You know, like exercising more, eating better, quitting smoking???)
MY TOP 7 TIPS TO GET UNSTUCK!
Good Luck Friends!
“Move Now With Greater Ease”!
By: Edie Benner, Your PT Forever
1. Do you beat yourself up and give up if you fall off the wagon?! Be nice to yourself! Forgive yourself! If you totally fall apart for a day, take a deep breath and start over tomorrow! That’s the nice part of Lapse/Relapse Theory!
2. Instead of a not so SMART goal, why don’t you set a SMART goal?
What is a SMART goal?
· Specific: For you and what will work for you, not someone else!
· Measurable: Pounds, distances, times, quantities, whatever!
· Action-oriented! As NIKE says, “Just Do It”! As EDIE says, “If you don’t push yourself, no one else will”.
· Realistic or relevant! REALISTIC!
· Timely or time-specific: By when? Each day? How long?
An example of good SMART goals would be “I will do 5 min of yoga 5 days a week.” Another example would be “I am going to make half my plate fruits and vegetables at two meals, 5 days a week.”
3. Did you write down your ROADMAP to success? Meaning, outline how you plan to achieve your SMART goals. KISS it! Keep It Simple Sweetie! Write it on a legal pad, on your calendar, or create an EXCEL spreadsheet! Whatever works for you! Put it somewhere where you see it everyday!
4. Are you keeping track somehow? A journal? A log? Marking it on your calendar? Using an app such as “My Fitness Pal”? It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it’s best to keep track of your plan and how you are doing!
5. How do I create a HABIT? You can do anything 5 minutes a day!!! Yes, I know you can!
To create a good HABIT, you need a CUE to start the habit! (Keep your yoga mat out where you see it every day).
You need a ROUTINE! (When are you going to do your new yoga HABIT? For example, “after my coffee and before my shower every morning”.)
You need a REWARD! (Wow, my REWARD is that my back feels great every morning that I do my yoga!)
6. What are your BARRIERS to successfully achieving your health behavior change goals? Write them down. Is it that you don’t have enough time? Is it too difficult? Is it not fun??? We all do better if we like what it is we are doing or plan on doing! In other words, get rid of the BARRIERS and think about making your new behavior something you look forward to, you enjoy, it’s fun and most of all, it brings you JOY!
7. Successful health behavior change is a staged and not a linear progression! We can go from pre-contemplation to contemplation about making a change to preparing to make that change then back to contemplation! Then, we get a little more serious and then we decide to prepare to make the change, start that new healthy behavior and continue into what is called the action phase! If you continue for 6 months, then the behavior moves into the maintenance phase….and has become a HABIT! You got this! Enjoy the journey!