If you are waiting for all the right conditions to be in place before you make changes, you have set yourself up for failure. This is especially true when it comes to nutrition.
Here is a familiar list of reasons to postpone the alignment of eating behaviors with your goals:
- I’ll start tomorrow.
- I’ll wait until the beginning of a new week.
- I’ll wait until AFTER an upcoming event (holiday, birthday, social outing, vacation).
- I had a crazy day, I am exhausted, I deserve a treat.
- The next two weeks are packed, things will settle down after that.
- This big project is taking all my energy and time, I need something fast and easy.
- My emotions are too overwhelming due to stuff going on in my life.
- I already ate crappy today; I already blew it.
You get the gist. You probably have some personal favorites of your own, but they all seem to boil down to: upcoming events, stress levels, and time. Let’s look at these.
Events: There is always going to be a holiday, someone’s birthday, work party, trip, or social gathering of some sort going on every month of the year. There will be snacks, sweets, alcohol, and all sorts of yummy foods to navigate. Don’t delay because of it, you will find yourself repeating that pattern over and over again. You don’t have to totally abstain, but build it into the plan.
Stress: There are always going to be stressors in your life to deal with. Granted, your stress levels will fluctuate. We have all experienced times when our emotions get the better of us. However, practicing good habits will help you cope during these times. You don’t have to manage your stress perfectly, but always reflect, learn and try to do a little better next time.
Time: You will always have a long list of things demanding your time. This one is often perceived as out of your control. However, we have more control over our time than we realize. Be strategic with your time, be realistic about what you can do, and plan ahead. Do you have time to meal prep? Why not? Be honest. What alternatives are available? Find creative ways to make nutrition “fast and easy.” If something doesn’t work, move on and try something else.
Taking action toward new eating behaviors during these circumstances is the real key to your success. Eating in a manner in line with your goals while challenged, is when real change begins and new habits form. Better yet, you stop yourself in the middle of a regression after you have already started to revert to old ways. Now that is empowering.
The perfect conditions are going to be the exception rather than the norm. You are going to have to practice new behaviors under real life conditions more often than the perfect/ideal ones.
We all get derailed sometimes. The key is to try to limit the time you are sidetracked. Try to get back on track as soon as you can. The “old you” might have gotten derailed for week(s) or month(s). The “new you” might only get derailed for a few days. Wherever you are at, try to do a little bit better each time.
So, don’t wait for tomorrow morning. Who cares if you already screwed up today? To really set yourself up for success, start now no matter the circumstances of your present situation. The time is now to make the changes you want.