“Change your lifestyle as it’s the solution for a permanent weight loss and better health,”., a common recommendation you will come across.
While going through the recommendation, many runs into doubts. “Making lifestyle changes will make my life tough!”. “I have to devote a large portion of time and effort to stay on track. That’s a lot for achieving and maintaining a goal.”
“Why to bother about lifestyle changes when there are many strategies that promise to give a better and faster result.”
Like these are many thoughts that keep running in people’s mind making it tough for them to make any choice. They get stuck in the decision process and end up taking no action or the most attractive strategy.
Lifestyle changes are tough and intimidating tasks, a reason major population skip to make lifestyle changes.
They also believe that people with a high level of patience and willpower can only make the changes, which they own. They measure themselves short even before attempting to make changes.
The moment anyone makes any new changes, the mind starts a battle. Its purpose is to protect you from embarrassment by keeping you in a comfort zone. But the resistance of your mind will be proportional to what you choose and burden you lay on yourself. Slow changes won’t bother your mind so it will resist the least.
Let’s have a small thoughts changeover about the lifestyle choice
Thought 1: I have to quit all the foods I like
“With a life-changing weight loss goal, the effort I have to take will be demanding. I will do anything to achieve it.”
“Whatever may be the solution: quit breakfast, eat limited calories, eat only a few food types, etc., I will follow it to achieve the goal.”
These are many imaginary problems and solutions it will create solutions for the shake to achieve the goals. As you run into a thought food is the reason behind the weight and health crises, you will run into a solution to target food.
Actual: It’s about making food right food choice and enjoying them
Quit all the food you like and you’re set to achieve the goal. It may look like a great decision, but such restrictions aren’t good decisions. We all don’t like restriction. Wherever there is a restriction, we try to oppose it.
We live in a modern world. From childhood, we were exposed to highly processed to unprocessed food. But the addictive design of highly processed food has lured us for a long time. With long a long relationship with such food, it’s a humongous task to quit all we like.
There are few foods that you need to quit, but there are a few of those you can enjoy in a limit. Quitting isn’t always the right solution for everyone, as no one knows how the restriction will bounce back. If you found that major food intake is from processed food and want to make changes, start slow. Don’t quit all food, keep a few in the list to enjoy, while eating it mindfully.
While going through that changes, you can find out many other healthier recipes that are loaded with a rich flavour. A healthy lifestyle isn’t all about quitting foods. It’s about adding healthy food that we can enjoy and also receive healthy nutrients. You don’t necessarily quit processed food as said, just try to eat more minimally processed food.
Thought 2: I won’t get a chance to enjoy a treat
“To make a healthy lifestyle, I have to eat only healthy food and avoid threats. Treats are responsible for my weight gain and others can lead to other health issues. To stay on track and achieve and maintain those, I have to avoid any treat.”
People often conclude that they have to sacrifice to build and follow a healthy lifestyle. Major doesn’t try, but the few who try they get hard over themselves. They abandon every event or get together with the friends or any occasion where will come across a treat.
Actual: You can enjoy the treat
In a party with the friend where you want to try pizza — eat the pizza, seriously do it. Don’t be strict on yourself. Don’t let the feeling of guilt to not able to enjoy become a hurdle in your routine. Doing it will lead to stress, and it’s just the beginning of a far greater problem. Stress is a bad thing and your body don’t want you to be stressed, so it will motivate you to eat, unaware of the consequences.
If you are convinced then follow a trick, mind over the portion. Enjoy the pizza, eat slowly, and chew it. By following you will eat less without trying, enjoy the food you like and never feel deprived. Eat to enjoy, don’t overstuff as you can have more the next time. You can follow with every food and every time you eat.
After the treat, don’t tense over if you ate a little more than you thought. If you are eating an unprocessed, healthy, and balanced meal all the time, you won’t have to worry with a small treat. Small treat and flexibility will prevent overeating and motive you to follow it a lifetime.
Be open to enjoy but make sure how much and how often.
Thought 3: What we imagine — I have to workout my ass off
“Workout, yes, it’s where my life will get tough. I have to dedicate 2-3 hours in a gym to stay fit.”
“Apart from that I won’t have much personal life — won’t be able to spend time with family and friends. Others will be hanging out and I have to struggle in the gym coming months and years.
Strict routine, won’t get enough time to self and many such imaginary hurdles keep major from adopting fitness routine or even active lifestyle.
Actual: You don’t have to spend most of the time in the gym
Want to join a gym or do it at home, it’s your choice.
Want to lift the weight or use body weight, it’s your choice.
Adopt a fitness routine, doesn’t mean you have to grind for hours in the gym. It doesn’t mean you can’t have a social life.
While making a lifestyle choice for fitness, it’s about—active choice. You need not spend 2-3 hours per day in the gym; an active choice throughout the day will burn lots of calories before you step in the gym. Later, 30-40 minutes’ exercise in a gym or at the place your choice will be enough. Even HIIT exercise for 15-20 minutes for 3 days in a week is also a good option.
For daily active choice: walk with a friend, take stair instead of the elevator for a 2-3 floor, go by walk to any walkable distance and more are on the list. Trekking and sports of liking are fun ways to engage in physical activity. The more active choices you make more the calories you will burn throughout the day without steeping in the gym.
Thought 4: Life will get tough with rules and regulation
“With the initiative to make improve a lifestyle, it’s natural that life will get tough. New rules and regulation. It’s just the beginning more new products and strategies is on the way.”
Trying something new, it’s natural that you feel that it will get tough. Instead of such thoughts remind that it’s just a thought.
Actual: Lifestyle Will Automated
The choice that going to transform lifestyle is simple changes. Those changes might look humongous task as you aren’t habitual. As you follow it, those actions will become a habit and you will follow with least effort. To complete the task, you won’t have to make any conscious decision, major activities will habit so you will automate your daily routine. Life will get easy as you build habits.
Apart from that, you get back energy and strength. Your health improves. You feel energetic to do more in less time. The chance to feel sick powers thus, you spend quality life. The small lifestyle choice you make — improves your quality of life.
Whenever someone tries to change the routine, it is normal to feel uncomfortable. But don’t let that feeling stop you from making changes. You won’t have to make extreme changes quickly, slow changes and making process is the part of successful adaptation any lifestyle.
You don’t have to snap out of the comfort zone and make yourself uncomfortable. Start slow, allow the body to adopt the change and keep adding. Slow changes at a time have a greater success rate than sudden changes. So focus on a few changes and start with it.
And remind yourself — you’re making a lifestyle choice to make life better easy. So enjoy the process instead of pushing hard and stressing out.
It’s just a glimpse of thoughts, there are a hundred things keep going on. Don’t get flowed with such thoughts. You can make positive and better changes in life without going harsh on yourself.
Leave a Reply