How are we supposed to start changing our world? How are we supposed to change horrible life situations for others? Well, this are questions for the ages. But I tink that instead of foccusing on the things we can’t change for others, we should foccus on the changes we can make in our own lifes.
And this changes can come in many forms. It can be a change in the way we eat, our activities, our work, sport or our relationship with others.
So, I decided, that this it was time to change certain aspects of my life and I ended up with a “new begining”.
I do not claim to be an expert and I would never do so. But, in my experience I have learned two very important things.
1. you should always know what works for you (everyone is diffferent).
2. always make small and steady steps.
So going into detail. The first thing is to know what works for you and in my case for my family. No two people are the same, we all have different tastes and preferences. But, there are some things that we all enjoy or like.
In our case, we like good food. We like eatiing fresh meals. They don’t need to be fancy but they need to fresh and colorful filled with zest. Enter: the meal prepping world!
Meal preparation is the process of planning and preparing meals. For example, having meals ready for lunch or dinner times for an entier week. You might think that I am talking about eating the smae thing every day, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth!
Being completely honest, I must say that I (we: my family) began to prep our meals because of several reasons. After my baby was born I decided eating healthier was mandatory. This doesn’t mean that we ate really bad but some changes could be made. And, the lack of time was becoming an issue.
Further more, we didn’t want to spend all that money. We wanted to save up for other things given that we really enjoy travelling.
My second, point to achieve sucess is to make small and powerful changes. In order to do this changes I had to prepare my self.
I did my research. I read a lot online, asked friends and bought a book that would help me get started.
In my case it worked. This does not mean that it will work exactley for others. As I have said before, each person has to find out what works best for them.
You need to look for ways to disrupt the patterns of unhealthy habits and establish new patterns, while continuing with your healthy habits.
So, I sugest you start making small daily changes. Pack healthy snacks to take to work. Carry a refillable water bottle with you so you can stay hydrated throughout the day.
I must be honest, this is easy to write and to give as advice.. and it is not so easy to follow through every time.
The truth of the matter is that, the ability to mantain a healthy lifestyle will depend on coming up with strategies that work with your personality. I think its critical, if you want to succeed, to reflect on the times you succeeded and the times you struggled. What circumstances were most helpful to you and encouraged you to do your best?
What situations did you find distracting? What kept you from sticking with your goals?
Before you can make changes to your lifestyle, you need to know where you’re starting from and understand your reasons for making changes. Know what works for you and what doesn’t.
Making huge, sweeping life changes all at once is a mistake. This will never last and most probably wou will have to start over again.
Those huge all of a sudden changes can leave you feeling overwhelmed and tempted to give up altogether. Start small and build. So, remember: baby steps!
If you are really commited you will stick to the change. But, just in case here are a few ponters that worked for me (you are welcome to ignore them if they are not your cup of tea).
* Set a very specific goal.
* Find a way to measure progress.
* Make sure it’s achievable.
* Make sure it’s realistic.
* Set time commitments.
But, when all is said and done there is an unchagable fact: change is hard its meant to be hard! So, it’s also critical to find your own reasons for change.
Another factor than can help is to have a support system that will help you stick to your goals. Ask important people in your life for their help.
At the end you will have an intensive lifestyle change. an intensive lifestyle change program won’t work if it’s just “ordered” by docs, or if patients are expected to engage with it based on threats and warnings.
I learned the importance of avoiding guilt, shame, and scare tactics, and getting away from labels such as “good” or “bad.” Any lifestyle change has to be meaningful and pleasurable.
So this is a bit of my experience and what has been working for me. And, it is hard, I am not going to lie but the reward is worth it. This are the small changes that count in the long run. Nobody changed their world over night. First the little steps, baby steps if your will. It is a process that takes time, dedication and will power. But, at the end, your lifestyle will change and your life with it.
