Change Your Habits and Adopt A Healthy Mindset

Photo Credit: ffîon

This is a guest post by Anna of Path to Fat Loss

Most definitions of a “healthy lifestyle” tend to differ from person to person. My definition has completely changed since I started the process of changing my habits to lose the fat forever.  I used to believe that living a healthy lifestyle meant never stepping inside a fast food chain again or that I would have to give up chocolate cake altogether.  However, through trial and error, I finally discovered some nutrition and exercise strategies that my body responds to like clockwork and I’m still able to enjoy my favorite, not-so-healthy dishes.

Truthfully, I had a lot of bad experiences during my newbie days because I was relying mainly on motivation to keep me focused on my nutrition and my workouts. This strategy quickly backfired on me whenever something unexpected interrupted my schedule or when I had a slight change in mood.

Relying on motivation alone to keep me on track, immediately turned into a disaster.  My reasoning is because motivation is short-lived.  I’ve learned the hard way that I need strategies instead of motivation.  Even if I find a great nutrition and exercise program, I know their greatness is irrelevant if I’m unable to follow them.

The Strategy of Creating Habits

The one thing I realized during this process is how my habits were working against me.  It was the frequent visits to the local Starbucks for my morning Skinny Vanilla Latte, the decadent dessert after lunch or the nightly glass of wine when I watch TV that were killing the progress I’d made in the gym or in the nutrition department.  It seemed no matter how many times I heard the saying, “You can’t out train a bad diet,” it failed to stick in my head.

After several weeks at the mercy of my bad habits, I realized the only way to beat them is to join them. Well, not exactly. I basically took the healthy changes I wanted to make and turned the bad habits into good ones.  Through this process, I eventually eliminated the bad habits.  I replaced my latte with green tea; I ate a juicy piece of fruit after lunch, and ditched my nightly glass of wine completely.  Making these changes was not easy. The first few days were the most difficult.

However, there’s an old adage for whenever we want to create new habits; to create a new habit we must stick to our new routine for at least 30 consecutive days.  After the initial time period, the new changes become second nature to the point in which they are almost automatic.  This strategy has done wonders for me and I still use it to this day whenever I want to create a positive change.

Recognize What’s Going on in Your Head

We get comfortable when we have a routine simply because we are creatures of habit.  Our mind’s job is to keep us safe; in other words, it gives us ease to deal with that which we are familiar with.  If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking about all the “what if’s” when you’re about to do something completely different, this is a perfect example of how your mind attempts to safeguard you.

This can turn against us if our comfort zone is associated with eating junk food and exercising very little.  Thus, when it’s time to step outside of our comfort zone, it can become an uphill battle. The good news is we don’t have to fight the battle very long if we remain consistent with the healthy changes we’ve made for the first few weeks. The sooner you recognize your mental blocks and the obstacles keeping you from your fitness goals, the closer you will be to reaching them.

Here is how you can make your habits work for you:

First, take out a blank piece of paper and make a list of the bad habits you want to get rid of on the left side.

Next, make a list of the new habit you want to replace your old habit with on the right side of the paper. For instance, if you’ve developed a bad habit of eating high calorie snacks before bed time, record it on the left side.  Then, write the new habit of drinking green tea (or any other low calorie substitute) or snack-abstinence altogether on the right hand side.

Because it takes persistence and dedication to making serious changes, you should focus on 2-3 habits at once. Attempting too many changes at one time will make you frustrated and will possibly lead to giving up on your new habits.

After you’ve chosen 3 new habits, commit to them consistently for the next 30 days. Before you know it, this new way of life will be semi-automatic.

When it comes to making lifelong changes, consistency is the key. More importantly, you have to realize that your mind must make a transformation along with your physical transformation.  Once you rewire your thought patterns, the physical transformation magically becomes easier and the likelihood of reverting back to your old habits becomes nothing but an old thought.

Anna Dornier is a certified kettlebell instructor and personal trainer in the San Francisco Bay Area.   She authors the website Path to Fat Loss where she writes about effective fat loss strategies that people can easily adapt into their lifestyle.  She is also the founder of ATD Fitness Bootcamp.