Change is hard. Change is REALLY hard when you try to do it alone. It’s possible, but not as much fun or likely to stick, when we rely only on our own motivation and vision. Sometimes we need a hug or a kick in the pants to keep going.
Changing our food habits is one of the most challenging things many of us will do this year. Think about it, we’ve just spent the last 30, 40, 50 years practicing eating a certain way and now we want to make changes…nothing about that is easy!
We know from experience that change is more effective in a group and Science backs that up in the case of weight loss or making healthier choices (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4990387/). So you’re reading my blog (Thank You! 🙂 ), you’re taking walks at lunch, maybe you’ve even joined a gym or bought a share in a CSA (community supported agriculture). But have you asked your family to join you? We’ve already established that they may glare at you when you serve broccoli instead of french fries, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be part of your tribe. What’s your tribe? It’s the people and influences in your life that work along side you towards a goal. Our families aren’t always excited to trade in their comfortable, old habits for new, ‘strange’ ones, but it’s surprising how often they will support us (and even end up enjoying it!) when we ask them for help.
How can you family be part of your tribe?
- Just letting them know WHY you want to make some changes. Be specific…’I want to have more energy to play with you,’ ‘I want to feel comfortable in my clothes when we go out on dates,’ ‘I want to change this health condition that’s making me sick.’
- Give them a list of foods you’d like to start incorporating into family meals and ask them to identify their favorites…and use their ideas in meals!
- Ask them to keep foods that are incredibly tempting to you out of the house or, at least, out of your sight/reach. Caution: attempting to guilt them into not eating the food rarely works. Try not to pass judgement on their choices, especially if they’re grown, but ask them to help you make better choices for your health.
- Ask them to join you on evening walks, trips to the park or local, family 5Ks.
- Ask them to keep you accountable…but DON’T glare at them when they call you out for sneaking chips at night. 🙂
Right now you also have the option to ask them to join you in our Spring Cleaning for Your Health Challenge. Starting April 2nd we’ll spend 14 days replacing those unhelpful habits that have snuck in over the winter with lots of water and produce! The Challenge is FREE and we’re focused on bringing healthy habits back…not weight loss, forbidden foods or calorie counting…so the Challenge is totally appropriate for all age groups (even kids!). Bonus: every day you participate you’re earning a ticket for a drawing on April 15th for a $25 Visa gift card…that may motivate some of our kiddos to work with us! 🙂
Click the link to join or ask questions!
