Have you ever watched another woman and wondered….’How does she not dive into the dessert table at a buffet?’ or ‘How does she have energy to run around with her kids at the end of the day? or ‘How does she….fill in the blank?’
Yep, we’ve all had this question. I used to think they’d just won some genetic lottery and were magically blessed with self control I could never have. And I was wrong. It turns out they were just being purposeful with their resources…and many times had put in a lot of work to get to place where these choices were automatic.
I wish I knew who originally said this, but for now I’ll have to give credit to a client who passed it along to me. 🙂
“The battles we win in private position us to slay Giants in public”
How did those ladies do those things that seemed impossible to us? They had battled in private! They had put in the time to learn what foods nourished them and which hurt them. They had practiced habits for weeks and months at home so that they could use them in tricky situations in public. They had learned how to get to bed on time so they had energy that would last until the end of the day. What we saw was the result of a process that was (mostly) invisible to the rest of the world.
AND THIS IS GOOD NEWS!
It means the rest of us can accomplish these feats too! We’re just as capable of practicing skills each day until they become automatic habits as those ladies are!
So, how do we do this?
- #1 Define your Goal. Make it specific and clearly measurable. If you want to cut back on sweets then it could be something like, ‘I will enjoy a dessert with my family on Friday nights. The rest of the week I will choose not to eat foods with added sugars.’ And then get really clear on what you mean my ‘added sugars!’
- #2 Measure Progress. Turn your results into data that you can look at objectively. We’ve all tried beating ourselves up for failing and it didn’t work for any of us. If you’re aiming for no added sugar until Friday night then keep track of how you do each day. WRITE IT DOWN. This is data. If the first week included 5 slip-ups then you know what you want to beat next week! You keep using that data to find things that work and identify what doesn’t work.
- #3 Set a Time Limit. What’s a reasonable amount of time to accomplish your goal? If you have a major sweet tooth you might pick 3 months to really reign it in. That doesn’t mean you’ll never slip up after that time, but with that much practice you’ll know how to get back on course quickly. No big deal.
- #4 Find a Tribe. What you surround yourself with matters! Find a friend or coworker who will encourage you. Join a gym or online group that reminds you you’re not alone in wanting to be healthy. Subscribe to podcasts or magazines that promote healthy (sane, sustainable!) lifestlyes. Don’t go it alone.
