Make It Stick!
It is the final week in this year's Nutrition Month campaign, The 100 Meal Journey. We hope you have enjoyed working on a small, nutrition-focused goal at each meal over the month of March. This week focuses on helping you to Make It Stick.
One of the most important steps in making a new change becomes a lifelong habit (i.e. lifestyle), is making a plan for when things go wrong (or back to the 'old' habit). Professionals in the behavior change area like to call this step a Relapse Plan. We all experience challenges that can sidetrack our health and eating plans, but it is what we do to address this fact that makes the difference. Here are some helpful strategies to help make your changes stick.
Be aware of past roadblocks and make a plan for when they happen.
- Think about what might get in your way of healthy eating before it happens
- Brainstorm solutions for ways to get around these roadblocks
- Put supportive strategies in place. Recruit family and friends that will help you on your path to living a healthy lifestyle.
Don't let 'lack of time' be your excuse for poor nutrition choices. Instead, Plan For It!
- Keep your fridge and pantry stocked with convenient health foods. If healthy food is easy to grab, you will.
- Cook for two meals instead of one. Make double batches of protein to use at lunch or supper the next day.
- Cook ahead for days where you can't cook. Make a stew and freeze it in single or family-sized portions. Bring it out when you need it.
I will leave you with a quote I recently read while working out at my gym that really rings true for me and I hope it will for you too!
"You can have excuses and you can have results, but you can't have both."
Week 5 Nutrition Month Highlights Resource PDF
Keep your journey going and check back here for regular blog posts and on my nutrition blog for additional resources and recipe ideas.