LAST week I gave you three strategies for building new habits. Make sure you let me know below how you’re doing with them! I also said last week that I’d be building on those and giving you some more – so here goes!
One thing that most people forget about when they’re trying to lose weight is their environment and how that influences and determines what they eat each day and their behaviour towards food.
Our home or work environment is not something that we think about very often but it’s really important for achieving goals because if your environment is stacked against you then it just makes it really really hard to get to where you want to be.
If for example you work in an office and somebody is consistently bringing in cakes or chocolate then it’s very very hard to resist temptation. Or if you’re in the habit of including treats and snacks in your weekly shop so that these things are constantly in the house then of course it’s going to be so easy to just munching away through them during the day.
People often say “oh it’s for my son” or “it’s for my husband” when actually I think that’s a big excuse and it’s really for themselves! Hands up – who does this?!
Yes it’s true that we respond to the environment around us but we can turn this round and actually use the environment to help us rather than hinder us.
Things in our environment become visual triggers for us to eat or drink and very quickly develop into a bad habit!
But we can use visual triggers to turn things around and create good habits. Here are some ideas:
- Switch things around a bit at home. If you want to break a habit then put the thing that’s causing the issue in a place that’s a bit more difficult to get to. Out of sight helps it to be out of mind.
2. Make the healthy things far more visible to you. e.g put the fruit in a place that you can easily see it every day. Have a bottle of water on your desk and challenge yourself to drink it all in the day. - This next one is a fab strategy and I’d love you to do this as a task for the week ahead. Put up a calendar in a visible place and every day that you perform your new habit, put a big cross on the calendar. It will soon make a “success chain” and psychology proves that when you have consistently marked crosses on the calendar you won’t want to break the chain.
This simple strategy has been proven to help with procrastination and motivation.
Most people get demotivated and off–track after a bad day, which could include a bad workout, eating badly or simply a bad day at work, but this encourages you to get right back on track again because your focus is on the process of not breaking the chain and you forget about everything else. Again, the task needs to be meaningful and simple enough to get it done easily!
If you slip up, then get back on track quickly. None of us is superhuman. We all slip up and to ride the blips we need to be kind to ourselves, understand it’s going to happen and be self compassionate. Build it into life! That’s what the successful people do and you can do it too!
Let me know below which strategy you choose to implement into your life. I love hearing about your progress.
17 thoughts on “More great healthy habit building strategies”
My father gave up smoking ten years ago, and still puts a cross in the calendar every day. He credits that for his success.
For me, it’s been about setting a calorie goal and just not going over it; and getting under it every day is more rewarding than any random slice of cake. I’ve lost 12 stone in the last year like that.
Wow! That’s amazing! Well done you!
I’m a great procrastinator and do sometimes lack motivation! As there is only me I don’t buy biscuits and sweets otherwise I would eat them…….all at once. I do make cakes occasionally which I slice and freeze ready for visitors or myself if I fancy something. I don’t deny myself anything but defrosting a piece of cake takes longer than just retrieving a piece from the cupboard, so this in turn makes me stop and think.
Fab strategy! Love it!
Hi,
All good strategies especially home environment and work these are two places that I’ve often fell off the wagon in the past Regards, Joe
PS still listening to the slimpod and now I’m just starting to wear 34″ waist trousers (mind you they’re a bit tight!) Haven’t worn these for about 10 years or more..
Wow! Well done Joe! What size trousers were you when you started with Slimpod?
I think these ideas are good advice. I already put sweet things, cakes, biscuits, etc., out of sight. The idea of putting a cross on a calendar is a great idea and I will give that a try. So far I feel a bit fitter and healthier. Thanks to you and Trevor.
Lovely to hear this Catherine! Well done!
I am in my second week & delighted at my progress. Eating far less at meals , leaving when full, the main thing that has really pleased me is that I am not looking for snacks In-between meals. So far so good. I listen to Trevor Twice a day & if I wake in the night I get of to sleep with the relaxation hub. On holiday with family next week all big drinkers. So I have downloaded alcohol pod & have been listening to that as well, I am not a big drinker but would certainly stop at one or two ..I will let you know next week how I get on.
Good to hear you’re doing well Victoria! And yes, do let me know how you get on!
You’re welcome!
Great advice thanks?
Definitely going to use the x on the calendar.
Let me know how you get on Paula!
Love the calendar reminder for days when target achieved
Great stuff Brenda! It’s very rewarding when you see the calendar filling up!
I’m surrounded by two fit active men: a hill runner and a teen training for the marines,so the push for and the speed at which they eat is frightening. I’ve stopped “shopping” with them in mind and started ordering just healthy stuff from the farm shop, complemented by quality sugar free xtra from the supermarket. So not having sugary fills is helping. As part of this push I’ve cut the booze too!