The best way to get started on your health plan
I am amazed at how quickly a seemingly uncomplicated life can become overwhelming. Almost instantly, and without warning (Hello Covid!)
Past worries over long commutes and traffic jams have faded into a new 3 am movie, featuring my own thoughts and worries in starring roles. My nights are often spent lying awake facing a new level of stressed out. The adult children in my life are either back at home or are unable to get home (even for the smallest of visits - sigh!), and negotiating their own changes. They are safe and healthy as they navigate their new reality, but the worries go on. An occupational hazard of being a parent, and after 25 years I’m forced to accept that it’s not going anywhere.
Alongside what's changed, there remains the daily rhythm of life’s bumps and turns, all now amplified by the unknown that is Covid. It’s added a new layer to the care we take with aging parents, relatives and friends, which is made up mostly of staying away. The lack of contact is not without its own risks, spiking new concerns about mental health, among other things. And the news! Where to start? I was glued to all of the updates at the beginning, but that has also changed. Call it self preservation or call it Covid-fatigue, but I quickly shut that pipeline down.
It’s easy to see that the stresses we all face daily can and will change over time. Regardless of what’s added or subtracted, Covid or no Covid. - life goes on. I also see that much (most) of what gets added or removed is completely and unchangingly beyond my control.
So now what? Is there anything I actually have control over? Well the good news is, yes there is! I control my choices. When I reflect on what’s helped me feel grounded in the past, it’s always been choice. It’s the only thing I can really control. The choices I make, large or small, are all up to me. The media I consume, when and what I eat, who I hang with. We all make thousands of choices, big or small, over the course of a day. Deciding which choices to make, how many and how often, is where life can begin to feel overwhelming at times. Life is made up of a series of choices, but you can’t make them all at once.
This is especially true when making larger changes. Take shifting your approach to the food you eat, as one example. My transition from consuming mostly processed foods to eating mostly real foods taught me that focusing on one decision, one choice at a time, was the key to moving forward without feeling overwhelmed. Before, when I looked at someone else's version of “healthy eating”, I felt frozen in place. Overwhelmed by the unlimited supply of expert opinions and information, I mostly chose to do nothing. I knew I wanted to make changes, but the distance from where I was to where “they” were looked unreachable. I was focused so far into the future, I couldn’t see the path immediately in front of me and it left me feeling overwhelmed, defeated and disinterested.
I didn’t uncover the answers overnight. I have a life-long history of unsuccessful attempts at realigning my approach to food - More on that another time.
What I did discover this time was that by taking small manageable steps, removing rigid timetables and rules, and allowing space for changes to become part of my regular routine, I was able to begin shifting my approach to food. I gradually created a new normal that fit for me. Making choices one at a time made change feel less intimidating and most importantly, sustainable. The bigger, unexpected bonus for me was learning to tune in to how I was feeling on the inside. I realized that I had the power to choose what healthy eating looks like for me, based on how I feel, not on what someone else’s version of what I should be doing.
It’s not a fast journey and no one can tell you how long yours will be, but it’s dead easy to start. Imagine just for a minute that tomorrow you didn’t have to start a new meal plan or restock your entire pantry. Think of just one thing you want to shift. Something you want to change, to start or to take away. Seriously, only ONE thing. And you get to decide what it is.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning.
Eating dinner sitting down at a table (even if it’s takeout).
Shopping for veggies at the local farmers market and using your new finds in a recipe this week.
Replacing a store bought staple with one that you’ve made yourself, for example this recipe for hummus found in my Kitchen-Made Staples guide.
Go for a walk at lunch, or after dinner.
Try choosing just one thing this week, and then, for the next four weeks, keep the choice from the week before and add one new one. Assuming you followed the examples above (which of course, you don’t have to), in one month you’re drinking more water, eating more veggies and less processed foods and you’re moving regularly. Before you know it, those changes become part of your new routine. Keep going! Change is really as simple as taking the first step and building from there.
If you’ve tried shifting your approach to food before but you’re still feeling confused and overwhelmed, I can help. I can guide you and give you support, so you don’t feel like you’re doing this alone.
Want to find out more? Book a free 30 minute discovery call here.
