Top 3 Ways To Introduce Sustainable Lifestyle Changes

We live in a society where everything has to be fixed and solved right away. We want the fastest solutions with the minimal amount of work. This is understandable since people are busy, tired, stressed out and have relationships and families to look after and worry about. The amount of time people have is limited and the amount of change they can invoke is just as limited. The fact is that when people are stressed out, change becomes harder to implement. So, how do you implement change when life gets busy?

Lifestyle changes don't come easy

1. Begin with small manageable changes

Biting off more than you can chew is the worst way to get started. Typically when people want to overhaul their current lifestyle and become healthier they resort to starting off trying to change everything. While the intentions are good, this practice often results in instability and inability to sustain. 

The trick is to start with something you can do every day that takes 5 to 10 minutes and that you enjoy doing. You do not want to begin change with the perception that you are punishing yourself or doing something out of a fear of failure. And you do not want to do something that is just too difficult to do. For example, say you want to begin moving or exercising more. Rather than aim to run 5km every day, just start with going outside and walking for 10 minutes. You will feel good about yourself, you won't feel burned out and you will build a healthy relationship with change. 

Other examples of performing a small meaningful action can include cleaning your room every morning, making your bed, writing in a grateful journal or reading a short story or article. The goal of making these small impactful changes is to rewire your brain and build new positive and constructive neural connections. So keep the 5 minute action short, easy to do, enjoyable and positive. 

2. Have a strong enough goal or objective that propels you forwards

The next step towards making change is to actually have something you are trying to change for. Being honest with yourself and having a few objectives or goals will be the primary mechanism towards change. 

For example, if I want to lose 20lbs and I begin to start all these changes in my life without actually analyzing why you want to lose 20lbs, when you want to lose it and who you want to lose it for, then you are very unlikely to sustain change and stick with it. If you are told by your doctor that you have to lose 20lbs then it is unlikely that you will create long term meaningful change, because you are trying to lose weight for someone else. You are also trying to lose weight because you are told to, not because you want to. Now, there is nothing wrong with trying to lose weight because your doctor told you, and it does have a positive impact on your life. But throughout my years of coaching clients and consulting clients who are told by their doctor that they have fatty liver or at risk of diabetes and they must lose weight, these same people will lose weight but will not maintain it. They simply gain it back usually 6-12 months later. They haven’t really explored why they want to lose weight past what their health practitioner has told them.

These people need to re-evaluate their goals and objectives if they are truly interested in long term change. I have had some clients whom I have helped with discovery and goal setting sessions that have weight loss goals explore the reasons why they want to lose weight. If these people do not have a strong enough goal that makes them want to change then it is unlikely they will produce and maintain meaningful change. A client that says I want to lose 20lbs so I can move better and be in less pain while having the ability to play with my grandchildren when I get older will have a strong enough goal to produce long term change. 

The bottom line is that in order to produce sustainable lifestyle changes, you need a strong enough goal or objective to create and foster those changes. 

3. Establish your values

Really be honest with yourself and ask yourself what you hold in high regard in your life. What do you truly value and what is important to you? Do you value partying with your friends Friday and Saturday nights? Do you value expensive alcohol or having the latest television or phone? Do you value looking the best with having the best clothing? 

If you have a value system that is counterproductive to your health goals then it will be very difficult to create and sustain those lifestyle changes. You will constantly be pulled in different directions often making it difficult to sustain those changes. 

For example, say you want to lose 20lbs but you value or enjoy going out to the club every weekend with your friends then it will obviously be difficult to lose 20lbs. If you value good food and being in good health then losing 20lbs will be much easier. If your values are leaning towards your goal and objective then no matter what situation you are in, you will always make the right choice. 

Values can change over time as well. What you valued in your teens can change as you grow older. Some people who have children often change their values and prioritize different things. There are many variables and factors that influence our decisions and our values can change. What is important in all this is being honest with yourself and asking yourself at different moments in time what your values truly are.