Hi Karen,
It’s cold. It’s the middle of winter and might be the most difficult time of the year to try and get healthier because we aren’t as active and we’re stuck inside around food too much.
Are you feeling stuck when it comes to getting healthier? If so, maybe try a different approach.
Since this is the time of year many of us are trying to get back on track or just get on some sort of track with a healthier lifestyle, I wanted to share an idea you may have heard before . . . Trying to get 1% better every day.
This is something James Clear talks about in his book Atomic Habits. It’s about continuous improvement each day with small changes.
We tend to think we need to do all the things, all at once, perfectly. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!
But if we change our thinking to very small positive changes each day, at the end of a year we are 37% better! and that’s significant change!
I invite you to watch his 3-minute videos that explains the 1% better concept at this link: https://youtu.be/GeFjP5sMXr0
Now – lets apply the 1% better idea to our nutrition and wellness goals.
If you work with me 1:1, there are many areas of your nutrition related wellness we might choose to focus on such as carbs, protein, fat, meal timing, meal planning, shopping, cooking, recipes, activity, exercise, stress, sleep, supplements, labs, drinks, fiber, digestive health, herbs and spices, and many more.
Just like the approach in this video we can look at small changes you can make in many different areas and over time make a big difference towards your health goals.
So, here’s a challenge for the next couple weeks.
Try to focus on one small thing you can do every day, or even every week, towards your wellness goal.
Some examples:
- Add a veggie at breakfast 2 days this week.
- Take kitchen inventory and note what healthy foods you have.
- Schedule your meal planning and grocery shopping day and time for this week and put it on your calendar.
- Set up your kitchen table as an inviting, enjoyable, quiet, no screen zone to eat meals so you can be more mindful.
- Plan 1-2 meals this week where the whole family sits down together with no phone or tv on.
- Set the healthier foods out for easy access and put the less healthy foods out of sight.
- Instead of thinking, I have to plan my meals for the week, plan 2 meals with enough for leftovers the next day so you end up with 4 meals planned. (soup recipe idea links below)
- Keep a list on the fridge or your phone as grocery list so you don’t forget what you need next time you go shopping.
- Trying to drink more water? Drink a glass before your first meal or first cup of coffee.
- Try an indoor exercise video. Yoga is my favorite winter home exercise because it helps my lower back pain with strength, flexibility, and breathing exercise. Check out the link if you want to try it.
There are so many more 1% better change options. I would love to hear your feedback on this idea. Just ask yourself, “what’s one very small thing I can do today towards being healthier?” Message or email me if you want to share your wins or frustrations with this idea.
Here are the soup recipe ideas in links below. Stay warm!
Sausage White Bean Soup Recipe (15 Minutes, 4 Ingredients)
Karen
