Monday, Day One, The Day Everything Changes

How many of us wake up every Monday morning and think, “This is it; this is the week I will change my life!” then by lunch we’re back to our old habits. It’s true, isn’t it? Old habits die hard. I haven’t been through this mental dialogue in many months but found myself psyching up for this past week because I was starting a little cleanse. Monday, day one, wow, what a wake-up call!

I have my reasons for doing my little cleanse. Not to detox but to break some habits that have been sneaking back into my day to day routine over the past few months. I usually do a little cleanse a couple times a year. It’s a time of refocus. I look not just at my food, but my work space, my home and even my inbox! I normally wait till fall but I’m feeling a little cluttered these days and thought “why not now?”. But after speaking with friends and clients I hear that this happens almost every week for some. They try, and most times fail, to make changes that they feel are important for their health and wellness.

So, what’s the trick? What is going wrong? Well, first off, like I stated in the beginning, old habits die hard. It’s not easy to go from living one-way Sunday to living another way, completely different in every way Monday. Psychologically our brains are going to fight back, and a lot of times our body’s will fight back too, especially if there are small addictions to break. (like cutting back on sugar) But what if I told you that to make significant changes in your wellness it’s didn’t take big huge giant scary changes occurring all at once? What if you only focused on one thing. That’s right, just one small change. For example, what if I said, “This week I’m just going to focus on my hydration.” It may not seem like much but it’s something right? AND it’s doable. It’s the start of building a new habit and it’s not scary and it’s not overwhelming.

There is something more to this though. You MUST focus on it. You MUST really put your attention to this one little task. You are going to want to get out the water bottles, have them ready to go for your desk at work, for the car, for the after-school soccer games, activities and make sure you follow through. I also recommend you set the alarm on your phone or on your watch to remind you to drink. This is a small change, but you still must give it your all. Once you feel you have conquered this small task it’s time for step two.

It may take a few days, a week or even a month, but once you feel you are in the habit of drinking more water and know that your body is fully hydrated you are ready for step two. What’s step two? Well, it can be whatever you feel you need to do to make the next change. It might be cutting out your afternoon candy bar, it might be no snacking after dinner, it might be adding an extra serving of veggies to your day. But whatever it is, you need to do exactly what you did for the first step. Focus on it, make it a habit and plan. Now you will be in the habit of drinking lots of water so you won’t need to focus as much on that so you can put your time into your next habit.

Think about it. If you make a little change like this every week for six months that’s twenty-six changes that you have made into habits. Now, imagine making all twenty-six of those changes on day one. No wonder we get overwhelmed and fall off the wagon! Trust me when I say that this method works and it’s MUCH easier than jumping in and trying to change everything all at once. But it does take dedication and it does take time. One of the great things about this method is that it will build your confidence, self esteem and help you feel better all at the same time! Try it! Let me know what you think!

Do you want to know more? Do you want to figure out how to make these small changes? Are you struggling with where to start? Let’s chat about how holistic nutrition consulting and health coaching can help you get you health on the right track. I can help you pick the right steps for you, choose recipes, come up with meal and snack ideas and support changes to transform your health! Schedule an initial complimentary consultation with me today—or pass this offer on to someone you care about! Visit www.noshoesnutrition.com and sign up for a FREE consultation.  I work with clients from all over the world individually or in groups so don’t let anything hold you back!