Using Change Psychology to Make Lasting Changes towards a Healthier Lifestyle

Did you know that the compliance rate for taking doctor-prescribed medications is somewhere around 55%?

If only half of us follow through with a suggestion (assumingly made in the interest of our best health) of simply taking a pill, is it any wonder we have a much harder time following through with the entire list of “rules” that come along with finding a healthier lifestyle?

 

As a personal trainer and former teacher, I always want to educate. educate. educate.

What else can I teach you about fitness? about nutrition? about motivation?

 

Here’s the blinding answer – nothing.

In this information-rich world, you can google every diet, pin every workout, and share photos of every beautifully designed image of fitspiration you can find. But none of that will matter if you never follow-through. 

 

(Almost) everyone has enough knowledge about fitness and nutrition to make changes in their lives:

Eat healthy. Move more.

It’s almost so simple that we attempt to complicate it in order to give ourselves an excuse.

 

The issue comes in motivation and follow-through. Why do we so often start the year with honest intentions of getting healthier, only to find ourselves flailing in old habits days, weeks, or months into it all?

Part of the problem is biting off more than you can chew.

 

There’s this fascinating field called “change psychology” that deserves way more attention than it gets. Basically, in order to create lasting change, you need to deconstruct the end result into smaller steps that SEEM POSSIBLE. If you can’t say with utmost certainty that you BELIEVE you can achieve the goal, then it’s not the right goal. You need to simplify the goal even to the point where it almost seems absurd.

 

AND —-

 

You can only work on ONE GOAL AT A TIME. Trying to do too many things causes too many distractions. If you are focused solely on one goal and continue to implement that activity, eventually it will become a habit.

 

And that, is the ultimate goal. Taking one small step at a time. Repeating until it becomes a habit. And THEN moving on to the next small step.

 

WIth change psychology in mind, I’d love for us to work through some basic, healthy habits throughout 2015. They will look a little different for each of us (based on what we feel confident we can achieve), but hopefully we can begin taking some baby steps towards a healthier future together.

Let’s DO ONE THING and keep doing it until it becomes as natural as brushing your teeth!

 

First DOT – Drink more water. This is such a fundamental healthy step that many people skip right over. A good goal is to drink half of your body weight in ounces. (Ex. If you weight 160 pounds, drink 80 ounces of water per day). For safety purposes, do know that you CAN drink TOO MUCH water, so please don’t go crazy overboard on the water consumption. Hyponatremia is real.

Consider your own current water drinking habits and decide what is a manageable goal for you. Some suggestions include (but are not limited to:)

*Drink a glass of water every morning as soon as you wake up.

*Replace one cup of “other” drinks with water per day.

*Be sure you drink half the needed amount by the end of lunch.

 

Maybe by the end of the year, we’ll be able to “connect all our DOTs” and be living that awesomely fit and healthy life we started dreaming about at the turn of the year.

 

Anyone want to join me in making our lives sunshine-y and bright? Connect the Dots – 2015!

 

Comment below (or share on social media) how you are going to drink more water. #ConnecttheDOTs2015