Getting Motivated

I always want to improve my health, but I don’t always feel like improving my health.
I constantly wrestle with myself. For me, making lifestyle change isn’t as simple as deciding to live differently. It’s a learning process full of experiments, relapses, and adjustments.

What has gotten me this far is a collection of very gentle strategies that shape the way I think. These strategies recalibrate my mind, shape my identity, and help me set expectations. If you’ve been wanting to make changes but lack gumption, try incorporating some of these subtle strategies and see what happens.

Recalibrate Your Mind

First, learn what’s actually good for you.
Immerse yourself in information.
Start with great documentaries like What the Health and Forks Over Knives.
I highly recommend signing up for free online summits like:
The Food Revolution Summit
The Truth About Weight Loss Summit, and
The Mastering Diabetes Summit.
These summits are usually offered once per year. I suggest you contact one of them and ask to be added to their email list. Each summit is comprised of a collection of in-depth interviews with experts in the fields of nutrition, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, cognitive functioning, weight-loss, psychology, autoimmune disorders, lifestyle medicine, and even cooking. Pick the topics you’re most interested in. At the website links above you can look at the bios of past speakers and then search them on Youtube or follow them on Instagram! Many of them have books, websites, and podcasts for you to dive into.

While you’re at it, get a check-up.
Take inventory of your current health. What are your risk factors?
Do you have a family history of disease that you need to consider?
What medications are you on?
What’s your A1C? (One in three people are prediabetic and most don’t even know it!)
Have you had a lipid panel done?
By the time I considered the probability of developing either heart disease (1 in 2) or cancer (1 in 3), the fact that my LDL cholesterol was over 100 (that’s too high), and the fact I was morbidly obese, I was not liking my chances… and I wasn’t doing anything to reduce my risk. Facing the facts made me uncomfortable enough to take action.

Find an emotional reason.
As I was thinking about my risk factors, I imagined my little boy having to grow up without his mother. I let myself imagine how difficult it would be for his little heart to grieve. I imagined how lonely he would feel. Then I thought, maybe I wouldn’t die. Maybe I would just be sick, a burden to him, a reason for him to never leave home or reach his full potential. I heard once that you need to find the why that makes you cry. These thoughts are difficult to sit with, but again – it’s the uncomfortable things that motivate us to change.

Shape Your Identity

Study yourself.
Figure out what you need in order to make a change. In Gretchen Reuben’s book, Better Than Before, she makes practical suggestions for how people with different tendencies can successfully adopt new habits. For example, I’m an Obliger; I need accountability. So now I make gym dates and walking appointments with friends, and I joined a book club so I’ll read more. Maybe you need to make healthy eating easier by signing up for a meal service. Maybe you need to pack healthy snacks so that you’re not tempted to go through the drive-thru. Maybe you need a way to track your progress. Take every opportunity to learn more about what makes you tick and set yourself up to be successful.

Make friends with people who are healthier than you.
Let healthier and more active people influence and inspire you. Eat lunch with a co-worker who packs lots of vegetables. Join a gym, a gardening club, or a cooking club. While you’re trying to make friends in the flesh, join facebook groups and follow instagram accounts that will fill your newsfeed with success stories, healthy recipes, and support. I recommend:
@forksoverknives,
@highcarbhannah,
@plantifulkiki, and
@wholefoodplantbasedcookingshow to get started.

Visualize yourself full of health and vitality.
Visualization is used in sports, business, and romance. I think there’s something to it. I think it helps to build your identity and influence your behavior, which I talk about next. At the very least, you’re creating a goal, something to strive towards. There’s no harm in dreaming about how good it will feel to be healthy. Imagine being comfortable in your body, shopping for nice clothes, or playing tag with your grandkids. Imagine being so full of energy that you start new hobbies and volunteer in your community. Imagine not having to take medications. Imagine what might be possible.

Challenge the way you see yourself.
We engage in behaviors that reinforce our identity. By seeing yourself as “a healthy eater” rather than as “a fat person trying to lose weight,” it’ll be easier to choose healthy foods. James Clear discusses this strategy in his book, Atomic Habits. Honestly, I struggle with this strategy because I hate labelling myself – and I don’t want to look like a hypocrite when I dive into a plate of fish ‘n chips – but I think it’s a very powerful idea. After years of insisting that I wasn’t a vegetarian, it was actually other people that challenged my identity. They expected me to serve healthy meals or look for vegetarian options, and that helped to shape the way I saw myself.

Set Expectations

Pick something to work on.
Don’t overwhelm yourself with everything you want to change because you will run out of steam quickly. It’s been said that we overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in ten years. This is lifestyle change. You’re in for the long haul, so pace yourself. That might look like Meatless Mondays or incorporating a plant-based breakfast into your daily routine. Maybe you will increase your intake of fresh fruit or eliminate soda. As you start to master one thing, you’ll be ready to take on another.

Embrace the journey.
This is not a check-list. You don’t just scratch off one and move on. Your motivations will shift and change as you progress on your health journey. You will continue to absorb new information. You may encounter different health challenges. You will learn more about yourself. Your relationships will evolve. You’ll change. And in 10 years, you’ll look back and it will be worth it.

Feature Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 
Webinar Image by Marcos Isaias Mejía Guarcas from Pixabay
Lab Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
Runner Image by Madusanka Dahanayaka from Pixabay