September Madness: In the midst of change, don't...

In the midst of change, don’t…

Fall is a busy time of year. Vacations are over, kids are being sent back to school, and everyone is trying to “get back to routine”—i.e. try to juggle 10-million commitments, sporting events, extracurriculars and the regularities of work and house upkeep.

Many people use this sudden fall-schedule shift to also mix up their health goals; which makes sense, I mean, since you’re changing so much already, what’s another few things on the To-Do list?

Our suggestion, DON’T--- we know, we know; hear us out.

It’s been shown many times over again that making several radical changes at once only has about a 20% success rate. In fact, a measly 3% of all North Americans follow government guidelines of the most basic four habits for a healthy life:

Don’t smoke tobacco.
Exercise 5 times a week for 30min
Eat 5 servings of fruits OR vegetables a day.
Maintain a healthy body weight.

Now mix in all those other possible habits like lean proteins, sleep quantity and quality, stress management or kissing a neon pink toad under a full moon (ß okay, that last one was just a joke). It’s no wonder that people find weight loss and improving their health so difficult, and why it’s incredibly common that folks abandon their health goals during busy times.

If we had a nickel for every time we’ve heard, “This isn’t a good time, I’ll start once x, y, z settles down…”

The truth is, change is purposefully disruptive—but it doesn’t have to be so disruptive that it feels like a chore.

SO, with all that said, what do we propose?

Obviously, we encourage and want to support any and all efforts towards a healthier, happier life—and we want these changes to be as simple and effortless as possible.

Therefore, for the month of chaos-laden schedule change, we propose that instead of making any major changes while other things- usually beyond your control- are disruptively changing, SPOTLIGHT a habit that you’ve already implemented and are doing well.

For example:

Do you enjoy an evening walk? Awesome! Add 5-10min.
Have you already started bringing your water bottle to work? Great! See if you can drink one more bottle’s worth than you have been.
Did you start a fitness regime or join a gym/ fitness class in the summer? Woo! Keep the momentum going by folding or packing your workout clothes the night before. This super simple habit offers a subtle reminder to keep going to the gym, even on the busiest days of days because it’s easy to do something that’s already planned AND prepared for!
Did you indulge in all the summer’s fresh fruit and produce selection? Yummmm. Fall has plenty a bounty too. Keep on picking!

By choosing something that you’re already doing in the midst of a schedule-overhaul, it won’t feel like a new task. Instead of abandoning your goals, think of it as scaling it back to a manageable level that you’re able to MAINTAIN so that you can keep PROGRESSING towards your goals, no matter your circumstances. As they say, it’s far easier to KEEP motion than to START it from rest.

No matter what you choose to spotlight, make sure that your 95% confident that you’re willing, able and ready to expand on it. Consistency is key here—the smallest, simplest step will lead to the most success AND turn the habit into an automatic action in your lifestyle.

You’ll be amazed at the big changes that can occur by continually doing “the little things”.

To health and happiness <3.