How to achieve your health goals without shame
Slow & steady (+ flexible) wins the race.
Whether you’re trying to lower your cholesterol, increase your fitness, or address your prediabetes diagnosis, working towards better health and wellbeing in our culture is often embedded with feelings of guilt/shame that follow when our best laid plans go awry. What if I told you there’s a better, more effective approach? Let’s break it down:
Step 1: Break your goal down to specific behaviors
An essential first step to tackling any big goal is breaking it down into the behaviors that will help. An example:
Big Goal: I want to lower my A1C so I’m no longer in the prediabetic range.
—> Specific behaviors: Increasing my walks to 30 min/day, having a serving of vegetables with lunch, drinking more water, sleeping at least 7 hrs/night.
Step 2: Use the “Addition principle”
When considering the behavior changes you’re making, always think about ADDING vs. subtracting. Our minds do a lot better when we frame things as what we’re gaining vs. potentially losing. For example, say you want to lower your cholesterol and were told to limit your saturated fat intake. Using the “Addition principle,” you could focus instead on increasing the amount of unsaturated fats (i.e. nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil) in your diet. Feel the difference between the two?
Step 3: Check yourself!
Schedule check-ins (weekly, monthly) with yourself around your specific goals where you can neutrally observe how things have been going. What are your wins? What challenged you that you didn’t anticipate?
Step 4: Make tweaks (& make sure your goal is a realistic challenge)
Say it with me: Goals are meant to be modified! Sometimes we get into something and realize there’s a whole other issue with have to deal with first. Other times we realize we may need to take a smaller step than we thought. And that’s okay! This is all about making changes that are long-lasting and sustainable. There’s no rush.
Step 5: Repeat! (+ add support if needed!)
Repeat the steps as needed, assessing and reassessing as you go. If you recognize you need extra support (or an accountability partner) ask for it! There are friends, providers, and often entire communities dedicated to helping folks overcome huge barriers. At the end of the day, health is a communal effort, not just an individual one.