Baby steps. Don’t take on more than you can chew. Little by little. These expressions exist for a reason: they’re based in truth.
How many times have you started a new weight-loss program, made one slip-up, beat yourself up, and then given up completely? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there.
But the problem isn’t with your “will power,” it’s with how much you’re demanding of yourself at one time! Changing your daily habits for good is no simple task. It takes time and repetition. And trying to change everything at once is simply unsustainable. Period.
So, start by changing one thing. Just one. Perhaps simply start by finding an extra hour out of each day to stand when you would normally sit. Sprinkle it in. 10 minutes while you’re on the phone with customer service, 15 minutes while you’re folding the laundry, 10 minutes while helping your kids with homework...find tasks in your life that you can stand while doing instead of sitting.
When that becomes second nature (and it will) add in another component of living a more active life. Maybe decide to take a 20 minute walk with your morning coffee everyday. Or commit to two 10-minute classes on my AND/life™ app when you return home in the evenings.
In terms of food, the Shape-Up plan in my book The Way In starts you with my no-brainer portioning and scheduling strategy before you even think about changing a single thing you usually put on your plate. Ingraining a maintainable approach for how to eat is even more important than what you eat - and this misplaced focus is why most weight loss methods fail.
Start with one goal. Little by little, day by day, improve on that and then add another. Challenge yourself to go further. The most important thing is to find what works for your life and your time -- and then give yourself space to turn these goals into habits. You will not only get to your goals, you will be able to easily maintain your improvements and keep going beyond what you ever thought possible!