When we want to throw old habits that do not serve us well and form new habits that support our well-being, you would think it would be a non-brainer. But it’s not. Sometimes, it may feel really difficult to turn the intentions into actions. Here are some examples I hear all the time:
- ‘I feel much better when I go for a walk Instead of just staying in my office/watching the episode of “One More” [insert your latest binge-worthy show]. Why do I have so many problems to do? ”
- “Why can’t I stop what I do to make dinner So I have a satisfactory meal when I’m still comfortable hungry? I continue to put it until I am already ravenous and I just want to devour cheese and crackers for dinner. ”
- “I feel much more energetic when I have a good sleep. Why do I keep staying slowly reading/watching Netflix/scrolling on Instagram? ”
When we know what behaviors and habits help us feel our best, you would think it would be a sufficient motivation to really do these things regularly … But often, it’s not. What is the deal? Because we find it so hard to act in our interest, When we have really experience on the subject (that is, isn’t it just someone who tells us we need to do it)?
This is a situation I see again and again to my customers (and, Heck, I have even seen in myself). In no case do I see it as a failure (The mistake is human, to forgive, to be divine), But it requires a good dose of endoscopy and curiosity … Because, again, we do not act in our best interest and would like to correct it.
When intentions do not match actions
When one of my client’s intentions does not match their actions, in many cases is due to one of these four factors:
- Inaction
- Competitive interests
- Skeptic thinking with weight
- Omissions of memory
I will look at each of them in turn.
The strong attraction of inactivity
Inactivity is the resistance of any physical object to changes in speed or direction. In this example, we are the natural objects and so the inactivity can play:
- If you are sitting on the couch you are reading or watching something, it is easier to stay sit down than to get up and go for a walk.
- If you are deeply in a project or personal project, it is easier to keep in it than to put things away and dinner.
- If you stay late (reading, watching Netflix or work on a project), you may feel hard to call it one night and go to bed … especially if you are so late that you are tired and the thought of brushing your teeth and The placement of your PJ feels like a lot of work.
The war of competitive interests
An example of competitive impulses is to want the benefits of sleeping a good night but also want “my time” In a household containing children or partners (sometimes both … perhaps with pets thrown for good measure). The dinner is cooked. The dishes are made. Kids are in bed. The dog is sleeping. The cat is … well, who knows. Eventually reach the sofa with the remote control (or a book or social media applications) and you only have time or couple. Your inner revolutionary proclaims: “How do they dare the need to sleep to interfere with time!”
For another example, let’s say you are a natural introvert that only takes a long time to recharge your batteries. But other people in your life have other ideas about what to do with your time … That is, you have to spend it with them (either alone or on one of an endless series of zoom/facetime/skype periods)! You want to say “no”, but you are afraid to perceive as rude or unobstructed.
The riptide of thought-centered thinking
Thinking of weight is the idea that life (or at least health) revolves around weight loss. If most of your healthy habits are in service trying to lose weight and you are not excited about what the scale says or how your pants fit, it is easy to say: “screw it, it makes no sense in exercise or consumption of vegetables If it doesn’t make me smaller.
By placing all your healthy habits in the weight loss basket, you can easily forget (or not notice to start) that things such as eating nutrients, lifting weights, taking a medium afternoon break and enough sleep helped you feel good. They may also have done nice things for your blood sugar and blood pressure … and these are the numbers that are worth paying attention.
Forgetting to remember
It’s not the worst when you intended to meditate, do some yoga or go for a walk and get to the end of the day and Realize that you have forgotten completely, even though you had completely time to place it? This happened to me more than once, and it is a mess.
One of the most difficult parts of the development of a new habit or routine is to remember to do the new thing. It’s not just fully in your radar because it’s not yet a habit. So, Duh.
Return to the road
One way to clarify what actions you need to be to be your best self, And what actions you can stop (or put the back burner for now), is to consider your values. Prices are not about what you want take… It’s how you want is. Two worksheets I often use with my customers is that Price checklist and prices of worksheet. They work together to locate your values and place them in perspective. This helps with all three previous obstacles: inactivity, competitive impulses and center of weight.
One of my values is physical independence, so staying active in various ways is one of the goals that are aligned with my values. Because I am an era where, left on his own devices, my body would leave my muscles slowly atrophy (and if you are 40 years old. About it, a great reason I like the morning exercise because if I have the mentality of “I will do it sometime today”, a combination of forgetting, inactivity and competitive interests usually bite me at the end. And then I forget that I intended to lift weights or take a yoga break.
*Most mornings … I also like to relax with coffee and some reading, so I keep a few mornings each week for this activity. I also try to realize to get “Walk the Dog Down the Street” breaks at least three times during the working day. I manage to do this more days than not.
If you remember to “do the thing” is your main obstacle, the placement of obvious visual reminders placed where you will see them at a right time can help you overcome this tiny but not insignificant obstacle. For example:
- Set your shoes out of the bathroom door where you will see them in the morning
- Posting a sticky note that says “meditate”
- By placing an empty glass of water next to the coffee maker
- Creating an emerging reminder on your phone or an acoustic reminder to Alexa or on your other device
Of course, if you see the reminder and you don’t do the thing, it is no longer an issue of remembrance. At this point, consider whether it is inactivity, competitive interests or weight sparkling.
Related post: Identify your prices to create better habits.
The power of pleasure … and the planning
You feel wonderful after a walk in your beautiful neighborhood, or on this path of nature, but you do not almost as often as you want. A useful technique is to move your experience beyond the fleeting “This feels great, I have to do it more often” he thought and really immersed in this feeling of grandeur. Make the pleasure you are experiencing to become an experience. Make the live memory you can create at will. Then when you are “stuck” on the couch or sink into a project, and this little voice says “I really have to go for a walk”, the memory of these good emotions can help you get out of the door.
I also like the ”Five -minute rule“Which works best with things like a walk, making some areas of yoga or meditation than he does with, let’s say, going to bed in time or cooking dinner before you are cute. The” rule “, who is more than A negotiation tool is really that you only have to commit to do the thing for five minutes and then you can stop if you really want. you because you did the thing!
Finally, the timetable is important. If life continues to hinder these habits that make you feel your best, you may need Understand when to make time and space for the habit. Are you much more likely to exercise in the morning than after work? How can you do this? Do you go to bed earlier so you can get up earlier? Slightly shift your working hours? Rearrange your current morning routine?
As I said, I try to do my “official” exercise (lifting weights, do yoga, go for a bigger walk) in the morning, because if I don’t, it can’t happen. But I also get the aspect of pleasure seriously. I like the feeling of my muscles. I like how my body just feels moving through my day when I exercise consistently. When I have a week and my body does not feel so good (because, again, I am a time when this difference is visible), this is enough of a push to take me back on the road. And even though I generally enjoy weight lifting, I also know that I can get bored with it sometimes, so I am tuned to reappearing this feeling, because that tells me it’s time to change my routine to keep it fresh .
So … if you often find it difficult to turn the intentions into actions, take some of these tips for a rotation and see if they make a difference. I’m rooting for you!
Carrie dennett; Mph, rdn, is a nutritionist based in northwestern Pacific, journalistintuitive nutrition consultant, authorand speaker. Its superpowers include Diet and empowerment of women and men Feel better in their bodies and make food choices that support pleasure, nutrition and health. This post is only for information purposes and is not a personalized diet or medical advice.
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