Each year I am motivated to get healthy once again! Wait... Doesn't something sound wrong with that statement? Once again? What happens throughout the year that I come off my resolution kick and STOP choosing to be healthy? This is a common theme among resolutions, especially resolutions revolving around eating better and exercising. We are so unsuccessful in fact, many of us have become such pessimists we don't even make the resolutions. The start of the new year has become a reminder of our past failures and we decide against making any resolution in fear of pumping ourselves up to be what has historically been another broken promise.
This year, something is dramatically different for me; my reason for change. My daughter was born last June and has changed my life in so many wonderful ways. Everything you hear about the incredible love you have for your child is true. As I stumble through the beginning of motherhood, I find myself striving to do better than I ever have in areas I am weak. Just recently, we have introduced solid foods to Reese (my daughter). She is just loving eating avocado and butternut squash! It is fun to watch her explore and see her pride that she is eating at the table like mommy and daddy. Wanting the absolute best for her, I have been making baby food in our Vitamix with organic vegetables. I have read many books, tried multiple dietary lifestyles, and have a breadth of knowledge about nutrition, which makes me feel confident in understanding how I want to introduce food to my child. I want to educate her to shield her from the diet struggles I faced growing up. I still struggle with my addiction to sugar. With everything I know about diet and nutrition, what has kept me from eating clean and healthy? I recently read "The Omni Diet" by Tana Amen (a book I highly recommend) and was inspired to make my new year all about changing my eating habits for good. Immediately, my mind started to panic. "No more ________?!?!" (fill in the blank with a junk food of your choice). But then I thought, "How am I supposed to teach Reese about eating right when I have trouble doing it myself?" The difference this year is my motivation. Being a behavior analyst, I understand how important motivation is to behavior change. After all, eating is just a behavior. Ask yourself what your motivation is for the change you want to make this year. Keep in mind that if the motivator is not as rewarding as the behavior you are trying to change, you will unlikely be successful. Also remember, your motivation can change! Maybe you are motivated to compete in a race, so up until that race you run 5+ times a week. The race comes and goes, so now what? Time for a new motivation. Maybe there is an event coming up you want to look great for so you put an alert in your phone counting down the days to the event, which keeps you running on a regular basis. Pretty soon, the behavior itself and the lifestyle you have post-change becomes the motivator. Once the event is over, you may realize when you don't run, you feel sluggish and tired but have a hard time sleeping at night. This itself becomes a new kind of motivator to keep your new lifestyle up. The point is, focus on your reason for change and you are more likely to find success making the change. I have a wonderful reason for change and I can't wait for the healthy benefits eating clean is going to bring to me. I wish you success in your New Year's resolutions and encourage you to find a strong motivator. If you feel like you need support in your journey, please email me for some behavioral tips that may help. Cheers to 2014!
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