Do you have a vision as to how you would like your health to look? Think of learning to ride a bike – you started with training wheels and progressed. You could see yourself riding a bike with parents and friends. You fell off, wobbled and got back on. This process should be applauded!
You learn from mistakes, make a correction and gradually improve as you move towards your vision.
Following a new way of eating is no different. Eventually, with lots of practise, you will ‘ride the bike’ automatically and falling off will become less frequent – but it will still happen occasionally!
Be kind to yourself in 2022. Choose to learn from the slip ups and if you can be curious about them, ask ‘Why, what was the trigger?’ If you haven’t the headspace, just get back on the bike. Kids wouldn’t over-analyse, they leave that to the adults!
Your health goal may be to run a marathon, reverse your autoimmune disease/diabetes or shed a few kilos. Everyone is at a different stage on their health journey, but everyone can move towards their health goal by taking it one step at a time. If you give up something, you rely on willpower to keep you on track. If you are like me this is very successful initially, until something stressful or out of the ordinary happens!
For example, I used to have a glass of wine as soon as my work day was over. I had tried to stop this habit a number of times. I wasn’t successful in the long term until I substituted the wine for a cup of herbal tea. I even bought myself a new mug and small teapot for the purpose! It took me a long time for my first thought not to be wine when I came in the door. I would laugh to myself as I said to myself, ‘What flavour of tea tonight?’ Gradually, over time I looked forward to the cuppa and thought about wine less often. I have weaned off the habit of having a cuppa every day now, but when my thoughts turn to wine, I know what to do if I’d prefer to choose not to drink! You can substitute with a non-food habit, for example, treat yourself to an application of your favourite natural scent – I love Wild by Goddess Natural Perfumes. The aim is to form a new habit, and eventually it becomes automatic. Let me know if you are looking for substitutes for a habit which you’d like to replace in 2022.
You are more successful if you are kind to yourself. ‘What a failure you are.’ ‘I knew you couldn’t do it.’ ‘No point in trying again.’ What would you say to a child that fell off their bike? Would you expect perfection? If you have over-indulged on sugar/processed foods/alcohol over the festive season…climb back aboard your bike, hydrate, get out in the fresh air and start to choose and enjoy what you eat.
There is of course more to health than just food – sleep, exercise, mindset – but all these are inter-related and made easier when you hydrate and eat real food that suits your body.