Your Wellbeing Matters – Simple Ways to Eat Better in 2022

5 Tips for Sticking to Your Goal

The standard practice, in America at least, has been to make New year’s resolutions only to give up within a few months. According to the website statista.com, the top five resolutions for 2021 were:

1. Do more exercise or improve my fitness

2. Lose weight

3. Save more money

4. Improve my diet

5. Pursue a career ambition

Interestingly each of those areas are affected by your diet. Statistics show that employees who appear more fit, get paid more and have a greater chance of promotion. In order to improve your fitness, your diet needs to support that. And there is a correlation between saving money and eating well.

I share that with you to activate the first step towards change, which is awareness. So, now that you’re hip to some data, let’s get to work. Here are five tips that create lasting change by raising your awareness and consciousness.

Clearly define your hard “nope” foods

You’re heading to your award-winning dessert chef friend’s house for dinner. You’re quite certain she’s made something yummy, however, you’re not consuming any sugars outside of fruit for the next three months. You arrive, embrace, chat, and enjoy the perfect meal. At the end, she offers a slice of her famous cheesecake. How do you respond? Below are two common scenarios.

Scenario 1:

You: Oh, that looks great! No thank you, I’m trying to stay away from all sweets outside of fruit at the moment.

Friend: (disappointed) Oh, how about just a small slice then? I made it just for our dinner because I know you love it.

You: (feeling guilty), okay but just a small one.

A few minutes later

You: (well, I already ate one, may as well enjoy more). I’m grabbing another slice, you want one.

Scenario 2:

You: Oh, that looks great! But no thank you. I’m not eating sweets outside of fruit right now. Perhaps another time.

Friend: (impressed) Oh, okay. I made it special for our dinner, I know how much you love it. But I hear you! I’ll just share with so and so

You: (smiles, no guilt). I appreciate that.

Our self-trust muscle weakens when we allow people to “cause” us to ignore our own “rules.” It feels like you failed. To prevent that, decide what your “nope” foods are in advance, and stick to it. Whether it’s a few months or for life is immaterial. Be firm in your decision.

Clearly define YOUR WHY?

Why have you decided to make dietary changes? If your answer involves anything outside of you (i.e., spouse, children, job, etc.), you’re not ready to change. Wait, what? Yep, the motivation has to come from the depths of you in order for you to successfully jump over the hurdles that are sure to come. Your why is what you’ll refer back to during those times. So, if you don’t yet know why you want to change, ask yourself why until you no longer have an answer. That’s how you discover the underlying reason to make changes.

Learn to eat mindfully

Part of your “WHY” research can include learning to eat mindfully. This topic is a whole article alone but a few things to consider are messages from the body, gratitude, and feeling safe. An example of receiving a message is getting a headache when you eat pizza. You know a headache will ensue, yet you still eat pizza from time to time. That is a very surface-level example of eating mindfully. The point is, you’re not going in blind. Granted, there are likely other things at play, such as your emotions, but you get where I’m going, right? That said, I invite you to start noticing the messages your body gives you after you’ve eaten something. Make note so that when you choose your foods, it’s done with an empowered knowing. Another aspect of eating mindfully is expressing gratitude for all the workers who did their part to ensure your food reached the store, the fact that you made it, and its nourishment. Lastly, being in a relaxed state sends a signal to your body that you’re safe and it’s okay to receive all the nutrients you’re about to gift it.

Nourishment

The diet industry has done a beautiful job of making it easy to enjoy nutrient-rich foods. Making the “food” convenient has stripped it of any nutrients. The result is an obese, malnourished population. The body asks for more food when it’s not getting what it needs. You already know what to do, eat more fruits and veggies every single day. It matters more what you put in your diet than what you remove from it. Fresher foods help in having fewer cravings, mood swings, brain fog, and other ailments that we associate with getting older. Those aren’t normal.

Choosing YOU, means you choose your loved ones too

When we first start changing our dietary habits, our friends and family aren’t always on board. Which makes the first four points crucial. Be encouraged, what I’ve noticed in my clients is that choosing yourself through your dietary choices builds self-trust, self-efficacy, self-confidence, and love. They’re more kind and patient with themselves and their body. Guilt & negative self-talk is minimized or eliminated. There’s more inner peace and grace towards others and themselves. They have energy and better sleep. There’s a glow. You’ll be asked what you’re doing. That’s how you help shift everyone else. Lead by example.

The tips I shared are simple, but they aren’t easy for some and that’s totally okay. I would like to invite you to join me on Clubhouse, a free community of support. Join my club called your VIBRATION and find the support you need for any habit changes. Your transformation raises the vibration of the entire planet. We need more people stepping into that higher frequency. Thank you & congratulations for taking that step.

Connect with Nicole Batiste on The Wellness Universe and walk away feeling better!

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