#HealthTipTuesday Lifestyle Habits vs Fads.

Have you tried to change your lifestyle habits by attempting every new fad diet and quick-fix health trend, only to find results and long-term benefits lacking?

Fad diets and lifestyle changes are completely different. One works and one doesn’t. Anything worth having takes time to develop but most people quit after week three of trying something new. It’s usually because they didn’t see the results quick enough or fast enough, so they look for the next quick thing. What we miss most of the time is the “lifestyle” approach. We shouldn’t go on the next diet hoping it works. We must adapt to better habits so that we can become healthy and stay healthy permanently.

Build long-lasting, sustainable, habits that become your identity. We have to learn how to overcome failure and find what works for us as individuals because we all live different lives and it doesn’t make sense to force a cookie-cutter diet and hope it lasts.

How do you do this?

1. Do things you ENJOY. If you hate running, stop running! There’s a lot of ways to get in activity so find ones you will look forward to doing. You must get SOME enjoyment from it so try different things, for example, biking, rock climbing, swimming, pickleball or walking.

2. Quit cutting out foods you love. If you have no desire to ever stop eating chocolate, cutting it out forever is just going to result in a binge. MODERATION is key. Learn to track your food and eventually you will naturally have a better grasp on portion control and moderation. Rule of thumb, eat mostly whole foods; fruits and vegatables. A donut a day is fine with fruits, veggies, protein sources, and water but all within moderation.

3. Environment is key! Start hanging around people who have some of the habits you want. It will rub off on you. You’ll never be stronger than your environment. This includes who you follow and listen to on social media, podcasts and Youtube.

4. Set reachable goals. There is a time and place to dream big but there’s a difference between long-term and short-term. Long term, dream huge. Short term, break it down to something super simple. It’s more about small, daily, consistent tasks then it is some huge, quick, dramatic push.

5. Be patient & consistent. This is a huge topic I go over with my clients on a weekly basis. We live in a world of instant gratification however, our goal body won’t arrive in two days like amazon packages. Work on making every workout, every meal count! Before you know it, weeks will go by and you will see a difference in your energy levels and clothes feeling looser. The key to permanent lifestyle changes is staying consistent.

Learn more about Tanya and her company The Diet Doc Sedalia here.

Have a great Tuesday!

-Coach T