It goes something like this “This is the year I’m going to make big changes. I’m going to lose weight, eat healthy, go to the gym, cut out sugar.” So on and so on….sound familiar? 

So why does it never last when we try to make significant changes? The problem is that the expectations we put on ourselves can be unrealistic. We are full of motivation at the start but then when motivation starts to subside and life gets going again, we fall off the wagon, so to speak. Here’s the thing, we aren’t going to be able to change everything all at once. Life just gets in the way of our good intentions, we end up feeling frustrated and resorting to old habits or just ditching our goals all together.

So here’s how you can make a plan and stick with it to achieve your goals. This sounds too simple but really, start small. Pick one thing to focus on, it may seem insignificant at first but if you want to succeed keep it simple. Here’s an example, ‘my goal is to drink a glass of water when I first wake up in the morning’. This may seem easy but what happens if you forget to put the glass by your bed? You go downstairs to get water and you end up making coffee, the new habit is ditched and old habits creep back in. So make it as simple as brushing your teeth, the tooth brush lives in the bathroom, thats where you go to brush your teeth, you don’t need to think about, it’s just automatic. Make your new habit as easy to do as other habits you do without thinking. When this new habit becomes completely natural, then it’ll be time to add another. By setting a realistic goal you’ll have more self confidence as you’ll be able to stick it, so give it a try. 

There are so many great self improvement goals to choose from but I’m going to stick to the diet and lifestyle ones for my suggestions.

Here are 6 ideas for a healthier diet and lifestyle. Please just pick ONE and when you’re doing that without too much effort then add another, this is called habit stacking.

1. Start moving; regular consistent exercise has been proven to help with making more healthy food choices. Even starting with just once a week and then build to twice will help you build in a routine that you can stick to.

2. Eat regular meals; skipping meals can have an effect on your energy and appetite and can cause over eating later in the day. Try to stick to regular consistence mealtimes preferably away from any distractions, at a table and not at your desk.

3. Eat protein at every meal; Protein is satiating, meaning it helps to keep you feeling fuller for longer making it less likely you’ll over eat. Protein is also important for immune function to help you stay healthy and fight off coughs and cold.

4. Drink water; dehydration can make you feel unwell. Headaches, dizziness and an elevated heart rate are all symptoms of dehydration. If you don’t drink water regularly, start with a glass in the morning when you wake up then you can add when this becomes natural. The aim is to consume approximately 8 glasses a day. If you drink soda and juice regularly, try removing one glass a day and then gradually reduce from there. A glass of orange juice contains 120 calories, these calories can add up.

5. Aim to eat five portions of fruits and vegetable a day. If you don’t eat fruit and vegetables just pick one to start with. Buying pre cut and frozen fruit and vegetables can make this a lot easier to achieve.

6. Sleep; one of the most important things you can do for your health is to set up a consistent sleep routine with a solid block of 7-8 hours of sleep a night. These are the hours where our  bodies restore and repair, they help to regulate appetite and mood so play a significant role in health and weight loss success.

If you’d like to be super organised you could create a check list and tick it off each day that you achieve your goal. See how many ticks you can get in a row.

Remember, these ideas are not meant to be done all together, stack them up. This way you’ll be far more likely to experience success which will help with self esteem and confidence that you can achieve your goals.

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