3 Real Reasons Why You're Failing at Fitness
Why don't we do the things that we know are good for us? Or only occasionally? Think back over the last month, how many times have you had a conversation with someone (or thought to yourself) about making a healthier choice - doing more exercise, eating more vegetables, less fried or sugary foods? Did your behaviour change? Has your friend's? If so, how long has the change lasted? If you've made a healthier change that's lasted for longer than six months, congratulations! you're in the small minority of people who manage it. If not, perhaps you're feeling guilty, or annoyed, or trying your best not to think about it.Why do we keep failing at healthy resolutions?
Changing a habit is hard, especially when it involves giving up something we like or enjoy. Often, we do the unhealthy thing without consciously deciding to (those days when you find yourself staring into the fridge, or heading straight for the couch automatically).
We discount the future risk. Yes, we know it's supposed to be better for us to exercise / lose a bit of weight / drink more water / stop smoking. We know statistical studies show that we'll live longer / reduce the risk of dementia / of falling / of developing diabetes or heart disease. But it's in the future, and it's only a statistic, not a guarantee. And that piece of cake is sitting in front of us, right now. One more piece won't hurt. We can begin /go back to that lifestyle change tomorrow, right?
It's difficult to know if these healthy choices are really making a difference. After all, it takes a decade or more to find out if it's really made an impact on our longevity. How could you measure it today?
Ultimately, we don't want to spend days thinking about and measuring our health. We want a quick and easy way to tell so that we get on with our lives and interests, whatever they are. A scale tells us if we've lost or gained weight. A blood pressure monitor tells us if we're still in the healthy zone. Wouldn't it be great to have one gadget that gave a composite score of overall wellness?Such things are on the horizon, but what can we do in the meantime, if we want to make a change?
Don't get overwhelmed. Try changing one thing. Commit to going to bed a little earlier, to improve sleep.
Frame the change in a positive way: learning a new exercise or eating vegetables is easier to stick to than giving something up.
Make it specific. One extra serving of vegetables each day, 30 minutes earlier in bed.
Start today, right now. Then by tomorrow, you'll have already begun your new behaviour.
Tomorrow, commit to doing it again. One day at a time.
Find an intrinsic benefit to the change: the taste of a new food, the way a walk outside wakes you up and makes joints less stiff the rest of the day. By enjoying the healthy choice for its own sake, we can build habits based on the immediate benefits, and still reap the long term improvements.
Find inspiration from others who have changed, often late in life. There's always time to change and make a better tomorrow.