6 Insanely Simple Habits That Can Change Your Life

There is a starting line and a finish line for every goal. In between those lines live the 10…20…100 smaller steps required to move from Point A to Point Next. Most people undervalue the power of those small, simple habits that can change your life.

When I start training a nutrition client I always preface with a conversation about habits. It goes something like this:

Julia – “Keep in mind that we’re looking at life long change here, the kind of change that takes a bit of time to achieve but lasts a life time”.

Client – “That sounds like exactly what I want. I don’t want to have to go through this again and again for the rest of my life”.

Julia – “Awesome! What that means is that, unlike most diets you and I have tried in the past, I’m not going to ask you to flip your life upside down and completely change the way you live your life. We’re going to focus on one small step at a time”.

It sounds great, because it is. BUT…most people are used to diets that come with rules, restrictions, lists of eat-this and don’t-eat-that. They aren’t used to simple!

But real, long-term change doesn’t come from a 30 day meal plan. It comes from small steps and daily actions that turn into habit. It comes from doing the things that are so simple you can’t think of an excuse not to.

Because those are the things you will do forever.

6 INSANELY SIMPLE HABITS THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Spend 5 Minutes a Day Doing ONE Thing That Moves You Towards Your Goal

It doesn’t seem like much but just 5 minutes a day of conscious effort can really add up to transformational change over time. Think about what you can do in just 5 minutes. You could:

• make overnight oats so that you have a healthy breakfast prepared for the next few days.
• write up a grocery list to stock up on healthy ingredients and block out time to hit the grocery store.
• schedule your workouts for the week.
• call your local gym to ask about that free training session you never took advantage of when you signed up.
• Read a fitness/nutrition/wellness article or blog.
• stretch.

5 minutes is enough time to make a difference, but not enough time to make an excuse. Plus if you enjoy the action you choose to take, chances are you will spend more than 5 minutes doing it.

Use Smaller Plates, Bowls and Cups

Most people finish what is on their plate, regardless of the recommended portion size and almost regardless of their hunger level (but especially if they are starving when they start eating). And year after year, the size of that portion seems to increase.

Don’t rely on will power to make healthier decisions at meal time. Rely on preparation. Set yourself up for success by using smaller plates, bowls and cups when you sit down to breakfast, lunch or dinner. It takes less food to fill a smaller plate, and your eyes trick your brain into not caring.

Ask More Questions

There are experts in all fields. But their is no one who is an expert in all fields. Ask more questions, know more things!

I fully admit, it has taken me a long time to get over the fear of sounding ridiculous when reaching out to ask a question or ask for help. TRUTH: the right person to answer your questions will never make you feel ridiculous.

If you have a question about a specific exercise, ask!

If you are curious about trainer rates or what nutrition coaching really entails, ask!

Every time you ask a question and get an answer, you get the opportunity to have 10 more questions. Every answer opens a door.

Eat the Rainbow, Daily

Even my veg-head clients sometimes come to me after they start tracking their food intake, utterly shocked to find that even though they get some greens in their diet, damn it’s hard to fit in the rest!

The same compounds that give fruit and vegetables their gorgeous hues give you a wide variety of nutritional benefits. Carotenoids, chlorophyll, flavenoids – these natural compounds help your body thrive and stay healthy. But if you are only eating a small variety of produce, you aren’t reaping the full range of benefits.

Make a simple tracker in your planner or on your calendar for each day:

Mark off as you go and consider it a challenge!

Here are some easy ways to incorporate colors into your meals:

• Mix fresh berries into your yogurt or oatmeal
• Add grapefruit segments to your salads for a citrusy pop of flavor
• Roast red, orange, yellow and green peppers on high heat and serve with roasted chicken or fish
• Blend up a smoothie with mango, pineapple and baby spinach
• Mix purple potatoes in with your yellow roasting potatoes
• Spiralize yellow squash and zucchini and use in place of pasta

Start Each Day With a Glass of Water and Finish It With 8 More

Even if you don’t drink a ton of water now, it’s highly improbably that you go eight hours without ingesting any liquid during the day. That is the case, however, after you wake up from a full night’s sleep. Your number one priority in the morning should be rehydrating.

Before coffee, before your shower – drink a glass of water. Not only will it rehydrate your body and brain, it will flush out waste and toxins that build up over night. p.s. even though coffee is liquid and does have health benefits, it shouldn’t be the first thing to hit your veins in the a.m.

One more thing that drinking a glass of water in the morning will do? It’ll set the tone for the day. Over half of your body is made up of water. Even a slight reduction in body water causes a decrease in energy, mood, focus and performance. So drink up!

Write Out Your Workouts For the Entire Week

You take out your calendar and write down birthdays, anniversaries and priorities in advance (we’ve all sat there on December 31st transferring the dates on last year’s planner to this year’s planner). You write down important events so that you don’t miss them. Shoot, you even plan weeks in advance for some of those important dates!

Schedule your workouts in advance. You don’t have to plan months out, or even weeks. Focus on one week at a time. Write them down. Highlight them. Block off time to complete them. Treat your workouts like a priority. After all, your health is a priority!