WHY “DIET HARDER” MIGHT NOT BE THE ANSWER.

You REALLY want to lose 20 pounds.

You’re exhausted all the time and pounding Red Bull or coffee to make it through your day.

You can’t walk up a flight of stairs without stopping to catch your breath.

Any of this sound familiar?

You’ve tried to make changes to your health in the past, but nothing seems to stick. The motivation is there. The desire is there. All the logical reasons for WHY working on your health is a GREAT idea are there!

But you still can’t make it stick. You’re not getting your 5 servings of fruit and vegetables every day. You’re not getting enough (or ANY) physical activity. You’re not sleeping well at night.

Now might be the time to look a little deeper into WHY your efforts are falling short. It could be any of these possible reasons. 

There is something Specific that is a problem behavior. 

Ex. Mindless snacking throughout the day or late at night; binge eating on the weekends; dropping onto the couch at night and not getting up again or binge-watching TV on the weekends; etc.

Something deeper is the problem. 

Whether it’s social pressure (someone at work brought brownies for the breakroom and you’re a sucker for a good brownie); Stress (work-related, home, financial, relationship, etc.); Lack of Support (you’re all for taking walks on the weekend, but your spouse or kids would rather watch sports or hang out with friends); etc.

You’re Not on Your Own Team! 

You place such a high level of expectation on yourself that ANY slip-up or misstep is categorized as an instant and utter failure. Or you have so LITTLE belief in your ability to change or create healthy behaviors that you give up before you get started.

Maybe You Really Don’t Want to Change at All! 

The other moms who go on and on about their new exercise program or the new diet they are trying feels like pressure to make changes yourself, but honestly, you’re just not feeling it. Or scrolling on your phone for 30 minutes after the kids are in bed is keeping you from completely losing it, and it’s not something you want to change, even though you know yoga would also be beneficial to help you de-stress.

You Can’t Decide What to Do or Where to Start. 

Keto, Paleo, Vegetarian? Join a Gym, Hire a Trainer/Coach, or Try Exercising on Your Own? Journaling, Meditation, or Counseling to Deal with Stress? You don’t know which strategy is best to make healthy changes, and having to figure out ONE MORE THING is enough to drive you insane.

If any of these sound like they might be the problem UNDERNEATH the problem, don’t despair. There is hope to make healthy changes and keep your sanity. Some of the techniques you can try include:

• Start Small. Instead of trying to change multiple things at once (diet, exercise, and stress management), just pick one. Ex. Stress management. Then break it down into the smallest possible thing you can do for your stress – a breathing exercise – to get started.
• Brainstorm. Sit down with a pen and piece of paper and brainstorm all the ways you could change your current behavior to a healthy behavior. Once you’ve landed on one (or a few) that appeal the most, start slowly working on how those behaviors could be implemented into your life.
• Ready, Willing, or Able. I enjoy walking at our local school track. It helps me clear my head and I find it MUCH easier to keep track of my distance and time. I was READY to start walking at the track in the Spring. I was WILLING to go there and put in my time. However, I was not ABLE to use the track during times that were convenient for me because school was still in session and the student athletes were using it. So I had to find alternatives until school ended that I was Ready, Willing, and Able to do. Sometimes it comes down to a simple conversation with yourself and asking, honestly, what you’re Ready, Willing, or Able to do to make healthy changes.
• Compromise. You want to eat more fruits and vegetables, but you also don’t want to give up sweets altogether. Maybe your COMPROMISE is adding one fruit as a healthy snack in the afternoon BEFORE you reach for a cookie or other sweet treat.
• The Domino Effect. You go on a walk one evening because the kids are having a meltdown, the house is a wreck, your spouse had their back go out, work is super hectic, and your weekend is going to be spent helping your aging parents with yard work. The walk helps relieve some of your stress, you’re able to think through a plan of action for helping your parents, you have the energy when you get home to load the dishwasher, and you are able to sleep better that night because the physical activity helped wear you out for better sleep. And you avoid an unhealthy snack that night because your appetite has been suppressed by the exercise. The simple act of taking a walk so you didn’t lose it on your family ultimately gave you more health benefits than you realize.

If you’ve been struggling with your health and wellness, and can’t figure out WHY nothing seems to be working, it might be time to dig a little deeper and look at what may be going on underneath the surface.

It also might help to reach out to a coach, trainer, or other health professional to help you deep-dive into the problem and help come up with a solution that works for you and gets your health journey back on track.