Nourishing our bodies is a profound act of self-care. But when it comes to making changes to eating habits or making attempts at incorporating other self-care practices, sometimes it can be challenging to do so in a non-diety and sustainable way. That’s why I’m coming out with a series of posts over the next month on how to create intentional and life-long healthy eating habits in a meaningful and intuitive way!
It’s the beginning of March, which how did that happen?? Anyway, by now, most, if not darn near all, people will have fallen off the new year’s diet wagon, and any resolutions to make lifestyle changes might have fallen by the wayside. While I’m not one to participate or even recommend new years resolutions, I totally get why so many do. Especially when this past year has been a whirlwind of major world-shifting events. Not only is it completely understandable that all forms of self-care might have taken a back seat to life’s current surprises and shitty challenges, it’s also understandable if any attempts at making changes to self-care, including healthy eating habits, have been challenging to maintain.
Now that we’re a couple months into the new year, weather is looking a little brighter and we’re starting to see a little light at the end of the tunnel with this whole global pandemic thing (but let’s be real, we still have a ways to go before “normal” life happens again, whatever that may look like), maybe you’re ready to add a little self-care or some healthy eating habits into your life. So in light of that, let’s dig in.
Why is making lasting healthy eating habits so hard? A few reasons:
Unrealistic info overload:
One major reason why it might feel challenging to make self-care habits stick, especially when it comes to eating and exercise, is because there’s SO MUCH information out there in the wellness and fitness land that glorifies the message that “if you just have the right determination and a little willpower, you can easily and quickly adopt new “healthy” changes for a new and improved life!” Many of these programs, books, plans, etc. tend to be drastic in nature. And they take the form of “lifestyle” overhauls that don’t necessarily align with the current picture of a person’s life. They don’t teach you how to adjust to or work around things like a hectic work life, family schedules, stressful events, differing environments, etc. Instead, it teaches you you need to have the right motivation to push through and to have MORE willpower. But how long can that last?
It’s understandable that when the idea of a new improved life is exciting and the motivation is high in the beginning, starting those changes is no prob. But when there’s too many major changes in the works, the likelihood of maintaining those changes is pretty rare.
Healthy eating is not pass/fail:
Healthy eating is often perceived as you’re either doing it right or you’re doing it wrong. And this comes with a general “all or nothing” mentality. Which means anything less than “doing it right” is perceived as a failure. For instance, if you eat an apple, you’re doing health right. And if you eat ice cream, you’re doing health wrong. This keeps you stuck on a teeter totter of unbalanced eating where you’re constantly yo-yo-ing from one extreme to the other. The reality is healthy eating is not a test. There are no defined set of standards that make healthful eating pass/fail. And there’s no final outcome that classifies a successful healthy eater. Which means there is no “blowing it.”
Using external cues as roadmaps for eating:
We’re taught we need to look outside ourselves when it comes to how, what and when we eat. And even more than that, we’re told we can’t trust our bodies when it comes to food. Like if we’re left to our own devices our bodies will only ever crave ice cream and never know a veggie again. This is simply not true, because the reality is our bodies crave balance. It’s these external forces, pressures and influences (like diets, wellness plans, food rules, “eat this not that” lists, etc.) that interfere with our bodies’ internal biological cues (like hunger and satisfaction) and the body’s innate wisdom. The other problem with external cues is they don’t take into account personal preferences and the mind’s warped perceptions, judgments and emotional feelings.
We’re creatures of habit and changing habits is hard:
Neurologically speaking it takes intense energy and a lot of intention for our brains to be rewired to do things differently. Think about the habits that are engrained in you now as an adult and how little effort they require. Maybe its brushing your teeth or making the bed. When you first started that habit, you really had to think about doing them. Until one day it just started becoming easier with little thought needed.
In order to change a habit, your brain needs to form a new neural pathway. But in order to make that happen, it takes repetitive action. So what’s so hard about that? Unfortunately your brain naturally resists this new neural pathway, because it prefers the easy pathway that’s already well-established and requires less energy. It’s when we repeat an action that the new pathway is reinforced and the old habit pathway loses it’s strength. When the new neural pathway is clearly defined as the path of least resistance the habit becomes easier and easier.
This is also why making big life changes all at once, isn’t the answer.
Your brain uses a lot of energy for all of the things it does to keep your body functioning. So in order to conserve energy, it wants to take the least energy consuming paths when it comes to behaviors. If you try to make too many changes at once, the more overwhelmed and resistant your brain will become to those changes. So just remember, making new well-formed neural pathways takes work, requires sustained practice of new behaviors and it takes time. So be gentle on yourself and remember it’s a challenge to your brain to rewire itself, but it’s possible!
How to Create Healthy Eating Habits That Last
Part 1: Rewrite Your Health Vision
This is not to be confused with mapping out details of what to eat or how many minutes to exercise. Instead, creating a health vision is about understanding the intentions or purpose behind your actions. As opposed to following something because it’s believed to be ‘good’ or something you ‘should’ be doing. Making healthful choices is much easier when there’s a meaningful connection between your mind and body. It allows you to understand your own unique life’s needs and wants. And more importantly WHY you need and want those things. Knowing your vision will help create meaning behind making changes, as well as a framework that helps focus and drive your ability to nourish yourself with confident direction.
What if the intention is weight loss?
Whatever you call it, intentional changes made to eating behaviors with the goal of weight loss will result in diet mentality. Whether it’s motivated by hitting certain numbers on the scale, fitting into “skinny” jeans, or believing it’s necessary for health (which it’s been well established that weight and body size are not indicators of health) it will trigger diet thoughts and ultimately sabotage healthy balanced eating. You’re more likely to stick to healthy eating habits, such as cooking more at home or eating more fruits and veggies when the vision isn’t about weight or body shape. This might seem unrealistic or even impossible. But when you’re able to think about what you would want out of engaging in nutrition practices in a world where weight didn’t change or even exist, you’re better able to focus on what else is important to you.
A non-diet vision that goes beyond the scale might include:
- building strength or endurance
- feeling energized or less stressed
- managing a health condition
- nurturing a positive relationship with your body and food
- feeling more comfortable in your body
- caring for your body so you can continue to live a quality life
- enjoying more satisfying and pleasurable food
- and so forth
What does your life’s vision of health and well-being look like?
SOME QUESTIONS TO GET YOU STARTED:
- What are you prioritizing?
- Why do you want to pursue health? And what is the purpose of pursuing health?
- What does the big picture of your life and health look like?
- What do you want in life specifically? And why do you want it?
- What does health physically feel like to you?
If you want more, I created a self-care guide on How To Create Healthy Eating Habits to Improve Health & Your Relationship with Food. And it’s FREE! Just click here and it’ll be delivered straight to your inbox!